So, science is actually rife with language.
So, thinking about ways that we can kind of help reduce
the language load, is imperative, really.
But also quite straightforward when you link it
to what we know about multi-sensory teaching.
So for example, don't just rely on giving verbal auditory instructions.
Always have things either on worksheets to accompany in written form,
or on a blackboard or a whiteboard, so that you've got both the auditory and
the visual forms of the information.
Try and make sure that instructions are sequenced into short manageable chunks.
And again, make sure that student have access to the sequence, so
that they don't have to keep it all in mind,
that they can go back and look.
You also want to if possible, make sure that students can have some prior warning
of the topic that's going to be discussed or the text that's going to be looked at,
so that they've got time to do some pre-processing.
They can look at keywords, use some meta-cognitive strategies
about what they might need to be able to access the meaning in the text.
These are just a few ideas.
And also, realizing that in terms of the terminology,
students with dyslexia will need more exposure and more repetitions of those
technological or longer terms to really make them stick.
So, you can have in subtle ways, have word walls where these words
are prominently displayed, so that you're getting repetitive exposure.
And also, don't be afraid to differentiate the written demands.
Or, get a bit creative about how knowledge is demonstrated.
Perhaps you could try something where, rather than students having to demonstrate
their knowledge of an experiment through a written report, maybe they could do
a video documentation, or use a Powerpoint presentation or an audio report.