The Comics for Inclusive English Language Learning (CIELL) project aims to develop the competences of second language teachers by promoting the use of comic art, and other visual representations of knowledge, to enhance the quality of teaching materials and make them more relevant to supporting the needs of dyslexic learners in a socially inclusive manner. Dyslexia is a specific learning disability characterized by difficulties with word decoding, spelling, handwriting, reading, memory and attention span (Kormos & Smith, 2012). The British Dyslexia Association say that 10% of the population have dyslexia, although figures quoted in the USA can be 15-20%, so the need to improve support for this learning difficulty is widespread (http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk). The CIELL project is a collaboration between comic artists, language teachers and learning technology researchers, to create innovative open educational resources that enrich teaching practice and support dyslexic learners. The CIELL project is an extension of the ERASMUS+ ViLi project (https://www.viliproject.eu/) that aims to improve the visual literacies of educators, making learning more visual through static (e.g. comics, mind maps), dynamic (e.g. video) and interactive visuals (e.g. virtual reality). The CIELL project further develops static visual representations in learning. The CIELL project aims to address the EU policies on social inclusion and digital competence by: - enhancing the digital competence of second language teachers by providing a Compendium of open educational resources including a Teacher’s Pack and examples of the good practice in the use of comics in education, and - developing innovative teaching materials delivered in a mobile application (app) to support more visual teaching and learning practices and increase the social inclusion of dyslexic learners. Specifically, the app will support dyslexic students studying for the British Council examination (IELTS) and Cambridge University English proficiency (C2), with a focus on opinion essays, reviews and article writing. For example, writing guidelines and sample essays will be created in comic form and other visual representations such as mind maps. The topics of the essay writing will be based on the 17 United Nations goals for 2030 (http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/) as they have global relevance and appeal. Educational researchers, language teachers and comic artists will create and refine the innovative teaching content and practices and these open educational resources will be shared freely, worldwide. Dyslexic language learners (60) and language teachers (30) will work closely with developers to refine the app, the teaching content (comics) and the Teacher’s Pack. A survey will also be conducted to discover examples of good practice in the use of comics in education, for inclusion in the Compendium, and it is expected that there will be 100-200 respondents. A conference for 100 researchers and practitioners will be arranged on the use of comic art for serious educational purposes. Dissemination is expected to reach 8000 through social media and inclusion within two massive open online courses. The project will adopt an Educational Design Research methodology (McKenney & Reeves, 2012) that aims to design an intervention in a real educational setting, it is practice oriented as it is assessed by its practicality to users, it is interactive and participatory, as end-users are involved in a cyclical approach to design and evaluation where user perceptions influence redesign and redevelopment thereby maximising practical relevance. It also aims to improve theoretical knowledge by increasing understanding of what works best in teaching practice. We will strengthen the skills of educators in higher education and other educational settings by designing new content, linking visual approaches to language teaching to facilitate more socially inclusive education. As teaching English as a Second Language and the writing of English is a key competence required for accessing Higher Education and global migration, the potential impact is huge. Long-term benefits include enhancing the digital competence of educators, stimulating further use of visuals in education, enhancing competitiveness and modernisation of HE, promoting education for all. The CIELL project is a collaboration between comic artists, language teachers and learning technology researchers, to create innovative open educational resources that enrich teaching practice and support dyslexic learners. The project is led by Dr. Julie-Ann Sime, Centre for Technology Enhanced Learning, LANCASTER UNIVERSITY (UK), in collaboration with: AKTO (Greece); Language Centre, University of Cyprus (Cyprus), and Institute for Learning Innovation, Friedrich-Alexander University, Germany.
As teaching moves increasingly online, language teachers are faced with the challenge of how to support dyslexic students in their class in an inclusive manner. Dyslexia is a specific learning disability characterised by difficulties with word decoding, spelling, handwriting, reading, memory and attention span. The British Dyslexia Association say that 10% of the population have dyslexia, although figures quoted in the USA can be 15-20%, so the need to improve support for this learning difficulty is widespread. The Comics for Inclusive English Language Learning (CIELL) project has developed an innovative mobile application (App) that uses comic art and an infographic to teach learners how to structure an essay. It is suitable for use in the classroom by dyslexic and non-dyslexic students in the same manner. It can also be used by individual learners out of class, on their own. The CIELL App supports language students studying for the writing component of English language qualifications such as British Council examination (IELTS) and Cambridge University English proficiency at the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages Level of B2+. The CIELL Compendium provides a guide to teachers on how to use the App. The App provides guidance on how to structure a basic essay via an infographic and 17 sample essays in comic form. There are 6 types of essays such as reviews, articles, opinion pieces and 78 assessment tasks. Learners are rewarded with points and badges that visually show their progress. Learners can read or listen to the stories which are based on the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 as a result they have global relevance and appeal to learners, focusing on social issues such as food poverty, homelessness, water pollution. 770 end-users contributed to the development of the CIELL App alongside the project team which included language teachers, a comic artist, an app developer and learning technology researchers. A cyclical educational design research methodology was used to include feedback from stakeholders so that their views and suggestions informed the development thereby maximising practical relevance. 4 questionnaires gained insight on the 1) needs of 79 stakeholders before the app was designed; 2) version 1 from 376 language teachers interested in how to support dyslexics; 3) version 2 from 10 teachers and their 183 students (23 dyslexics); and 4) version 3 from 122 stakeholders (mainly teachers) who attended the CIELL conference. 788 external participants attended the CIELL Conference which raised awareness of the use of visuals in teaching and disseminated the 2 project results as open educational resources. The App can be downloaded for free from Google Play or the Apple Store; and the Compendium provides guidance to teachers on using the App. Feedback suggests that: teachers will use the App in future (80%) and share it with followers on social media (90%); and students liked its interesting stories on social issues (82.5%), ease of learning (70%) and multi-modality (audio, visuals, text). We disseminated information directly to 7572 participants including members of dyslexia associations, learning technologists, vocational trainers, schoolteachers, Higher Education educators and language students, researchers and policymakers. In addition, we have disseminated the results to educators via social media, public talks, conference presentations, website and distribution of leaflets, blogs and news through professional associations and organisations. The CIELL project has supported the EU policies on social inclusion and enhancing digital teaching practice by: - developing innovative teaching materials delivered in a mobile app to support more visual teaching and learning practices and increase the social inclusion of dyslexic learners, and - enhancing the digital competence of second language teachers and improving their digital literacy by providing a Compendium with guidance for teachers on using the CIELL app and examples of good practice in the use of comics in education. By promoting an app based on comics the project helps educators to make their teaching more visual, improves their digital competence and digital literacy while supporting their dyslexic students in an inclusive manner. While it is still too soon to establish the long-term benefits, language learning is a key competence for accessing higher education, work, civic engagement and global migration. Enhancing the digital competence of educators, stimulating interest in more visual educational resources can enhance competitiveness and modernisation of Higher Education, while promoting education for all. The project was led by Dr. Julie-Ann Sime, Centre for Technology-Enhanced Learning, Lancaster University, UK, in collaboration with: AKTO, Greece; Language Centre, University of Cyprus, Cyprus, and Institute for Learning Innovation, Friedrich-Alexander University, Germany.