Do you have students who have difficulty copying from the board?
Once you have ruled out the need for glasses with an eye exam try the following:
-Move the child close to the front of the room directly facing the board.
-Some children may have a difficult time looking up to a vertical surface and then
back down to a horizontal surface. Have the child work on a vertical/slanted
surface using an easel or slant board, or turn a 3 ring binder so the large end is
away from student and small end is toward them.
-Check for dull or flickering lights. Use natural lighting when possible.
-Remove any non-essential visual material from on or around the board.
-Use black marker on the whiteboard. (Green and red can be hard to see.)
-Try writing smaller amounts on the board at a time and/or try enlarging writing.
-Try scheduling a few moments to close and relax eyes between tasks. Take a
movement break every 20-30 minutes.
-Eliminate objects hanging from the ceiling in the classroom. Movement can
be distracting and can interfere with the processing of visual information.
-Provide student with copy of notes or material from the board at their desk. Until they are independent in copying, try having portions of board material already on his/her desk, written on 3X5 card or post-it note.
-Try providing some of the written information to be discussed on an outline
and have student write some of the information on it (doesn’t have to write all).
-Reduce the amount of copying expected. The time it takes for some children to
copy, compromises the time that a child could spend thinking and responding. Provide copies of material that would otherwise have to be copied.
-Teach strategies for remembering whole words, phrases or sentences at a glance.
Sometimes copying is done in a tedious letter-by-letter manner.
-Teach student how to use a blank piece of paper or cardstock to cover up portion
of work already completed. This makes it easier for the student to find his/her
place on the paper after looking up at the board.
-Read the material aloud as the student copies it.
- Highlight important information with an underline or a different color.
