Dyslexia Thinking—General tips for educators and parents
Explore general tips to support Dyslexic Thinking.
What research tells us
Research tells us that Dyslexic Thinkers have the exact skills needed for the workplace of today. The Value of Dyslexia Report points out that enhanced tasks and new roles will be created across industries that closely match the strengths of dyslexic thinking such as:
- Leadership and social influence
- Creativity
- Complex problem-solving
- Analytical thinking
- Emotional intelligence
The 2021 Dyslexic Dynamic Report highlights that talent shortages are at a 15-year high. Having 10/10 of the soft skills employers are looking for means that people with dyslexia are perfectly poised to fill this skills gap. Dyslexic Thinking is also now a skill recognized by the world’s largest careers platform LinkedIn and an official term added to Dictionary.com.
Support Dyslexic Thinking with technology
Learners with dyslexia are often highly creative, good problem-solvers, three-dimensional thinkers, innovators, and influencers. They thrive in environments where they're recognized for their strengths and can show their learning in ways that capitalize on these strengths.
Technology tools help educators provide choice in both the supports used for learning and how learners demonstrate that learning. This can be as easy as providing access to tools like Dictation for writing book and lab reports, or using Flip, a video capture tool, to share reflections while exercising verbal reasoning skills.
Tip 1: Provide opportunities to express ideas without having to focus on things like spelling, grammar, and writing or typing speed
Explore below to learn quick tips for supporting Dyslexic Thinking with technology tools.
Dictate in Microsoft 365 lets learners use speech-to-text to author content in Office. Learners can use their voice to quickly create documents, email messages, notes, presentations, or even slide notes, saving time and building confidence.
Learn how easy it's to create documents and more with Dictate.
Tip 2: Provide opportunities to share learning and amplify student voice through recorded video and sound
Flip allows learners to share their ideas and tell their stories through video with filters, emojis, and more. It’s a fun, low-stakes way for learners to show what they know through a short video response.
This video shows how easy it's to get started using Flip in the classroom.
Tip 3: Reach all learners by ensuring content is accessible
Accessibility Checker in Microsoft 365 helps educators ensure that the content they use for teaching and learning is accessible and easy for everyone to interact with.
This video shows how Accessibility Checker can help ensure all learners can access content.
Reflection
- In what ways might you provide opportunities within learning experiences to build on the strengths of Dyslexic Thinking?
- Which tip are you most excited and inspired to try with your learners? How might you implement this into teaching and learning?