Farming and Learning Briefing Paper Series - 1

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Gillian Conley , Professor Robert Smith, Dr Anne Smith, Professor Gerard McElwee

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Gillian Conley, Additional Support & Core Skills Lecturer, SRUC, Barony Campus, Parkgate Dumfries, DG1 3NE, Gillian.Conley@sruc.ac.uk

Robert Smith, Professor of Enterprise and Innovation, University of the West of Scotland and Associate Professor at the Crichton Institute, Dumfries Campus, Dudgeon House, Dumfries, DG1 4ZN. Rob.Smith@uws.ac.uk1

Anne Smith, Senior Lecturer, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Glasgow School for Business and Society, Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow, G4 OBA. Anne.Smith@gcu.ac.uk

Gerard McElwee, Professor of Entrepreneurship Huddersfield Business School, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH. G.McElwee@Huddersfield.ac.uk

Introducing the research project

Dyslexia is a real, but often hidden, issue among the farming community. This briefing paper reports on a preliminary scoping study into the influence of dyslexia on the entrepreneurial propensity of farmers. A propensity is an inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way and an entrepreneurial propensity is an inclination to behave entrepreneurially. It is part of an ongoing wider study into aspects of farming and learning. The research undertaken here is of a tentative nature but offers some fresh insights into this under-researched topic. This is because research into certain aspects of learning in the farming industry is in its infancy. There is a growing appreciation of learning difficulties such as dyslexia in business per se. In particular, it is now widely accepted that entrepreneurial propensity is affected by learning difficulties or conditions such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, ADD, OCD and some conditions on the Autistic spectrum such as Asperger’s Syndrome. See the studies of Morris (2002), Logan (2001), (2009) as well as Smith (2008) for fuller details. Increasingly, farming is becoming less of a vocation and more of a business. Several studies suggest that farmers are becoming more entrepreneurial in their approach (McElwee, 2006, 2008; McElwee and Annibal, 2010; Somerville et al, 2015). As McElwee, (2006. & 2008), argues, farmers increasingly have no option but to become more entrepreneurial in both their core and diversified business interests. This requires developing and enhancing not only their technological

1 Crichton Institute is a collaboration of the Crichton campus academic partners (the Universities of Glasgow and the West

of Scotland, the Open University in Scotland, Scotland’s Rural Agricultural College, Dumfries and Galloway College) and wider strategic partners including: the Crichton Carbon Centre, The Crichton Foundation, The Crichton Trust, the Crichton Development Company, Dumfries and Galloway Council, NHS Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders Council, the Scottish Funding Council and Scottish Enterprise (South). Its objective is to capitalise on the combined knowledge and expertise of its partners to better exploit the synergies between research, business engagement and Knowledge Exchange in order to support the economic, social and cultural aspirations and regeneration of the South of Scotland and to have a transformational influence. Its work has national and international applicability.

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competencies but in particular, three specific sets of enterprise skills.2 It is SRUC’s main priority to educate farmers, at all levels, to include; (units on courses such as business and entrepreneurship) and to provide a consultancy service to farmers, throughout the UK and abroad. Nevertheless, one of the most significant problems for farmers of course, is finding suitable ‘chunks’ of time in order to develop their individual learning portfolios and the strategies for their business.

Entrepreneurial propensity is an important facet of doing business and is influenced by one’s upbringing, socialisation and exposure to business practices. Indeed, the terms business and entrepreneurial nouse (a blend of ability, capability and sensibility) are often used interchangeably. In farming the term does not have the same currency although many commentators refer to “farmers’ mentality” (Smith & Duncan, 2014). This occupational modus operandi has divergent meanings and skillsets. On one hand it has negative connotations related to parsimony and meanness and to positive mastery and success in financial terms. Quick wittedness and the ability to grasp entrepreneurial and financial opportunities are the hallmark of the successful entrepreneurial farmer. However, there has been little research into how farmers learn the business practices which lead to success. This briefing begins the process of documenting this phenomenon. Dyslexia Scotland suggests that one in five rural residents may be prone to the condition, which usually manifests itself in reading, spelling and arithmetic problems. It is a hereditary condition and the dyslexic brain is said to be wired differently to the non-dyslexic brain resulting in some big positives as well as some big challenges. Dyslexia is a spectrum learning difficulty recognised under the Disability Scotland Act, 2010. There are common, generic signs associated with dyslexia such as:-

Slowness in learning to read, write and spell;

A need to read something several times before it is understood;

Continuing to make visual errors in reading, e.g. saying “was” for “saw” or “bad” for “dad”

Making bizarre spelling errors that seem unrelated by sound to the intended word;

Difficulties working out sums, problems remembering instructions and confusing or forgetting telephone numbers;

Problems saying long, complicated words or using the wrong name for something;

Appearing forgetful or disorganised.3

The advantages versus disadvantages include the following. People with dyslexia are often highly

intelligent and articulate and, despite having difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters

and other symbols, they generally possess excellent long term recall. This is often combined with

poor short term memory but is compensated by creative, 3D thinking and an ability to think in

images. Those with the condition often confuse left and right. Those with dyslexia often hide

difficulties from co-workers, friends and family and seek employment in jobs that mask difficulties.

