Literacy Related Activities

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Literacy Related Activities

• Speaking, listening and responding and enabling strategies
• Reading and Comprehending and enabling strategies
• Writing to Communicate and enabling strategies
• British Sign Language

Adaptations for Assessment

Description of Literacy Related Activities

Literacy is the skill of communication through written, spoken or kinaesthetic language e.g. British Sign Language (BSL). In the VET context, literacy relates to a level of functioning in the abilities to read, write, speak and listen that allows the learner to:

• engage effectively in their studies;
• communicate with their tutors and peers;
• create/understand text based materials for their course of study.

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Speaking, listening and responding

Speaking and listening are by far the most widespread forms of communication. In most jobs, people spend much more time speaking, listening and discussing than reading or writing. Talk is an important medium for getting things done, but equally important is the ability to listen carefully and to both act and reflect on what is heard.

Some adults may not have received explicit teaching in speaking and listening before, but they will have a lot of implicit knowledge and experience - in some cases in quite specialised fields. Improving skills in speaking and listening can be about getting better at what you do, and also learning to extend what you do to other contexts.

Skills required for receptive language:

• processing sequences, sounds and words quickly;
• discriminating speech sounds and words that are similar;
• verbal comprehension;
• retaining a sequence of information e.g. instructions;
• extracting meaning from complex or abstract language and/or grammatical structures, e.g. passive voice, sentences with embedded clauses;
• understanding non-literal language, e.g. metaphor, analogies, 'figures of speech’.

Skills required for expressive language:

• organising and planning what to say;
• word retrieval;
• putting ideas into appropriate grammatical forms;
• 'holding' information in short-term memory while speaking, e.g. remembering what you want to say next;
• pronouncing words, particularly multisyllabic ones.

Being literate allows learners to engage effectively within a wide range of learning contexts. It requires learners to have skills such as:

• Manipulation
• Attention
• Communication

Discussion is a very important mode of learning for all learners. However, traditional conventions of discussion can exclude some people with disabilities. When organising a discussion with a group of learners that includes members who have a disability, it is important to look closely at the conventions that are being used and to consider whether these include or exclude these members.

Enabling strategies

• Discuss with the group different cultural conventions of discussion and agree on ground rules which ensure that no one is at a disadvantage e.g. encourage participants to say their name before speaking (to include blind learners) and/or to wave their hand or hold up a coloured card of they wish to contribute (to include Deaf learners).
• When working with interpreters, ensure that all group members address the Deaf person directly and not the interpreter.  Also allow time for the interpreter to translate speech.
• Discuss how far individual learners feel able to participate in discussion. Encourage participation, but respect an individual's right to stay silent or to opt out of the discussion. Some people with mental health issues may have fluctuating conditions which might mean that they feel able to partake some of the time but not at others.
• Ensure that the discussion is well chaired so that only one person is speaking at once, that everyone has the opportunity to participate, that each change of speaker is clearly indicated, and that people have enough time to absorb what has been said.
• Ensure that there is good light and good acoustics and that participants are seated in a circle or horseshoe, so that all learners can see each other clearly.
• When possible, use visual aids, either pictures/slides/video or text at an appropriate level. However, if the group includes visually impaired learners, make sure that any visual aids are explained verbally.
• Consider restructuring the teaching environment so that quieter learners can take part. Some of the best discussions can take place in less formal surroundings, such as the cafeteria or even the corridor. Some learners may prefer to contribute when the pressure of eye-to-eye contact is removed.

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Reading and Comprehending

Effective readers develop an 'internal lexicon' of sight words that they recognise visually.  This rapid word recognition allows them to concentrate on the meaning of what they read. When they come across an unfamiliar word, they may 'decode' it by using phonics, i.e. 'sounding it out'. They may also use their lexical knowledge of words (e.g. roots, suffixes and prefixes) to guess at the word.  In addition, they may use context to help work out the word and check if their attempt is reasonable.

When learners first learn to read, they need to develop an awareness of the alphabetic system that is the relation between letters and sounds. At the same time they will be building up their internal lexicon. These two routes to reading operate independently.

Learners with sensory impairments and perceptual processing difficulties (e.g. dyslexia) may not be able to use both systems fully.  Those who are blind and read Braille, for example, will use a sound-symbol system based on touch rather than sight.  Learners who have been profoundly deaf since birth will not be able to use phonics at all, but can still become competent readers.

