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Accommodating for Learning Differences During the Pandemic

With the drastic impact that 2020 has had on virtually every aspect of our lives, there remains an often overlooked community that faces greater challenges due to the largely virtual atmosphere. Individuals with learning differences such as dyslexia who typically rely on learning with multiple sensory activities (visual, auditory, tactile, etc) no longer have access to the same quality of personalized intervention that they did with face-to-face education. This being said, however, there are several strategies that can still be implemented through a virtual setting to help students with dyslexia or similar learning differences succeed to their full potential.

  1. Make Online Documents Interactive: Zoom's "share screen" option and annotations feature are ideally suited for keeping lessons interactive in a virtual setting. Studies have proven that dyslexic students learn the best with a multi-sensory approach to education. With this in mind, sharing a document with a student and allowing them to draw, circle, and underline over text gives them the opportunity to combine visual and tactile senses. You can also share letter/sentence animations with a student through Zoom, offering further interactivity, engagement, and concept retention.

  2. Implement E-learning Activities: The online learning atmosphere is a great opportunity to incorporate powerful E-learning tools into your curriculum. There are dozens of high-quality apps tailored towards dyslexic students, and online Zoom environments allow instructors to monitor a student's progress on e-learning activities by simply having students share their screen as they engage with the technology. Apps such as Dream Reader can help students with visual tracking while Dyslexia Quest can help improve a student's reading memory and listening.

  3. Record Sessions: A benefit of online learning is that virtual classes can be recorded for students to reference at home. While in-person learning often led to students forgetting key information or tips, online recordings give students the opportunity to rewatch class recording as often as needed.

Ultimately, it is important to understand that there is no one set method to help dyslexic students: each student is on an individual journey that is deeply unique and personal. We are incredibly impressed by the resilience and dedication of both learning specialists and students for creatively combatting the year that has been 2020. Although online learning can pose significant challenges, there are new opportunities for learning intervention that can help dyslexic students receive the education they deserve even amidst a pandemic.

 

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