They excel at problem-solving but become frustrated with long forms or sequential processes and

‘think outside the box’. Their symptoms increase dramatically with stress and they require vastly

more concentration to read and interpret words than non-dyslexics. They possess a strong sense of

2 These enterprise skills are networking, strategic awareness and opportunity recognition. Paradoxically, from

a practical perspective these skills are the qualities least associated with those business skills which are traditionally taught on agricultural management courses (see Smith, 2010). Indeed, developing the enterprise and entrepreneurial skills of new entrants onto farm businesses is a priority to which SRUC is committed.

3 Anyone who suspects they may be dyslexic and wishes help and assistance can find out more at the following websites –

www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk / www.dyslexiascotland.org.uk / www.walesdyslexia.org.uk

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justice. They thrive in careers where visual-spatial, hands-on skills can be realised. Many become,

engineers, entrepreneurs, actors, musicians, athletes, police officers, soldiers, salespeople and of

course farmers providing they have an association and socialisation into farming as a way of life.

Interested readers should read the informative book “Day to Day Dyslexia in the Classroom” by Pollock, Waller and Pollit (1979) for a detailed breakdown of how dyslexia manifests itself in learning settings and how to spot symptoms. We acknowledge there is still a stigma associated with the condition and that many people who display signs do not report it. This may be through fear of the consequences or through a misplaced sense of shame. This briefing synthesises the sparse literature on farming, entrepreneurship and dyslexia and reports on preliminary research with two farmers with dyslexia. It is augmented by Documentary Research (Scott, 2014) from media and press sources as well as internet research. Although the interviews were carried out in the Dumfries and Galloway area, it is evident from this research that this is a pernicious problem which relates to whole of the UK and other farming communities across the developed world. For this reason, we believe that this research is important. Our objective is to fully research and document the influence of dyslexia on the entrepreneurial propensity of farmers and on the farming community. To drive the research we posit the following research questions but do not attempt to answer them fully here:-

RQ1 – What is the incidence of dyslexia in the farming community in the UK?

RQ2 – What are the common symptoms / manifestations of dyslexia and how do these affect the everyday and longer term farming practices and strategies?

RQ3 – What coping mechanisms and skill sets do farmers with dyslexia develop to overcome the condition?

RQ4 - What affect does this have on the individual farmer, their family and on the farm business?

RQ5 – What lessons can we learn from the study to change / alleviate the problems?

The project’s beginnings

In this briefing we concentrate solely on dyslexia. This research began with a meeting of minds

and pathways. One pathway began within SRUC at Barony Campus, Dumfries through the work of

the principal author Gillian Conley. During her everyday duties in supporting agricultural students

and farmers she realised that many of the clients she helped either reported having dyslexia to her,

or she recognised that they presented with typical symptoms. Over time, Gillian began to realise

that the proportion of students/farmers in her client database was higher than the national average.

The condition can affect their ability to concentrate on lengthy reports, interpret information or

complete numeric calculations. On conducting her own preliminary research and analysing the data

Gillian realised that the actual figure was over 25%. This is at best only a guestimate and is based on

the fact that some 25% of agriculture students at SRUC receive support for dyslexia. This is

significantly higher than the national average of around 4% to 10% of the population depending on

which statistics one accepts. With dyslexia being a heritable condition and its prevalence within the

farming sector this justifies the present study. However, due to stigma and a poor understanding of

the condition, it can remain undiagnosed and can be problematic for those dealing with

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communications, regulation and form-filling within the agriculture industry. Gillian highlighted this

to colleagues within SRUC and to the National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS).

Simultaneously NFUS were in conversation with a group of Scottish farmers including Dumfries

farmer Sandy McCreath and a crofter, Sandy Murray from the Highlands who were trying to

highlight the affect dyslexia had on their farming practice. The two Sandys’ were prepared to go

public to highlight their cause. NFUS provided support and encouragement to all parties involved in

the discussion and this resulted in the setting up of a project committee as reported on the Dyslexia

Scotland website.4 NFUS launched a campaign to secure better support for farmers and crofters with

dyslexia and ensure they received suitable support to make the day-to-day running of their

businesses easier and more efficient, particularly in respect of form filling and communicating with

farming organizations and officialdom. NFUS aspires to achieve a better awareness and practical

solutions to make life easier, particularly where it comes to paperwork and official communications.

Jo Aitken a learning support manager at SURC understands the issues they face and the assistance

required. Dyslexia often remains undiagnosed, causing problems for those trying to run a modern

farming business with its need for communications, regulation and form filling. The campaign was

backed by Sir Jackie Stewart and led to the formation of a working group whose key objectives are

to:-

Raise awareness of dyslexia, to reduce the stigma and promote the abilities of dyslexic

individuals which are of great benefit to the agricultural industry.