Enabling strategies

• Text used should enable readers to get meaning from text without relying on images.
• Listening to a tape (paced appropriately) while reading can help learners follow the text.
• A piece of card placed under or above the line of text can help readers stay on track and not skip lines, or a line tracker can be used.
• If using activities where reading aloud is necessary, such as reading parts of a play, ensure learners have private and supported practice time before reading aloud, and that they are comfortable with the material.
• Ask learners to read in small chunks and check for comprehension at each stage.
• Sample activities such as skimming a selection of texts will be difficult, so allow learners more time to find information and accept that some may never be able to use skimming as a strategy to find information.
• An ‘electronic reading pen’ which will scan and ‘read’ individual words is an excellent aid for any learner whose difficulties may interfere with accurate detailed reading, for further information click here 

Other tools to assist reading

Obtaining Textbooks in Alternative Formats

Natural Reader (text to speech conversion tool)

ReadTheWords.com (online text-to-speech application in English, French or Spanish)

iZoom (enables screen magnification and display options)

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Writing to Communicate

The writing process consists of composing, spelling and handwriting. Composing involves planning and expressive language skills, which include the following:

• the ability to formulate and articulate ideas (although this might be in a non-spoken form such as sign);
• the awareness of linguistic boundaries, e.g. a sentence;
• narrative skills such as sequencing, structuring;
• vocabulary to achieve expression purposes such as describing or explaining, including the ability to use language non-literally as in idioms, analogies, figures of speech;
• knowledge and use of syntax, including grammatical usage, use of complex syntax and linking words;
• the ability to categorise and classify.

Producing a piece of writing relies on putting ideas into a written form; that is, being able to spell and write by hand or produce all the words through some other form, e.g. by technological means.  Writing and spelling must be automatic in order for the writer to concentrate on expressing his or her ideas. If learners are unable to develop automatic spelling and writing, they will find it extremely difficult to express themselves on paper.

Organising and Planning Writing

Many learners with dyslexia and dyspraxia experience difficulties with sequencing and organisation. They may perseverate on an idea, i.e. be unable to move on from one idea to another when writing. They may have problems organising paper; files and time, as well as writing. They often need specific help organising folders and planning writing.

Have a look at Freemind - mind mapping software to enable visual planning and structuring of ideas and documents.

Enabling strategies

• Use writing frames that clearly draw attention to and emphasis where and how points can be related.
• Make particular use of colour and cut and paste to sequence both physically and on a computer.
• Start with the main idea, then ask learners to write three or five sentences about it. Then write three or five sentences on each of these sentences to make three or five paragraphs.
• Teach learners how to write paragraphs explicitly e.g. WEE paragraph: What's your point; Explain what you mean; give an Example.
• Some disabled learners may benefit from recording their ideas on a dictaphone before writing.
• Diaries, timetables and coloured file dividers may also be useful for general organising.
• Use spidergrams or mindmaps to plan work and show the relationship between the topic and paragraphs. The rounded format encourages learners to rethink the order of the paragraphs and the best links.
• Encourage learners to wait a day or so to proof-read, as they are more likely to identify errors than to see what they intended to write.
• Encourage learners to have their work read aloud to them as this also helps them to identify what is actually written down rather than what they intended to write.
• Provide checklists for all learners

Tools to aid organisation:

Stickies (sticky notes on the screen set to give reminders)

KalendarUK (handy calendar/planning/to-do and alarm software)

Spelling difficulties

Spelling is a sub-skill of writing; it is primarily a visual-motor skill. Reading relies on recognition whereas spelling relies on the recall of a precise sequence of letters. A good speller is able to see if a word looks right and will also have integrated the conventions of English spelling to enable them to suggest an alternative if it looks wrong. The motor memory is also important in spelling: a good speller can automatically, without thinking about the letters, 'feel' if their hand makes an error. Those who can use phonics will integrate sound with letter patterns, but good spelling is achievable without it: for example, profoundly deaf people can become good spellers.

Learners may have a range of difficulties with spelling:

• poor vision memory for words;
• sequencing and directional (e.g. b/d, d/g) confusions;
• omitting or confusing sounds because they cannot discriminate or hold them in short-term memory;
• poor motor integration or eye-hand co-ordination which results in omitting or repeating letters or syllables.

