2018
Fan, Min, Antle, Alissa N., Hoskyn, Maureen, Neustaedter, Carman
A design case study of a tangible system supporting young English language learners Journal Article
In: International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, vol. 18, pp. 67–78, 2018, ISSN: 2212-8689.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: children, Dyslexia, English as a Foreign language (EFL), Mixed-methods, phonoblocks, Reading acquisition, Tangible user interfaces (TUIs)
@article{FAN201867,
title = {A design case study of a tangible system supporting young English language learners},
author = {Min Fan and Alissa N. Antle and Maureen Hoskyn and Carman Neustaedter},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212868917300867},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2018.08.001},
issn = {2212-8689},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-01-01},
urldate = {2018-01-01},
journal = {International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction},
volume = {18},
pages = {67--78},
abstract = {Many researchers have suggested that tangible user interfaces (TUIs) have the potential to support learning for children. While several tangible reading systems have been developed for children, few systems have been designed that explicitly target the first stage of reading where many children struggle, which is the alphabetic principle (letter-sound correspondences). We present a tangible reading system called PhonoBlocks that supports children learning English letter-sound correspondences. PhonoBlocks uses 3D tangible letters that change colour to draw attention to the moment that adding other letters changes the sounds. We then present a mixed-methods case study with ten Mandarin-speaking children in China using our system. Results showed that the Chinese children achieved significant learning gains relative to their baseline performance after PhonoBlocks instruction. The results also point to design features of our system that enabled behaviours that are correlated with learning. We compare the results of this study to a different study with eight at-risk monolingual English-speaking children in Canada using PhonoBlocks in learning to read and spell. By comparing results, we generalize and make three recommendations for designing tangible reading systems for all children who must learn the alphabetic principle. We also discuss three recommendations that are specifically for children learning English as a foreign language.},
keywords = {children, Dyslexia, English as a Foreign language (EFL), Mixed-methods, phonoblocks, Reading acquisition, Tangible user interfaces (TUIs)},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Many researchers have suggested that tangible user interfaces (TUIs) have the potential to support learning for children. While several tangible reading systems have been developed for children, few systems have been designed that explicitly target the first stage of reading where many children struggle, which is the alphabetic principle (letter-sound correspondences). We present a tangible reading system called PhonoBlocks that supports children learning English letter-sound correspondences. PhonoBlocks uses 3D tangible letters that change colour to draw attention to the moment that adding other letters changes the sounds. We then present a mixed-methods case study with ten Mandarin-speaking children in China using our system. Results showed that the Chinese children achieved significant learning gains relative to their baseline performance after PhonoBlocks instruction. The results also point to design features of our system that enabled behaviours that are correlated with learning. We compare the results of this study to a different study with eight at-risk monolingual English-speaking children in Canada using PhonoBlocks in learning to read and spell. By comparing results, we generalize and make three recommendations for designing tangible reading systems for all children who must learn the alphabetic principle. We also discuss three recommendations that are specifically for children learning English as a foreign language.
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
Cramer, Emily S., Antle, Alissa N., Fan, Min
The Code of Many Colours: Evaluating the Effects of a Dynamic Colour-Coding Scheme on Children's Spelling in a Tangible Software System Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the The 15th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children, pp. 473–485, Association for Computing Machinery, Manchester, United Kingdom, 2016, ISBN: 9781450343138.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: children, design, Dyslexia, evaluation, phonoblocks, spelling, tangibles
@inproceedings{10.1145/2930674.2930692,
title = {The Code of Many Colours: Evaluating the Effects of a Dynamic Colour-Coding Scheme on Children's Spelling in a Tangible Software System},
author = {Emily S. Cramer and Alissa N. Antle and Min Fan},
url = {https://doi-org.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/10.1145/2930674.2930692},
doi = {10.1145/2930674.2930692},
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 = {473–485},
publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
address = {Manchester, United Kingdom},
series = {IDC '16},
abstract = {Dyslexia is a severe impairment in reading and spelling that affects 10% of children in English-speaking countries. One area of difficulty is learning spelling rules that require attention to other letters within a word (i.e., context): for example, why grapple requires two ps while staple requires one. Poor visual attention contributes to children's difficulties. Computer-based programs that use multisensory cues have helped children learn simple letter-sound relations, but not contextual spelling rules. In this paper we present three theoretically derived principles that can be used to design dynamic colour codes for a variety of contextual spelling rules in software systems. We discuss how we used our principles to design the colour scheme for a single contextual spelling rule in our tangible software system, called PhonoBlocks. We evaluate its effectiveness in a field study with nine dyslexic children. On the basis of our findings, we conclude that our approach to using dynamic colour may help children with dyslexia to learn contextual spelling rules, but that individual factors impact the colours' effectiveness. We conclude by suggesting ways our dynamic colour-coding principles can be implemented in other systems taking into consideration individual factors that also impact their effectiveness.},
keywords = {children, design, Dyslexia, evaluation, phonoblocks, spelling, tangibles},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Dyslexia is a severe impairment in reading and spelling that affects 10% of children in English-speaking countries. One area of difficulty is learning spelling rules that require attention to other letters within a word (i.e., context): for example, why grapple requires two ps while staple requires one. Poor visual attention contributes to children's difficulties. Computer-based programs that use multisensory cues have helped children learn simple letter-sound relations, but not contextual spelling rules. In this paper we present three theoretically derived principles that can be used to design dynamic colour codes for a variety of contextual spelling rules in software systems. We discuss how we used our principles to design the colour scheme for a single contextual spelling rule in our tangible software system, called PhonoBlocks. We evaluate its effectiveness in a field study with nine dyslexic children. On the basis of our findings, we conclude that our approach to using dynamic colour may help children with dyslexia to learn contextual spelling rules, but that individual factors impact the colours' effectiveness. We conclude by suggesting ways our dynamic colour-coding principles can be implemented in other systems taking into consideration individual factors that also impact their effectiveness.
