Inclusive Writing In K-12 Environments

  Writing is a technique everyone in the modern-day needs, but how we go about teaching it is not as simple as telling one to simply take a pen and paper and write. Things such as fonts, sizing of letters, and colors can all effect one's readability.

 Simple Reasons-

Learning methods of writing can aid children of all ages in order them to have a broader range of accommodation to themselves or others. Basics of writing would be font, sizing, and color, all of which offer different complexities to those who struggle with writing. Size and spacing can assist students whose eyes are weak or have short attention spans, having font too small and little white space can cause a student to lose interest in the reading and or struggle to read, often having to reread a sentence or two to fully comprehend the information. In order to assist students with this issue, introduce them to websites that will space or edit font in order for the child to comprehend the information easier.

Grammar Errors-

Grammatical errors are common amongst young children, but some children as they grow up still make grammatical mistakes which leads into their adulthood. Many children use things such as a word corrector/grammar corrector, which can often be distracting and overall discouraging. Instead of teaching students to rely on grammar tools, allow them to work through their writing and allow them to closely review their work. By finding words they notice are messy, they can find satisfaction and self-confidence in the idea that they themself have found the error that they made, instead of constantly seeing red or blue lines which can be stressful, distracting and or disheartening. 

Text-To-Speech-

One way to provide aid and inclusive opportunities of writing is to provide a way for those who struggle physically to write, a way to speak what they need to say. Students with fine or gross motor movements often struggle with holding writing utensils, causing frustration on both sides of teachers and learners. A way to assist and adapt to inclusive learning is to provide a way for those who cannot write to talk, this being through text-to-speech, a system which records the voice of someone and produces it into words. By setting up this system, focus on the words being produced into the system and edit any words that the system may have misidentified in order to have the correct speech intended. This way of "writing" can also be helpful for those who cannot think of words to say when they have a pen in hand, but can think on their own time, recording their voice and then transmitting it to an online paper can be easier for students who also struggle with thinking in the moment.  

Translations-

Providing accessibility to students who are bilingual or know little English can improve the respect of that teacher or increase a form of connection with that student. Although this can be seen as a way to lessen the learning ability of a student learning English, once the language barrier is taken care of, students can express what they are wanting to write through new English wording learned through the automative translating device. Seeing as not to reply heavily on this device, using it from time-to-time or until the child has obtained a simple understanding of the language can be useful and beneficial to the student and their writing.

Overview-

Children of all ages learn differently based on physical, mental, and emotional structure. When it comes to writing, there are many ways teachers, new or experienced, may need to adjust their teaching in ways to provide aid to students with disabilities, struggles, attention spans, or even language barriers. Using tools such as text-to-speech, translating devices, and changing of certain fonts, colors, or sizing can all improve a student's performance and contribution to class material. Items such as grammar automative correctors or grammar tools should be avoided as to push the student to use their own thoughts to correct and view for any errors, overall boosting their confidence. To read more on this topic, click here and look for page 157, Writing Strategies.