This document discusses cognitive re-scaling with assistive technology to make text more accessible and comprehensible for learners. Traditional approaches focus on decoding text, but cognitive re-scaling alters the cognitive difficulty through summarization, supporting vocabulary, and visualization tools. Summarization reduces text to key points, supporting vocabulary pre-teaches difficult words, and visualization tools like infographics and mind maps help organize information visually for most learners.

1. Cognitive Re-Scaling with
Assistive Technology
Kate Ahern, M.S.Ed.
Easter Seals MA

2. Cognitive Re-Scaling
"as a process of altering the cognitive
difficulty of information“ Edyburn,
2002

3. Traditional Approach to Assistive
Technology for Reading
• Focuses on decoding
• Replaces reading with listening
• Audiobooks
• Text-to-Speech
• Adult or peer reader
• Necessary but not sufficient for many learners

4. Cognitive Re-Scaling
• Grade level text may be inaccessible for
multiple reasons
• Reading level too high
• Student is unable to decode
• Student is has difficulty with the complexity of the text
• Vocabulary level too difficult
• Student does not have the pre-requisite
background knowledge
• Student needs visual/graphical support

5. Summarization
• Reduces text down to key points
• Decreases need for student to comprehend and
then determine importance of information
• Allows student to focus on vital information

6. Summarizing Tools
• Summarizer
– http://www.tools4noobs.com/summari
ze/
• SMMRY
– http://smmry.com/
• Free Summarizer
– http://freesummarizer.com/
• Text Compactor
– http://textcompactor.com/

7. Supporting Vocabulary
• Vocabulary knowledge correlates strongly with
reading (and oral) comprehension. – (Hirsch,
2003)
• About 2000 words make up 90% of words in
novels for teenagers (Hirsch and Nation, 1992)
• Decreasing vocabulary complexity increases
readability and comprehension for students who
need it
• Pre-teaching difficult vocabulary which must be
retained for meaning increases understanding

8. Vocabulary Tools
• Up Goer Five
– http://splasho.com/upgoer5/
• Rewordify
– http://rewordify.com/
• Vocab Grabber
– http://www.visualthesaurus.com/voca
bgrabber/

9. Make it Visual
• About 65% of people are visual learners
• Graphics, especially infographics, help
students breakdown information
• Non-language based information (colors,
shapes, arrows) help organize language based
information (words)

10. Visualization
Tools
• Tagxedo
– http://www.tagxedo.com/
• Wordle
– http://www.wordle.net/
• Text2Mindmap
– https://www.text2mindmap.com/
• Mindmapping Tools
– Inspiration and online tools like Popplet