Engage with the Scottish Government and other stakeholders to ensure measures to

recognise dyslexia among the farming community are appropriate.

Ensure systems of communication with regulatory bodies are more accessible for dyslexic

farmers and crofters with a choice of delivery options.

The group is for all persons associated with agriculture, not just farmers. The group’s inaugural

meeting was held on 3 September, 2014. The meeting included representatives from NFUS, the

Scottish Government’s Rural Payments Inspection Directorate, Forestry Commission Scotland,

Dyslexia Scotland and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) along with four farming and crofting members

of NFU Scotland who have dyslexia. After the meeting the NFU Scotland Vice President Rob Livesay

remarked “As a group, our first objective is to continue to raise awareness and build on the work that

we have started. The next task we have is to attempt to remove the stigma attached to dyslexia. We

strongly believe as a group that there is huge potential to tap into the talent that dyslexic people in

our industry have and help them recognise their own potential for the benefit of all”.5 As a result of

these actions and activities NFUS now actively works with the Scottish Government, Dyslexia

Scotland and the SRUC.6 A dedicated telephone number was set up (077775804717) for members to

4 See the website at http://www.dyslexiascotland.org.uk/news/nfu-scotland-working-group-on-dyslexia-for-farming-

community

5 See the press release “Milestone in NFUS campaign to better support dyslexic farmers and crofters”. News Article number

145/14. See also - http://www.sruc.ac.uk/news/article/986/sruc_part_of_farming_with_dyslexia_working_group. The working group consists of - NFUS farming member David Austin; Jo Aitken of SRUC; Jane Edwards, NFUS farming member; Gregor Caldwell, Scottish Government’s Rural Payments Inspection Directorate; Brendan Callaghan, Forestry Commission Scotland; NFUS Vice President, Rob Livesay; NFUS farming members Sandy McCreath and Sandy Murray; Fiona Dickinson, Dyslexia Scotland; and NFUS Regional Manager Isla Flanagan. 6 For more information visit http://tiny.cc/hisllx

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receive more information or assistance. A competition was launched to design a new logo and a

poster.7 The winning logo design is shown in figure 1 and the poster in figure 2.

Figure 1 – Farming with Dyslexia logo.

Figure 2 – An NFUS poster.

The eye-catching design was created by a dyslexic design student to make the campaign instantly recognisable. Dyslexic farmers gave their input into the design of both the poster and logo.8 The posters raise awareness and understanding whilst reducing the stigma of being dyslexic. They are intended to encourage dyslexic farmers to share their experiences and to contribute ideas for making life easier. The posters are displayed in venues accessible to farmers, crofters and landowners to signpost them to other organisations like Dyslexia Scotland for expert information and advice. The working group have also designed wristbands and lapel pin badges with the logo. NFUS have also featured profiles of farmers with dyslexia within their monthly membership magazine in an effort to encourage others to come forward to seek help. NFUS are working with the Scottish Government to develop its new payment system to be more dyslexia friendly. This led to further press coverage during 2013 and 2014 (See the web news page).9 The news reports featured the story of Sandy McCreath (who is one of our respondents interviewed in this briefing). See the Storybox below:-

7 See the article Poster and New Logo Launched by Farming with Dyslexia Working Group. News Article number 173/14.

Released 6 November 2014. Located at - http://www.nfus.org.uk/news/2014/november/poster-and-new-logo-launched-farming-dyslexia-working-group 8 See the website below for a representation of the information leaflet.

http://www.nfus.org.uk/uploadedFiles/Campaigns/Farming%20with%20Dyslexia%20-%20Fact%20sheet.pdf 9 See - ‘Farming red tape makes it more difficult for dyslexic farmers’ - Dyslexia – the problems it causes farmers, case

studies and advice” by Ben Pike. http://www.fwi.co.uk/farm-life/dyslexia-the-problems-it-causes-farmers-case-studies-and-advice.htm Monday 29 September 2014. The report also covered the stories of the Highland crofter Sandy Murray and Welsh farmer Alun Rees. Also see – MacSkimming, D. (2014). “The Scottish Farmer ”. http://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/news/farm-dyslexia-plea.24846794 See the web news page - “A campaign to highlight the prevalence of dyslexia in the farming industry is being taken to MSPs in Holyrood”. Available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-31814105

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In March, 2015 MSP, Claudia Beamish, hosted a Parliamentary reception in support of NFUS’s dyslexia campaign.10 Professor Robert Smith learned of the research project and discussed it with Gillian and with the other authors Anne Smith and Gerard McElwee. Anne was intrigued as she is a farmer’s wife and her husband has dyslexia. Gerard appreciated that dyslexia was important in relation to the entrepreneurial propensity of farmers. This led to the genesis of this research project.

