Copycat
Type according to what you see and see how fast your fingers are.
Clocks are ticking!
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Copying notes from the blackboard is a common practice in classrooms, but often, dyslexics find this to be a difficult task.
To copy, they would have to read the text. But children with dyslexia have difficulties decoding text, or reading. They see the symbol, they need to process the shape and try to come up with a sound, before they can put it together with other letters to make a word then finally understanding the meaning of the word.
Having to go through this process is time-consuming but copying notes from the board is a race against time. As a result, Dyslexics copy blindly, feel pressured and insecure.
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What comes naturally for us
might not be for the Dyslexics.
This exercise is a simulation of what is it like for them. Most of us could type the first paragraph with ease as we are familiar with the words and layout of the alphabets on our keyboard.
But when it comes to the second paragraph, we tend to type letter by letter instead of word by word. During this process, the brain that handles the cognitive activity is activated.
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Help dyslexic children within the classroom
Use different colour chalks for each line if there is a lot of written information on the board, or underline every second line with a different coloured chalk.
Ensure that the writing is well spaced.
Leave the writing on the blackboard long enough to ensure the child doesn't rush, or that the work is not erased from the board before the child has finished copying.
Give special attention to the child so that the child will feel more confidence raising doubts or problems in class.
Or simply reduce copying.
If visual memory is poor, copying must be kept to a minimum. Notes or handouts are far more useful.
