Contextual Background (c.50 words):
Recently I ran into an issue within my CCP unit, due to the natural ebb and flow of university calendars a few key dates had been moved around. While confirming these final dates my dyscalculia became an issue, students would quickly ask if I knew the new dates but I would struggle to recall them and I’d cause more confusion. I ended up having to ask for confirmation repeatedly and got myself (and a few others) confused
Evaluation (c.100 words):
I’m aware of my dyscalculia, and also aware that some of my students have the same condition, which is why they were double/triple checking in with me. In future, I have to circulate emails much faster, and most importantly copy and paste confirmed dates rather than risk incorrectly relaying them. I have also decided to print out important dates in large coloured letters and physically have them up on our wall.
Moving forwards (c.350 words)
Having the physical handouts should provide a good source of security for my students, instead of trying to find me in person, or trying to email me late at night, they can instead photograph the date and keep it on their phone as a reminder.
It’s said that both dyscalculia and dyslexia respond well to having the numerals displayed on non white paper with distinct colours for the numerals themselves, I’m going to try and make this second nature in the classroom to accommodate my diverse student body.
I will face my problem and copy and paste information from the correct sources rather than risk mixing the dates up and giving students a false deadline and subsequent panic.
I’m hoping this will also help international or non-native speakers understand important dates and find them easier to recall/ access.
References
ADDitude Magazine (n.d.) Dyscalculia in adults: symptoms, signs, and statistics. Available at: https://www.additudemag.com/dyscalculia-in-adults-symptoms-signs-and-statistics/
Cleveland Clinic (n.d.) Dyscalculia: what it is, causes, symptoms & treatment. Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23949-dyscalculia
British Dyslexia Association (n.d.) Dyslexia-friendly style guide. Available at: https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/advice/employers/creating-a-dyslexia-friendly-workplace/dyslexia-friendly-style-guide
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