There are a number of reasons why the suspected incidences of dyslexia may be higher than average within the farming community. These include the fact that traditionally due to high land costs and the nature of land ownership in Scotland and the UK, farming has been a privileged occupation open mostly to the sons and daughters of established farming and land owning families. This has meant that many farming families have farmed their holdings for several generations with stewardship of the land being passed down from father to son. Thus the children (particularly the first born son) of farmers grow up with an expectation that they will inherit the family farm and carry on the occupation of their forbearers. Thus the children of the land are raised and socialised from an early age to work outdoors. They spend evenings, weekends and holidays at work. Education was formerly regarded as not being that important in many farming households. Obviously this is a gross generalisation, but nevertheless, has an element of truth to it. Given that we now know that dyslexia is a heritable condition and that many farmers report having difficulty at school, then it is likely that they were ‘pushed’ into farming. This process over time would concentrate the prevalence of the condition in the farming community. Given the practical nature of

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See http://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/news/business/msp-hosts-farming-with-dyslexia-event-1-3721129

Sandy McCreath’s Inspirational Story

Sandy who suffers from severe dyslexia talked about the need to make vital forms and paperwork as easy as possible to understand and fill in. "Thirty years ago it was pretty rudimentary - the paperwork was secondary to your job. Now it is essential. If you make a mistake it is far more likely to be picked up on and penalised. We do suffer from stress quite severely and when that occurs your power of understanding drops away and you are in trouble". Sandy did not know he was dyslexic until he was 14. He remarked when interviewed for the press -“By that time most of my school life was over, I had spent most of my time in the lower classes and as soon as they recognised I had a problem with English they gave me even more lessons to try to correct it, which was very frustrating”. He thinks red tape surrounding the modern farm business is making it increasingly difficult for dyslexic farmers to operate. He finds dealing with various grants, subsidies and stewardship schemes increasingly difficult. He has failed to claim for grants because it is difficult for him, and for fear of making mistakes and being penalised. Sandy found that Scottish Government officials were 'unsympathetic' to his problem in relation to filling out the complex paperwork issued by the government's Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate.

Sandy McCreath using a mobile device to text

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farming those with dyslexia would not feel at a disadvantage. The isolation of many farming families would also dictate that they did not use their numeracy and literacy skills as often as other families do. This too, would lead to a deterioration of their writing and reading skills. Also, traditionally farming was a social and oral vocation in which face-to-face dealing at marts and with neighbours was the norm. It was easier in this environment for those with dyslexia to hide their condition from others. The growth of officialdom in farming and the introduction of new technologies has meant that this is no longer the case. There is also anecdotal evidence that many of the children of farmers end up in business and in occupations which are compatible with their dyslexia (Smith, A. 2012). This means that farmers with the condition can continue to mask it and hide the effects it has on their business.

Farming and Learning – some points from the literature

The literature on farming and learning is dispersed widely across many academic fields and journals (Oreszczyn, Lane & Carr 2010). As such, it is not a recognised research field. The relevance of this is that anyone interested in the topic would have to conduct lengthy and time consuming library and internet searches. Even then it is unlikely that these searches would lead to a complete understanding of the topic. We believe that this is an important observation because students and farmers who are diagnosed with dyslexia or who suspect they have the condition are unlikely to be able to locate sufficient information (other than generic) relating to how the condition influences their farming or business propensity. This section provides selected facets of the literature and is not a literature review proper. According to Oreszczyn et al farmers learn in a particular [closed] learning community of practice. Similarly, Eckert and Bell (2005) argue that the mental models of farmers influence how they learn and act. Thus the ways in which farmers put their visions into action are indicative of their mental models of farming. Such mental models [e.g. farmers’ mentality] are influenced by prior values and knowledge which guide their learning and decision-making practices. These have generic elements but are often unique to individuals. Farmers with dyslexia, thus operate within a particular learned community of practice setting up a mental model of learned acceptance and helplessness. Educators, support workers and policy makers who consider the mental models of farmers are more likely to succeed in supporting farmers to develop new knowledge and skills. Farmers learn by doing and from their communities of practice and their peer influenced social capitals (Foster & Rosenzweig, 1995).

Knowledge development and sharing: The farmer learning environment is rich in processes and experiences which nurture knowledge creation. As farmers work they learn, subsequently their learning is captured as knowledge and then shared among families and communities. Evidently farmers will tend to have a shared knowledge and understanding that has developed over time and generations, where fathers and sons have done and do business the same way, often with the same people (Vygotsky, 1978). Much of this shared understanding is what creates the social structures and embeddedness that is a farming community (Smith, 2009). It follows that knowledge and learning are situated and shared by the interactions and interdependencies of the community over time as they adapt and create new business (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger 1998; Holcomb et al, 2004: Pack, 2011).

Farmers as a community of practice or group are not alone in this phenomenon. In fact for many established communities it is understood that creating knowledge requires immersion in the culture and through experiential interaction. Knowles, Holton and Swanson (2012) identify six principles

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relating to adult learning; a need to or a reason for learning, experience as the basis of learning, the position of ‘self’ in the management of learning, the relevance of learning, problem-centred learning and intrinsic motivations for learning. In addition, Piaget (1972) considers knowledge in developmental terms where stages feature static and transformational periods, suggesting that adaptive development enables cultural and institutional aspects of learning to be better understood. It follows that farmers’ culture and growing up therein is a key driver in their learning knowledge development and sharing.

