2017
Fan, Min, Antle, Alissa N., Hoskyn, Maureen, Neustaedter, Carman, Cramer, Emily S.
Why Tangibility Matters: A Design Case Study of At-Risk Children Learning to Read and Spell Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 1805–1816, Association for Computing Machinery, Denver, Colorado, USA, 2017, ISBN: 9781450346559.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: children, Dyslexia, embedded interaction, mixed-methods., phonoblocks, Reading acquisition, Tangible User Interfaces
@inproceedings{10.1145/3025453.3026048,
title = {Why Tangibility Matters: A Design Case Study of At-Risk Children Learning to Read and Spell},
author = {Min Fan and Alissa N. Antle and Maureen Hoskyn and Carman Neustaedter and Emily S. Cramer},
url = {https://doi-org.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/10.1145/3025453.3026048},
doi = {10.1145/3025453.3026048},
isbn = {9781450346559},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-01-01},
urldate = {2017-01-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems},
pages = {1805–1816},
publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
address = {Denver, Colorado, USA},
series = {CHI '17},
abstract = {Tangibles may be effective for reading applications. Letters can be represented as 3D physical objects. Words are spatially organized collections of letters. We explore how tangibility impacts reading and spelling acquisition for young Anglophone children who have dyslexia. We describe our theory-based design rationale and present a mixed-methods case study of eight children using our PhonoBlocks system. All children made significant gains in reading and spelling on trained and untrained (new) words, and could apply all spelling rules a month later. We discuss the design features of our system that contributed to effective learning processes, resulting in successful learning outcomes: dynamic colour cues embedded in 3D letters, which can draw attention to how letter(s) position changes their sounds; and the form of 3D tangible letters, which can enforce correct letter orientation and enable epistemic strategies in letter organization that simplify spelling tasks. We conclude with design guidelines for tangible reading systems.},
keywords = {children, Dyslexia, embedded interaction, mixed-methods., phonoblocks, Reading acquisition, Tangible User Interfaces},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Tangibles may be effective for reading applications. Letters can be represented as 3D physical objects. Words are spatially organized collections of letters. We explore how tangibility impacts reading and spelling acquisition for young Anglophone children who have dyslexia. We describe our theory-based design rationale and present a mixed-methods case study of eight children using our PhonoBlocks system. All children made significant gains in reading and spelling on trained and untrained (new) words, and could apply all spelling rules a month later. We discuss the design features of our system that contributed to effective learning processes, resulting in successful learning outcomes: dynamic colour cues embedded in 3D letters, which can draw attention to how letter(s) position changes their sounds; and the form of 3D tangible letters, which can enforce correct letter orientation and enable epistemic strategies in letter organization that simplify spelling tasks. We conclude with design guidelines for tangible reading systems.
2016
Fan, Min, Antle, Alissa N., Cramer, Emily S.
Design Rationale: Opportunities and Recommendations for Tangible Reading Systems for Children Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the The 15th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children, pp. 101–112, Association for Computing Machinery, Manchester, United Kingdom, 2016, ISBN: 9781450343138.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: children, design rationale, Dyslexia, literacy, phonoblocks, reading, spelling, Tangible User Interfaces
@inproceedings{10.1145/2930674.2930690,
title = {Design Rationale: Opportunities and Recommendations for Tangible Reading Systems for Children},
author = {Min Fan and Alissa N. Antle and Emily S. Cramer},
url = {https://doi-org.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/10.1145/2930674.2930690},
doi = {10.1145/2930674.2930690},
isbn = {9781450343138},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-01-01},
urldate = {2016-01-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the The 15th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children},
pages = {101–112},
publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
address = {Manchester, United Kingdom},
series = {IDC '16},
abstract = {Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) have been suggested to have the potential to support learning for children. Despite the increasing number of TUI reading systems there are few design guidelines for children, especially for those with dyslexia (a specific difficulty in language acquisition skills). In this paper we discuss four design opportunities and five design recommendations for designing tangible reading systems for children, particularly those with dyslexia. We ground our analysis using theories of the causes and interventions for dyslexia, best multisensory training practices and existing research on TUIs that support learning to read for children. We describe our tangible reading system, called PhonoBlocks, focusing on two core design features which take advantage of these opportunities. We also describe how we iteratively fine-tuned the details of our design based on our recommendations, an expert review and feedback from tutors who work with children with dyslexia every day. We include a discussion of design trade-offs in our process. This design rationale paper contributes to the growing research on designing tangible spelling and reading systems for children.},
keywords = {children, design rationale, Dyslexia, literacy, phonoblocks, reading, spelling, Tangible User Interfaces},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) have been suggested to have the potential to support learning for children. Despite the increasing number of TUI reading systems there are few design guidelines for children, especially for those with dyslexia (a specific difficulty in language acquisition skills). In this paper we discuss four design opportunities and five design recommendations for designing tangible reading systems for children, particularly those with dyslexia. We ground our analysis using theories of the causes and interventions for dyslexia, best multisensory training practices and existing research on TUIs that support learning to read for children. We describe our tangible reading system, called PhonoBlocks, focusing on two core design features which take advantage of these opportunities. We also describe how we iteratively fine-tuned the details of our design based on our recommendations, an expert review and feedback from tutors who work with children with dyslexia every day. We include a discussion of design trade-offs in our process. This design rationale paper contributes to the growing research on designing tangible spelling and reading systems for children.
2015
Antle, Alissa N., Fan, Min, Cramer, Emily S.
PhonoBlocks: A Tangible System for Supporting Dyslexic Children Learning to Read Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction, pp. 533–538, Association for Computing Machinery, Stanford, California, USA, 2015, ISBN: 9781450333054.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: children, colour cues, Dyslexia, orton-gillingham, reading, tangible computing, Tangible User Interfaces
@inproceedings{10.1145/2677199.2687897,
title = {PhonoBlocks: A Tangible System for Supporting Dyslexic Children Learning to Read},
author = {Alissa N. Antle and Min Fan and Emily S. Cramer},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/2677199.2687897},
doi = {10.1145/2677199.2687897},
isbn = {9781450333054},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-01-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction},
pages = {533–538},
publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
address = {Stanford, California, USA},
series = {TEI '15},
abstract = {Dyslexia is defined as severe difficulty learning to read. It affects about 10% of the population in English speaking countries. Severe difficulty learning to read is correlated with tremendous emotional, social and economic costs. In this paper, we describe PhonoBlocks, a tangible user interface to a reading system that uses dynamic colour cues embedded in 3D tangible letters to provide additional decoding information and modalities. PhonoBlocks was developed to support children, aged 5-8 years old, who are having difficulty learning to decode English letter-sound pairs. We present the theoretical foundations as rationale for our core design strategies and decisions. We discuss the assumptions in our design rationale and describe how we will validate our system working with a school for dyslexic children.},
keywords = {children, colour cues, Dyslexia, orton-gillingham, reading, tangible computing, Tangible User Interfaces},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Dyslexia is defined as severe difficulty learning to read. It affects about 10% of the population in English speaking countries. Severe difficulty learning to read is correlated with tremendous emotional, social and economic costs. In this paper, we describe PhonoBlocks, a tangible user interface to a reading system that uses dynamic colour cues embedded in 3D tangible letters to provide additional decoding information and modalities. PhonoBlocks was developed to support children, aged 5-8 years old, who are having difficulty learning to decode English letter-sound pairs. We present the theoretical foundations as rationale for our core design strategies and decisions. We discuss the assumptions in our design rationale and describe how we will validate our system working with a school for dyslexic children.