My low literate learners prefer Comic Sans, apparently because it's closest to the way they write.  I showed a class some different fonts  and they all preferred Comic Sans.
Kathryn Quinn
Adult ESOL instructor
Frederick Maryland

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "Holly Dilatush" <holly at dilatush.com> 

Donna, Robin, all,
Donna, I really appreciate your bringing fonts into the discussion -- especially because your preference highlights my strongest point -- that in all things we are unique, and individual preferences are genuine and IMPACT the learning process.   I emphatically do NOT like Times New Roman, and routinely (multiple times daily) copy articles /emails/ website info to a new Word document and CHANGE the font to Verdana size 11 (or my new favorite, Calibri size 14) AND increase / zoom the view of my computer screen to 150% -- this has become my preferred readability format.

I have found that MORE students prefer Tahoma or Verdana over Arial or Times New Roman in limited informal classroom research.  

I always ask/request students to try to remember to increase their text size when they email me. 

Reading in books, on looseleaf paper and/or on computer screens, I find my preferences stay the same.  However, I always prefer buff- or soft yellow- or ivory- or cream-colored papers/background over stark white.   And I am in the minority of research preferences for online / computer screen / website preferences -- I do not like hues of blue, whereas it is the color of choice for the majority.   
So, when I read your preference for Times New Roman, I was spurred to a quick Google research foray -- and here's some of what I found: 
It is recommended to use fonts with simple typefaces, for example Arial, Tahoma or Verdana. [source: http://www.bon.uw.edu.pl/en/przetwarzanie_materialow_en.html ]

research:
Top 3 fonts for each personality adjective: (from http://psychology.wichita.edu/surl/usabilitynews/81/PersonalityofFonts.htm )

http://psychology.wichita.edu/surl/usabilitynews/41/onlinetext.htm
The most commonly used sans serif font is reported to be Arial (Ramsden, 2000). However, Tahoma, and Verdana are also very popular. Arial has a rather large x-height and the letters are spaced so they do not touch. Both Tahoma and Verdana were specifically intended for viewing on computer-screens by also having wider letter spacing and a large x-height. In addition, great effort was taken to make the lowercase letters, j, l, and I more distinctive on computer screens. Tahoma and Verdana are fairly similar to each other, except that Tahoma has a greater letter width than Verdana. Another sans serif font that has become quite popular is Comic. Comic was designed to mimic print found on comic strips, and it is generally preferred among children (Bernard, Mills, Frank, & McKown, 2001). 

  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B7581-4H8DPNP-48&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=3307ef01bfcb2be22671b84d74944626
 
Hope others find this topic ON-target rather than off -- 

And, will use this post to add my disappointment that FOB will not be able to continue their wonderful work in the same venues -- I (as so many others have indicated) have found FOB a strong influence in informing and refining and provoking reflection of practice for years now.  I will miss it greatly.  
Holly

-- 
Holly (Dilatush)

holly at dilatush.com
(434) 960.7177 cell phone
(434) 295.9716 home phone
[OK to call 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. EST / GMT -5 time]

"Live with intention. Share inside~out smiles, inspire hope, seek awe and nurture in nature."

www.tales-around-the-world.blogspot.com
www.abavirtual-learningcenter.org   
www.boomerlangs.edublogs.org 
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From: "Holly Dilatush" <holly at dilatush.com>
Subject: [FocusOnBasics 1101] Re: More on language of low literate learners
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