Learning new words

At high school, the scheme I learned French through was dyslexia-friendly. Here’s how.

It was multi-sensory
It presented the learning material in a context
It involved overlearning
It involved diagnostic tests
It was exciting and enjoyable

These dyslexia-friendly aspects of my school French scheme are just as useful to me now as they were back then. I use them along with some other ideas to learn new words in English. This is how I learn new words then. 1) I hear new words and write them down

I listen to audiobooks. (Books give language a context). Whenever I hear a word I don’t know, I write it down on a sheet of paper
When I have filled up one sheet I start a new one. I number the sheets
I use felt tip pens to write each word in a different colour. This helps me remember the words. I also enjoy the sensory aspects of writing with felt tips pens: the feel, the sound, and the colours

2) I find the meanings, and record them in writing and audio

As soon as I can, I look up my words in a pocket dictionary
I write down each word’s meaning on the sheet
I find it exciting to discover a word’s meaning – it’s like unearthing treasure
I also make an audio recording of each word sheet

3) I find images and create flashcards

I search online for images of each word
I create a flashcard for each word, using a table in Word
Each flashcard has on it a word and its corresponding image. I also add the number of whichever word sheet the word is on, for reference

4) I learn the words

I look at the flashcards on my computer
I hide the words by selecting the words column then formatting the font as ‘hidden’. I look at each picture and say its word
Then I unhide the words column, and hide the pictures column. I use WordTalk to listen to the words one at a time. When I hear each word, I envision the image that goes with it
I read my current words of the day sheet at odd moments, silently and out loud. I also sing, clap, dance and act the words
I listen to the audio recordings of my word sheets

5) I test my learning Once a fortnight, I record a test on my digital audio recorder. For each word, I say the word and ask for the meaning, or vice versa. I download the recording onto my computer. The next day, I play the test on my computer and speak my answers. I audio record it. Then I listen and check my answers with the word sheets. I tick off the words I’ve learned and carry forward any I haven’t into the next fortnight. Other tools for learning new words (This paragraph references software that I as a dyslexic individual find helpful, or that others have recommended to me. This does not equate to Dyslexia Scotland endorsing these resources).

To look up words by speaking them, and hear them spelt out:

On a computer – Google Chrome’s ‘search by voice’ feature (Click on the microphone icon in the search bar. Then say ‘spell’ followed by the word you wish to find);
On an iPad or iPhone – Siri;
On an Android device – Easy Speak Pro (compatible with The Scottish Voice)