Date
11 November 2024

Present information in different ways

Present information to year 1-8 students in different ways to encourage access and understanding.

On this page:

Take a multi-sensory approach

Take a multi-sensory approach

Ask the student what will help and offer multiple ways to build understanding.
  • Offer real experiences.
  • Use images, audio and video to support text and spoken information.
  • Use physical or online manipulatives and tools to support tasks. For example number lines, base ten blocks, counters and scales.
  • Use closed captions on videos.
  • Use online simulations when possible, for example, online experiments.
  • Offer digital text alongside printed versions so students can personalise it by enlarging it, listening to it, or changing the font, colours and filters.
  • Make instructions, demonstrations, or key content rewindable and accessible 24/7 using screencasts, recordings, images and videos.
  • Put content in a variety of formats in one place, for example, a video, a graphic and text document, by using online tools and digital platforms.

Offer text-to-speech tools

Offer text-to-speech tools

Offer text-to-speech tools to read text aloud and support comprehension. Free text-to-speech tools are available across all computer operating systems.

Find free text-to-speech options

Find free text-to-speech options

Free text-to-speech options are available on all the main digital platforms including Microsoft, Google and Apple.

Use closed captions

Use closed captions

Look for closed captions when viewing video and TV to increase access to audio content.

On YouTube

  • Search for videos with closed captions using the Subtitles/CC filter. The filter menu box appears on the left of the YouTube search results page – that is, once you have searched on a subject, for example “frogs”, and have a list of results.
  • Look for the CC symbol. It may be under the settings cog.

On TV and streaming services 

  • Look for TV settings or settings on each streaming service.
  • The subtitles or closed caption option may be listed under Audio and subtitles, or Accessibility options.

Next steps

More suggestions for implementing the strategy “Helpful classroom strategies years 1-8”:

Return to the guide “Dyspraxia and learning”

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