OUGD601 - Type & Colour

Type

When designing for children with different needs it’s important to use the correct type. The type needs to have the correct a in terms of the way it is handwritten in schools.

- Autistic pupils an easy to read, large font is appropriate so it’s easy.


- Dyslexic pupils need a font that is clear and large, with...
- Good ascenders and descenders,
- b, d, f, h, k, l, t, and all capitals; g, j, p, q, y.
- b and d; p and q distinguished, not mirror images.
- Different forms for capital I, lowercase l and digit 1.
- Rounded g as in handwriting. Most liked rounded a, although perhaps some felt that it may be confused with o.

Colours

Colours need to be carefully considered in terms on how different pupils percieve them.

- For autistic pupils pastel colours work best such as pale pink, pale blue and pale greens, as autistic children see colours a lot more vibrantly and more intense than other children it is important to consider this. Also using only hues and shades of one colour is the best way to work when designing for children with autistm.

- For children with dyslexia working on a cream or pale pastel coloured background with a gray or black font colour is best as dyslexic pupils find it hard to read when something is presented on a white background with a black font.

Imagery

For both autistic and dyslexic pupils keeping imagery to a minimum is best as not to distract or confuse.

OUGD601 - Teaching Resources

For my practical I have looked into resources that are already avaliable for primary schools. 

Websites such as sparklebox, twinkl and t pet offer teaching resources for teachers of primary school children with some at a fee. I wanted to see if there were any teaching resources out there for children with autism or for children with dyslexia. 

Dyslexic Resources 

Sparkle Box

Twinkl

From research I don't find that these resources are designed in the best possible way for dyslexic pupils due to the colour and type used.



Autism

These resources aren't designed as well as they could be for dyslexic pupils due to the colours and type used. The colours are far too bright and there are too many images which may confuse the learner.

OUGD601 - Practical Idea

For my practical piece I will be creating a set of worksheets for pupils that have special needs and learning disabilities to show how different pupils work differently according to the colour and type used. 

Autistic Children - 

Colours need to be carefully considered when not only designing for autistic children but as well as their enviroment. Using softer paler colours are best to use to avoid a sensory overload. Autistic children see colour a lot more vivid than we do so designing with colours that are paler will cause less stress to the child. 

Dyslexic Children

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that can cause problems with reading, writing and spelling.
So when designing for children with dyslexia it is important to consider colour as well as type. People who struggle with dyslexia prefer a pale cream/yellow background with either black or off black type. Also using certain typefaces is easier on the eye such as arial, comic sans, verdana as well as custom made typefaces for dyslexic people. 

I want to design a set of worksheets and certificates according to special needs children and children with learning disabilities. As there are already resources out there for school children I wanted to cater to every need so it is fair and also considerate. 

OUG601 - Practical Ideas

As well as the dissertation we are required to submit a practical piece according to our dissertation topic. 

My dissertation is focussing on the graphic design that is used within primary schools and whether graphic design can improve learning within a school enviroment. 

Ideas - 

- Create a website in which teachers can design their own work with set templates according to individual pupils and giving advice on how to design worksheets for certain pupils such as special needs pupils. 

- Create a set of worksheets for pupils with special needs and learning disabilities using information collected for my dissertation and designing with type, colour and imagery in mind. 

OUGD601: Primary Research

For my primary research I contacted Shirley Manor Primary Academy in Bradford (my old primary school) and asked if it would be possible to go in and speak to some pupils about teaching resources used in schools. 

I asked 4 questions to 8 pupils, 4 boys and 4 girls. 

These were the questions. 

Primary Research – Questionnaire

1) Out of these two certificates which one do you prefer and why?

2) Which math’s worksheet would you prefer to complete? And why?

3) What do you think about the images, display boards etc. around school? Are they engaging? How and why?

4) Do pictures etc. on worksheets help you learn better? If so why?

I used a number of images from the internet such as certificates and worksheets. 

1 -

 

 










2 - 

3 -

4 -

5 -

These were the answers in which I got from the pupils. 

Primary Research - Boys

Question 1

Image 1 – 2 out of 4 of the boys liked this certificate due to the bold type and imagery used as well as the use of words chosen ‘ The superstar award’. Made it feel personal. One boy mentioned girls may not like this one as blue was a ‘boys’ colour and girls would want pink. Was mentioned by another boy that the colours didn’t matter as boys could like pink and girls could like blue.

Image 2 – One boy liked these certificates due to the imagery (superheroes’) as it could apply to both boys and girls and looks fun.

Image 3 – One boy said they liked the quote on this ‘you’re a superstar’ as it felt personal to them. 3 of the boys said if they were given this particular one they would think ‘what’s the point’ as its boring and it wouldn’t mean anything to them.

Question 2

Image 1 – None of the children commented on this one.

Image 2 – 2 of the boys said they would prefer this one as straight to the point and it looks simple.

Image 3 – 2 of the boys liked this one due to the colours and imagery, said it would make maths more interesting for them. One of the boys couldn’t understand the use of all the imagery saying it didn’t look like a maths book and it looked more like a ‘hobbies’ book. Another child said just because its colourful doesn’t mean that it’s easy.

Question 3

-Only really look at the display boards when needed e.g. in tests.

-They wouldn’t look at them, as they have no time to

-Would look at them if it had a story.

Question 4

-       No pictures just text would make the worksheets easier

-       Better with colours - engaging

-       Better with b+w – easier to look at

Primary Research – Girls

Question 1

3 of the girls liked the first certificate due to the colours and the way it is decorated with stripes, stars as well as the slogan as it stands out. 1 of the girls likes the second certificate due to the pictures of the boy and girl superhero. They said the last certificate is boring.

Question 2

One girl said she would complete any of the sheets as she loved maths so the imagery and type doesn’t matter, she also said if people didn’t like maths give them the third worksheet as it wasn’t too daunting. The other 3 girls said they would like to be given the third worksheet as it looks fun and colourful and it wasn’t like they were learning maths.

Question 3

The girls said they don’t really take much notice of display boards, apart from when doing tests where they can look at the display boards. They also said they’re quite hard to see and that the boards aren’t big enough.

Question 4

Overall they said they preferred colours and pictures on worksheets as doesn’t seem like work. Also using computer games for subjects such as maths – Slumdog. 

This research was very relevent for my dissertation as it allowed me to see what children thought of teaching resources. 

Revised Plan & Structure

Intro

Chapter 1 - Theories focussing on behaviourism and construvism

Chapter 2 - Primary research 

Chapter 3 - Breaking down type, colour and imagery looking into readily avaliable teaching resources 

Conclusion

OUGD601 - Maths No Problem

Maths No Problem is a series of workbooks created for UK Schools. 

From their about page on their website 

'The Maths — No Problem! primary school series, using the mastery approach from Singapore, has been created specifically for the UK education sector.

Aligned to the 2014 English National Curriculum for Maths, the Maths – No Problem series is used across the UK by schools including the Harris Federation and as part of NCETM’s Maths Hub programme.

The focus of the series is on teaching to mastery by allowing enough time on a topic for a child to comprehend it thoroughly before moving on. Based on the recommendations of research studies around the globe, the programme empathises problem-solving and pupils using their core competencies to develop a relational understanding of mathematical concepts.'

Maths No Problem was designed by Kin Design. The typeface used throughout the books is Castledown by Colophon foundry. The type foundry designed the typeface with Castledown Primary School in East Sussex who were frustrated by Comic Sans. The visuals are fun and engaging. 

The workbooks will be more visual engaging for children as well as a fun way to do maths.