Essentially knowing is a product of activity and or process, with the farmer being a learning individual and interacting with ‘farming’ communities (Piaget, 1972). The social processes that are farm communities offer a canvas to then explore what creates their learning and why. The idea that the farm and farming processes provide the tools that educate generations is indeed an interesting perspective. But if that farm has the wrong tools, or if some of the tools are in need of upgrading, then clearly obstacles and the quality of tools and subsequent learning will be negatively affected; with the implications for education and new entrants to the industry being particularly relevant. There should also be a consideration of the ‘farm reared children’ educated on farms by generations of farmers and a community (Gasson, 1998). A dysfunctional, or ageing, community could indeed be detrimental; a context too narrow, with perhaps a culture shielding or even smothering individuals from valuable economic and social interactions.

In summary, the learning environments for farmers tend to be socially constructed as being a rural community which presents with a particular history, culture and language. Those who learn within this fabric are communities, learning groups and individuals who are intrinsically motivated to learn with contextual relevance. The key concerns must be in terms of how this group interact at an educational level and how learning processes are affected through difficulties associated with dyslexia, ADH and so on and how in turn learning is skewed towards experience and skills based knowledge which can exist without developed reading, writing and numeracy skills. It is without doubt that as agriculture and farming demand increased levels of entrepreneurial orientation towards science and technology and that farming communities are faced with challenges which require rethinking how and why knowledge creating processes might function tin the community.

Dyslexia and learning difficulties: One of the acknowledged UK experts on dyslexia in business is Judith Logan. She conducted her PhD study into the topic – see Logan (2001), and also Logan (2009) and Logan and Martin (2012). Logan (2009) conducted a comparative study exploring the incidences of dyslexia in entrepreneurs, corporate managers and the general population, and found that dyslexic entrepreneurs develop coping strategies to manage their weaknesses. Interestingly, these strategies subsequently benefit the new venture creation process. Logan found that there is a significantly higher incidence of dyslexia in entrepreneurs than in the corporate management or general UK populations. She identified several useful strategies entrepreneurs with dyslexia use to overcome dyslexia including delegation of tasks (a necessity in business – Logan & Martin, 2012). See also the work of Franks and Frederick (2013) for a discussion on typologies, commonalities and differences. People with the learning disability ‘developmental dyslexia’ characteristically have difficulties in processing written language and there is some evidence that they may possess talents in other areas such as visuospatial processing. These manifest as strengths and weaknesses which may predispose them towards engaging in certain occupations or avoiding others (Taylor & Walter, 2003). Taylor and Walter compared the occupations of adults with and without symptoms of developmental dyslexia and found that farming was one of many occupations which suited dyslexics. This suggests that people with dyslexia may indeed show significantly different patterns of occupation choice.

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The study of Smith (2008) is of interest because it examined the learning and coping strategies of over 60 entrepreneurs, or inventors with dyslexia and other learning difficulties. Using a framework adopted by Morris (2002), it created a working typology of learning and coping behaviours based on pictorial, oral, behavioural and cognitive facets. It can be difficult to fold some learning and coping behaviours into one distinct category because some examples may span more than one category and because subjects with dyslexia may also have other complex learning difficulties too. For example, dyslexia and dyspraxia often go together as do dyslexia and ADHD. This can mean that the symptoms associated with the different conditions can become conflated. This may account for why the condition often presents itself in a nuanced manner. See table 1 below for a typology of generic communicational strategies adopted by entrepreneurs to cope with dyslexia and other learning difficulties. Readers with dyslexia may find that some of these strategies resonate with them.

TABLE 1: SPECIFIC COMMUNICATIONAL STRATEGIES ADOPTED BY ENTREPRENEURS (Source: adapted from Morris 2002/Smith 2008).

Pictorial [P] Orality [o]

Write important details on hand to overcome bad memory. Think in 3-D Technicolor pictures instead of words. Treat dyslexia to having CAD [computer-aided design] in your brain. Learns plots and characters in books from pictures. Looks at the big picture as a story and envisages how it will end. Prefers summaries in three pages or less with major points highlighted in yellow.

Learns by listening / Socratic dialogues. Prefers voicemail to e-mail as it is so much easier to understand and visualize by hearing. Does not keep paper records. Surround one[s self with verbal people who like to talk. Utilised homespun advertisement campaigns.

Behavioural [B] Cognitive [C]

Avoids using computers. Uses filo-fax. Bluffs way through problems. Avoids maths. Uses teaching / learning tools. Highly selective about information input and revises points of importance. Memorises key points. Concentrates on the end result. Hire ‘translators’ to turn intuitive concepts and ideas into reality and interpret ideas to linear thinkers. Minimises reading / writing to conserve energy. Commits everything to memory thus negating working from a script one can avoid mistakes and be dramatic, flexible and improvise. Hire ‘details people’ linear thinkers and analysts. Build a team to shore up weaknesses. Alternating between apparent disinterest and maniacal focus. Rely on others for telephone numbers. Uses GPS to avoid getting lost easily. Hide lack of reading ability from others and refuse to show anyone their handwriting. Cultivate a casual, can't-be-bothered-with-it management style that avoids the written word.