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
Cramer, Emily S., Antle, Alissa N., Fan, Min
Colouring the Path from Instruction to Practice: Perspectives on Software for Struggling Readers Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children, pp. 331–334, Association for Computing Machinery, Boston, Massachusetts, 2015, ISBN: 9781450335904.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: colour coding, Dyslexia, interface strategies, theory
@inproceedings{10.1145/2771839.2771909,
title = {Colouring the Path from Instruction to Practice: Perspectives on Software for Struggling Readers},
author = {Emily S. Cramer and Alissa N. Antle and Min Fan},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/2771839.2771909},
doi = {10.1145/2771839.2771909},
isbn = {9781450335904},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-01-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children},
pages = {331–334},
publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
address = {Boston, Massachusetts},
series = {IDC '15},
abstract = {Mainstream paper and pencil interventions for Anglophone students with dyslexia emphasize a strategy of analyzing syllables to compensate for irregularities in English letter-sound correspondences. Classroom interventions have developed effective scaffolds for supporting students in analyzing syllables in instructional contexts. However, students typically fail to transfer knowledge to practice contexts (i.e, reading without a tutor). Software has proven to be an effective medium for helping dyslexic students practice basic literacy skills (phoneme awareness and letter knowledge). However, at present, there are no systems specifically designed to support dyslexic students in practicing syllable analysis. Correspondingly, there is a lack of information about which design features would best support dyslexic students in transferring syllable analysis skills from instructional (classroom) to practice (software) contexts. In an attempt to address this gap, we propose two guidelines for software supports of syllable-analysis in dyslexia: 1. Design software that serves as a dual medium for instruction and practice 2. Design scaffolds that serve as dual catalysts for learning and transfer. We realize our guidelines in a prototype software system for syllable analysis that uses colour-coding to direct attention to information during learning and to retrieve learned information during practice.},
keywords = {colour coding, Dyslexia, interface strategies, theory},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Mainstream paper and pencil interventions for Anglophone students with dyslexia emphasize a strategy of analyzing syllables to compensate for irregularities in English letter-sound correspondences. Classroom interventions have developed effective scaffolds for supporting students in analyzing syllables in instructional contexts. However, students typically fail to transfer knowledge to practice contexts (i.e, reading without a tutor). Software has proven to be an effective medium for helping dyslexic students practice basic literacy skills (phoneme awareness and letter knowledge). However, at present, there are no systems specifically designed to support dyslexic students in practicing syllable analysis. Correspondingly, there is a lack of information about which design features would best support dyslexic students in transferring syllable analysis skills from instructional (classroom) to practice (software) contexts. In an attempt to address this gap, we propose two guidelines for software supports of syllable-analysis in dyslexia: 1. Design software that serves as a dual medium for instruction and practice 2. Design scaffolds that serve as dual catalysts for learning and transfer. We realize our guidelines in a prototype software system for syllable analysis that uses colour-coding to direct attention to information during learning and to retrieve learned information during practice.
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.
Fan, Min, Antle, Alissa N.
Tactile Letters: A Tangible Tabletop with Texture Cues Supporting Alphabetic Learning for Dyslexic Children Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction, pp. 673–678, Association for Computing Machinery, Stanford, California, USA, 2015, ISBN: 9781450333054.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: children, Dyslexia, material, reading, Tangible User Interfaces, texture cues
@inproceedings{10.1145/2677199.2688806,
title = {Tactile Letters: A Tangible Tabletop with Texture Cues Supporting Alphabetic Learning for Dyslexic Children},
author = {Min Fan and Alissa N. Antle},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/2677199.2688806},
doi = {10.1145/2677199.2688806},
isbn = {9781450333054},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-01-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction},
pages = {673–678},
publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
address = {Stanford, California, USA},
series = {TEI '15},
abstract = {Dyslexic children have great difficulty in learning to read. While research in HCI suggests that tangible user interfaces (TUIs) have the potential to support children learning to read, few studies have explored how to help dyslexic children learn to read. Even fewer studies have specifically investigated the design space of texture cues in TUIs in supporting learning to read. In this paper, we present Tactile Letters, a multimodal tangible tabletop with texture cues developed to support English letter-sound correspondence learning for dyslexic children aged 5-6 years old. This prototype is used as a research instrument to investigate the role of texture cues in a multimodal TUI in alphabetic learning. We discuss the current knowledge gap, the theoretical foundations that informed our core design strategy, and the subsequent design decisions we made while developing Tactile Letters.},
keywords = {children, Dyslexia, material, reading, Tangible User Interfaces, texture cues},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Dyslexic children have great difficulty in learning to read. While research in HCI suggests that tangible user interfaces (TUIs) have the potential to support children learning to read, few studies have explored how to help dyslexic children learn to read. Even fewer studies have specifically investigated the design space of texture cues in TUIs in supporting learning to read. In this paper, we present Tactile Letters, a multimodal tangible tabletop with texture cues developed to support English letter-sound correspondence learning for dyslexic children aged 5-6 years old. This prototype is used as a research instrument to investigate the role of texture cues in a multimodal TUI in alphabetic learning. We discuss the current knowledge gap, the theoretical foundations that informed our core design strategy, and the subsequent design decisions we made while developing Tactile Letters.