Learners with dyslexia and many with learning difficulties will have problems remembering and applying rules, as well as acquiring the conventions of spelling. Spelling conventions will also be difficult for Deaf learners whose first language is signing.

Enabling Strategies

• Learners will learn common spelling patterns more easily through words that are meaningful to them.
• Look for alternatives for breaking up words, such as words within words, strong visual patterns and lexical (i.e. structural) parts such as roots, prefixes and suffixes to help word recognition.
• Use software programmes, like textHELP, which give the meaning of words.
• Help the learner find mnemonics that are personal and create ‘mental’ pictures.
• Group key words in word families, on different coloured cards.  The learners can discard the cards once they gain confidence in spelling them.
• Make use of spell checkers but explain their limitations. They do not identify errors that form other words (e.g. form/from) or homonyms such as their/there.
• Remember that providing extra time for those with poor spelling is unlikely to be of any benefit.

Click here for LetMeType - word prediction software.

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British Sign Language (BSL)

Many adults who were born Deaf will be using British Sign Language (BSL) as their preferred means of interactive communication. Some may have been brought up in Deaf families where BSL is the first language. Using sign language as the preferred or first language has implications for learning English, just as there are implications for learners whose first language is another spoken language.

BSL is not visual English, nor is it universal.  BSL is a language in its own right, systematic and rule-governed, different from English in its grammatical concepts and structures.  As with any other learner of English as a second language, there will be times when the concepts derived from the first language interfere with the learning of English.

From a basic skills teacher's point of view, some of the most common significant grammatical differences between BSL and English are:

• An English sentence is organised around the verb. Meaning depends on the word order of the other words in the sentence. BSL users begin with the topic and then comment on it;
• BSL does not use the auxiliary to be;
• BSL does not use the articles a/an/the;
• Word order can be markedly different;
• Verbs are inflected by changes of speed or placement;
• Modification of signs is also shown by changes of placement, speed or repetition and not by a 'word' ending;
• Prefixes and suffixes, e.g. -s, -ed, -ing, are signed in BSL, but they are not attached to the root word.

Sometimes, however, there are similarities of pattern that teachers can exploit. For example, BSL usually makes a distinction between you and yours and me and mine in a pattern similar to the English one but with a change of handshape.

It is always important to discuss with a BSL user how he or she expresses a particular idea or concept in BSL, and to make these linguistic differences part of the learning process.

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Assessment

Remember that people with the same impairments may need different adjustments to practice to enable them to engage with the assessment process and demonstrate their learning.

When assessing your learners, be very clear about exactly what it is you are testing. For example, in asking learners to write an essay in an exam, are you testing the learners’ knowledge and understanding of the topic, or the ability to write clearly and precisely? Decide what you are assessing and how many marks are apportioned for each element (knowledge or good writing, memory or understanding)

Consider why you are assessing in a particular way, and whether another method may be more inclusive.  In some cases, the exact format of the assessment is critical to the demonstration of the intended learning outcome. For example a course in hairdressing would require a practical demonstration of competence; but, where possible, allow your learners to have a choice about how they demonstrate their knowledge and skills; in other words allow them to demonstrate their knowledge and skill in a variety of formats.

There may be occasions where you have provided the disabled learner with an alternative assessment (e.g. a blind learner may need to give their answers orally rather than in writing). In such cases, you should ensure the integrity of the alternative and make sure that the disabled learner is judged on their ability to meet the criteria – providing neither a disadvantage nor advantage over other learners.

Adaptations for Assessment

• Some students may rely on equipment to meet the needs of the assessment, whether in a formal examination environment, or the less formal setting in which assignments are prepared for continuous assessment.
• Consider how much time will be needed for completing assignments.
• Some disabled learners will need extra time to complete their assessments.
• Some disabled learners who are working in a group may need extra time to complete the assignment.
• Can work be dictated onto tape or can the student give an oral presentation instead?
• Will the learner require an assistant or a scribe?
• Students with visual difficulties may require examination papers in formats such as Braille, tape or enlarged print.
• The questions and/or titles of the assignment may need to be provided on disk.
• A tape recorder, computer, scribe or assistant, may be needed to enable a disabled learner to complete their assignment.
• Be clear about the role and involvement of equipment or an assistant; ensure that the student maintains control and is fully responsible for producing their assignments.

Click here for Adjustments for Assessments taken under Examination Conditions

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