Shortcuts rigorous step-by-step process beloved of sequential thinkers. Contextualises elements of the story where they fit best. Performs mental warm up exercise each morning. Practices trigger words that confuse. Fast-forwards past the smaller, logical steps of sequential thinkers. Synthesizes things differently and quicker than other people. Wanders around themes. Rely on conceptual thinking. Grabs abstract information from the environment often being unaware of its origin. Grasps maximum meaning from minimum content / context. Scan reads pulling out meaning. Alternating between apparent disinterest and maniacal focus.

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Delegated tasks requiring reading. Avoid the corporate office and travel from place to place observing, talking to customers, making changes. Organize old information into different patterns easily to hide inability to write.

We now consider methodological issues which impinge on the study.

Methodological Considerations

The main methodology used is that of face-to-face qualitative interviews with farmers to elicit the subject specific information relating to how their condition influences their entrepreneurial propensity and ability to do business. To underpin the data collection behind the interviews we developed a questionnaire (see appendix 1) which comprised of 22 questions, weighted between aspects of dyslexia and business practices. We constructed the “dyslexia friendly” questionnaire specifically to be accessible to persons with dyslexia. This questionnaire will form the basis of the extended study. It can be downloaded from the Crichton Institute and SRUC websites and we would encourage any reader of this briefing to participate in the study by completing and returning the document to Gillian Conley on Gillian.Conley@SRUC.ac.uk (Until December 31st 2015). Interestingly, Logan (2009) also used an online questionnaire, which combined questions about their company, their management or leadership role and their business skills, together with questions designed to explore the likely incidence of dyslexia. Logan used a follow-up study comprised of a semi-structured questionnaire to explore business issues and educational experience in more depth with those diagnosed as dyslexic.

From the interview data, we intended to construct case studies and stories (Yin, 2008) to capture the nuances and individuality of the respondents’ condition because dyslexia does not manifest itself uniformly in all people. This is important because individual farmers may require different learning strategies and action plans to be put in place to support them. There will of course be generic aspects that apply to most individuals with the condition. We mirror the methodology of Morris (2002) in using case stories but adapt this framework by using Morris’s categories of Pictorial, Orality, Behavioural and Cognitive. We augmented this strategy by collecting data from the internet and press using Documentary Research techniques (Scott, 2014) to support the material from our own research. When the research commenced it was clear that the farmers involved were both intelligent individuals - they could communicate clearly on any topic, not just on the dyslexia questions set. Our farmers, similar to other people with dyslexia, had “dyslexic traits” such as poor handwriting skills and they had both developed individual coping strategies to help themselves in all aspects of their lives, not just in farming. They excelled at design and practical tasks. For instance, how to tell left from right and remember people’s names, which non-dyslexic individuals may take for granted.

The Learning Stories

Learning stories capture the context of the learning environment that appears to be enabling or constraining learning and they show progress over time (Hill, 2015, p.1). Learning stories (Lave, 1997) relate to aspects of learning in relation to the condition of dyslexia. Learning stories are

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distinctly social and are set in particular, situated communities of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991). For a story to be complete there must be a beginning, a middle and an end and too much non-linear information only serves to complicate a story. There must be a storied, sequential chronological ordering to the telling. Too many facts about dyslexia would complicate a story if the main purpose in telling the story was to achieve another outcome, such as highlighting success. Concentrating on self and disadvantageous circumstances can turn a success story into a “poor-me” story. As a result, many people with dyslexia choose not to tell their very personal stories. This makes these learning stories important because when a person with dyslexia tells their personal story to someone, dyslexia as a condition only forms part of the story (if it features at all). Thus the narrator of the story may add several vignettes or anecdotes to make a point but they do not make the story exclusively about their condition or overcoming adversity, so we do not hear the full story but only the story as socially constructed by the teller. We can thus miss out on quite a lot of useful information. We use the framework of Morris (2002) to help us understand the stories. We thus concentrate on the themes of pictorial, orality, behavioural and cognitive in relation to how David and Sandy cope with their conditions.

