The impact on content question
Hilary Burns & Nicola Stephens
Dyslexia Coordinator & Specialist Tutor
for University College Falmouth and
University of Exeter (Tremough Campus)
minimise impact, maximise intellect
H.Burns, 16.6.12
The challenge in HE
of maintaining academic standards
Our challenge is twofold:
to minimise impact on subject
and minimise impact of dyslexia
3/22/2016 HJB
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A Thought before going over the wall …
“No theory can develop without eventually
encountering a wall, and practice is necessary for
piercing this wall.”
(Deleuze, 1972)
I have a theory, can we practise?
hilary.burns@falmouth.ac.uk
Thank YOU for your time today….
‘Intellectuals and Power: a conversation between Michael Foucault and Gilles Deleuze’ (1972).
Transcript [online] http://www.mendeley.com/research/intellectuals-power-conversation-betweenmichel-foucault-gilles-deleuze/#page-1 [accessed 17.6.2012].
Workshop Aim:
A look at the question of where the boundaries
lie when we look at an essay question on 3
theoretical levels –
 word
 concept
 contextual
 The workshop invites participants to come to
some agreement about ‘our’ boundaries.
The Plan
 The background
context
 Recap on ADSHE guidance on 1:1 work
 The challenges &
 Testing the boundaries
ADSHE
Challenges
/ Testing
boundaries
 The guiding precept for navigating boundaries in essays Guide
 A model essay upon which to experiment. Essay
 Using this guide, where shall we start?
In
theory
Word
Works
 Over to you….
Rationale
Last
word
The context….
Historically – level playing fields; subject knowledge vs.
general intelligent layperson knowledge.
“What guidance do I provide for students who require
more support than is appropriate from a dyslexia support
session?” [Specialist 1:1 Dyslexia Tutor Audit]
See ‘Questions Handout’: the guiding precept arose from negotiating Q. 2-4
particularly. We essentially reduced content worries to the smallest
denominator in the first instance.
…a starting point and a compass
A Tutor-led session
A coaching/personal tutorial session
from R. Lehany & S. Freeman
ADSHE Presentation , BDA Conference, 3.6.2011
A reminder from ADSHE
 It is multi-sensory, metacognitive, uses
modelling, and monitoring, provides overlearning, has relevance, is little and often.
relevancy
and
modelling
from R. Lehany & S. Freeman
ADSHE Presentation , BDA Conference, 3.6.2011
Students can expect
Establish
priorities
Assistive
Tech. use
Reading for
research
Preparing for
graduation or
work
placement
Addressing
learner
anxiety
Effective
study skills
Time man. &
organisation
from R. Lehany & S. Freeman
ADSHE Presentation , BDA Conference, 3.6.2011
Decoding
briefs
Acknowledgements to UoW for centre pic.
Challenges – methodology, relevancy and text
work
Addressing
learner
anxiety
Is it ok to challenge a student’s thinking
when addressing learner anxiety?
Decoding
briefs
Is it ok to challenge a student’s thinking
when decoding briefs/essay work?
relevancy
and showing
by doing?
Testing boundaries

relevancy
and
modelling
 Teach how to think HE-style in the face of
the challenges experienced
in processing language.
Modelling … so
that includes
thinking
behaviour, e.g.
critical analysis
?
?
A guiding precept for navigating boundaries in essays
4 notional levels
Contextual subject
Word
Concept
Context sentence
They are all words, with varying degrees of connection to subject….
In the beginning, there was the word…
Word
what does it mean,
where did it come from,
Concept
how can we use it,
how can we remember it?
Context
are you using this word/this concept correctly
in this sentence?
Contextual
are you using this word/concept correctly in
this essay?
‘WordWorks’
"The productivity of Foucault's concept of power/
knowledge lies in its refusal of an epistemology
which opposes essence/appearance,
ideology/science." (Bhabha 1982, p.318).
Evaluate.
3/22/2016
HJB
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A theory to build in redundancy
1) BE ITSELF if it does not have a subject-specific context –
‘power’ is in common usage: political - personal (charisma), Foucault’s
use of power is not (invisible and invidious in the spheres of
consciousness and knowledge).
2) BE A CONCEPT, as long as it is not subject-specific –
Most of us have a concept of ‘power’ and often very good, but, again,
will depend on the subject under consideration, e.g. so not Foucautian
‘power’ as it is specific.
3) BE A CLUSTER of words (not subject-specific).
“lies in a refusal of an epistemology which opposes essence/
appearance” can still be reduced to word level,
and reconstructed at sentence level……...
When the whole is greater than the sum of its parts …
Till the soil carefully with the student, watch what you
plant and make sure there is a trellis ready and lots of
…. good manure.
Start with ‘word works’ for clarification on student’s
abilities and strategies.
Keep coming back to ‘word works’ to check….

Where shall we start in facilitating the student’s
understanding of the brief …
Is it
word?
Oooo
I know
Where shall we start?
1.
Tell the student what they need to do in order to answer the
question?
2.
Explain who Foucault was?
3.
Model researching Foucault together?
4.
Tell the student he was a post-structuralist?
5.
Explain Foucault’s concept of power/knowledge?
6.
Check understanding of forward slash/comma (e.g. symbols)?
7.
Break up question into smaller segments?
8.
Rephrase question for them?
9.
Ask student what they understand by the sentence and see in what
way(s) they are able to respond?
10. Check understanding at word level?
11. Just check understanding of action word – ‘evaluate’?
Facilitating rephrasing, think ‘wordworks’
The productivity
of Foucault's
the usefulness
of this theorist’s
concept
of power/knowledge
lies in
model
of power and knowledge
lies in
its refusal of
an epistemology
which opposes
its refusal of
essence/appearance
ideology/science.
Evaluate.
essence – appearance
ideas – science.
a way of thinking
which opposes
Assess, weigh-up.
Rationale
1. Signals to the student your focus and remit;
2. theoretically intuitive to attack at word level;
3. prepares the groundwork for the student in a way that suggests
‘careful tilling of the soil is required’;
4. offers opportunities to promote or increase automaticity in using key
words (so processing delay is reduced and critical analysis
enhanced).
5. It is true that the student may have discourse-level command of the
essay (know in essence what it’s about) but starting with ‘word
works’ will help to ensure that the student gives the appropriate
priority to her/his ideas.
6. If you make this level your compass, you will protect yourself against
over-stepping boundaries.
The strategy
Write it
(to remember word)
(as you say strategy)
necessary
1 collar & 2 sleeves
necessary
cirrhosis
c i rr hosis
cirrhosis
The word to learn
epistemology
(Jenny Lee, 2001)
Final Thoughts …
“It is in the nature of power to totalise…”
(Deleuze, 1972, op cit.)
This was not my intent.
Thank YOU for your participation.
Temporo-parietal junction; the home of words
Parietal lobe
junction
Temporal lobe