David’s learning story: David is a farmer in his 60’s with dyslexia. He was made to repeat Primary seven; his best subject was technical studies at school. David is not good at written Maths calculations, although he can square a building using mental arithmetic. He remembers having to attend remedial classes. His dyslexia manifests itself in an inability to read text and a tendency to write in block capitals. He can recognise words in their entirety but cannot sound out words. He has problems sequencing and often writes letters of words in the incorrect order. He mixes the letters B and D up, and reports having a mental block when spelling. This can affect his planning and organising paperwork, or committing business ideas to paper. David has to constantly read and re-read paperwork and often only looks at business plans update sections on paper. Most of the times he copes, but can become anxious about farm inspections. He does not mix up dates and times nor miss work/personal appointments. To help him remember his left from right hand side of the body he always wears his watch on the left hand to help remember his left hand side from right. David has learned to solve any issues occurring. David is a confident individual who has learned to cope with the stress of work and farming. He reports being “past anxious” and copes with completing set practical tasks or written tasks to deadlines. David is good at following oral instructions but has issues with written instructions and completing paperwork. He can misread an entire question, or misinterprets information. Ironically, David does not find his own writing difficult to comprehend because he always writes in block capital letters. He finds form filling difficult and stressful and copes by trying to complete parts, or all of a form online, as much as possible. He prefers listening to the information given, as long as he understands the topic.

David does not think that Dyslexia has prevented him from taking up a farming opportunity he would otherwise have liked to pursue. David accepts that he “would have liked to have been the chairman of the NFU and gone to Brussels, to European meetings, but could not go, as he would not be able to read/take detailed notes on the range of information required to fulfil such as position. He is not good at writing notes. He accepts that Dyslexia enabled him to see any problems ahead. He can solve and think through problems in different ways; For instance how to build a new shed. He thinks through the dimensions in his head and visualises the layout of a shed in order to come to the solution. David therefore does not believe that dyslexia has overly influenced how he conducts his business with the outside world/farming community. To the extent that, similar to other farmers looking to expand their businesses he has a “contract” farm, which he uses to farm a variety of sheep on, such as pure bred mules. David conducts his business with this contract farm and with his own farm, in the same way as everyone else in the farm industry would. He works hard and has developed personal individual coping strategies for dyslexia, by learning to work through and

Farming and Learning Briefing Paper Series - 1

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visualise solutions to any problems in his head such as reading numbers. Once again David is better at visualising the numbers than seeing them written down on paper. Therefore David is adamant that dyslexia has not prevented him from farming effectively. Overall he would not farm any differently, (if he did not have dyslexia), having learnt to live with it for nearly 60 years!

Sandy’s learning story: Sandy is not consistent with Maths. He does not remember his times

tables as he did not learn all of them at school. He uses the 5 and 10 times tables, which he knows

and adjusts to help him with calculations and other numeric tables accordingly. Sandy is better at

mental arithmetic. Sandy’s favourite subject at school was Biology, because it did not require

support in class or extra study time. He had additional support for other subjects such as English,

and when it came to exams he had a scribe/extra time. Sandy found remedial classes to be

educationally “a waste of time” and “part of life” he often switched off when in these classes. Sandy

reports being a slow writer. His writing is barely legible. He struggles to read his own writing. He

misses out letters in words and is unable to spell correctly and consistently. He often spells the same

word in three different ways. Stress makes his writing worse, causing him to sweat and feel

uncomfortable, but with practice his reading skill has improved. He has a trick to remember “b” and

“d”. He writes the word bed down and remembers the shape of the letters. The letter “e” points to

the foot of the bed. He sometimes forgets the letters P&Q and mixes up the months of the year. He

is relatively good with maths and visual signs, and can break sums down to do them. He gets nervous

about completing written tasks of any type. When given oral instructions, if he does not understand

a word, he gets the person stating the instructions to say the word twice.

Sandy finds sequencing information difficult and can forget the middle item. For example, if given a set of three tasks to complete, he does not mix numbers up in his head but mixes them up when writing them down. In any numeric sequence, the more numbers there are, the more likely he is to drop numbers off and make mistakes. He can easily remember money calculations and amounts. He memorises facts and avoids writing a lot. He prefers drawing an idea out on paper and pictorial symbols. He often mixes up dates and times and sometimes misses work/personal appointments. To combat this he has learned to write them down in a notebook. He reports experiencing directional confusion although he is getting better with practice and concentration. His personal strategy for remembering right hand from left is to remember that his right hand is physically different (in the size of one finger) than his left. Sandy is able to directionalise, if instructions to rooms are simple, but needs clear sequencing of information to be able to understand any instructions given. He has excellent communication skills and asks people to stop speaking, if required, to enable all parts of a topic being discussed to be picked up and fully understood. Sandy finds form filling stressful at times and has developed a combination of coping strategies, depending on the given information topic. He also uses a notebook to help remember names, contact numbers and appointment times. When asked if dyslexia had prevented him from taking up a farming opportunity he would otherwise have liked to have undertaken, he admitted that he avoids applying for a full range of grant schemes because of the vast amount of paperwork involved. This obviously, influences his every-day farming practices and affects his confidence. He cannot see a good, long-term productive future in farming. He despairs at the proliferation of government paperwork required of farmers. It is no longer so easy to hide a lack of reading and associated problems farmers have had for years. He has had to give up rearing cattle because of the hassle of paperwork and cattle passports. Sandy would have liked to develop his interest in animal genetics. Sandy is now investing his time and considerable energy into ensuring that other farmers can benefit from his learning experience.

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Initial analysis and observations

From an analysis of the interviews the farmers coping mechanisms included; fluent verbal communication, able to answer questions when asked, (picturing answers to questions) and use of mental arithmetic to perform calculations. Also use of a notebook to record meeting times/dates and names/places of people. In the case of Sandy, he now has a mobile phone to record lengthy conversations with professional bodies, so that he can replay these at any time and remind him of the details of a meeting. It therefore became apparent that neither, David nor Sandy enjoys completing written farm tasks, in line with table 1. Both farmers preferred the “orality” method of communication and prefer talking to writing, when dealing with professional organisations.11

In relation to the questions asked it was evident that Sandy gets more anxious than David, especially when completing written farm paperwork. This has not just affected his long term farming practices, but his career aspiration of working in the field of genetics, which he did not pursue, as he lacked confidence to do so. Having dyslexia has even altered the type of livestock he chooses to keep, due to the intense Scottish Government legislative paperwork involved with keeping cattle; he is now mainly sheep farming, (2013 onwards) by himself and does not have staff whom he delegates tasks to, he prefers to work mainly by himself, out of line with the task of delegation being a “necessity in successful entrepreneurial businesses”, as noted by Logan and Martin (2012). Dyslexia has also affected Sandy’s self-assurance to invest time and money to pursue a range of entrepreneurial activities on his land such as; creating and hiring out a modified a tool to place posts in the ground, or renting areas of farm land for “glamping” purposes/storage unit usage, to members of the public.

Being dyslexic has enhanced David’s ways of farming, in that his dyslexia can help him foresee problems and solve them, as he thinks in a different “visualised” way, similar to that suggested by Franks and Fredrick (2013). This dyslexic visualisation skill has also made his farming practices better and allowed him to sustain a long-term farming business to include not just his own farm but a contract farm. This is a farm of 17,000 acres, where he successfully breeds hill sheep and Saler cattle. This latter point links more closely to the discussion on entrepreneur characteristics and ways of thinking, as discussed, (see table 1). Nevertheless, dyslexia has limited the amount of agricultural committee work he has been involved with throughout his career. He would have liked to have undertaken a post of chairman of the NFU and attended meetings in Brussels, but did not - due to the amount of written work and note taking involved. Famers, like other dyslexic people in highly skilled practical job roles, require documentation to be presented to them in a range of formats, not just in in written type or sent via email. Overall both farmers link with the point that Martin makes, (2012), there needs to be more research into dyslexia in the workplace and investigate adult experiences of it. Regular help should be available with written documentation, if required, in all aspects of their lives. As academics and researchers we support the aims of the NFUS and would like to help them achieve them. To date the campaign has achieved the following:-

Awareness raised and farmers coming forward to give testimony which has helped to shape

the campaign and its objectives

Engagement of the Scottish Government

Strong cross party support of MSPs and MPs

Extensive media coverage encouraging others to speak about dyslexia and opening up

discussion in different forums.

11

In this respect they would benefit from the record facility in the Apple ipad or from Dragon app technology.

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Since the inception of the helpline the operators have been busy. Many of the callers have chosen to

remain anonymous but of those who have not the figures are as follows. A total of twenty have

agreed to provide full contact details since November 2014. Callers are from the following areas:

Highlands / Orkney & Shetland (5)

Argyll & Islands (1)

Dumfries and Galloway (1)

North East (2)

Lothian & Borders (2)

Ayrshire (1)

East Central (2)

Preferred not to state (6)

The issues raised over the helpline have covered the following (in no particular order):

Too much information is put out by government and agencies, needs to be made simpler (5)

Want Scottish Government to put more information out in audio format, as well as online material as much as possible, including video (5)

Interested individuals calling on behalf of dyslexic friends or family who want to be involved with the campaign (4)

Private assessors who are interested in campaign and happy to do assessments for members (3)

Would like more help through the local office e.g. check over that the forms have been filled out correctly (1)

Access to funding for software that can help farmers with dyslexia (1) In addition there have been many more calls to the helpline about dyslexia and the campaign.

Callers to the helpline are a mix of members and non-members of NFUS.

Some tentative conclusions

These initial observations are obviously tentative given the small size of the research sample to date. However, it is apparent that dyslexia does influence the entrepreneurial propensity of farmers and their ability to conduct business. Farmers like David and Sandy encounter difficulties in their day to day farming life which prevent them from conducting their business in the manner in which other farmers may take for granted. These difficulties can lead to the adoption of inefficient working practices which impede the success and growth of the business, and to individual farmers avoiding particular types of farming or practices because of overly bureaucratic paperwork. We believe that the condition can, and has, led to farmers with dyslexia being sanctioned, fined and potentially criminalised because of their condition. Making a mistake on a form should not lead to a criminal record. We also believe that this may lead to some farmers adopting informal (and potentially illicit and illegal) farming practices and a preference for engaging in informal networking. For example, selling direct to butchers and wholesalers. It may also account for the preference of many farmers to frequent farmers markets and agricultural marts where they can do business orally with other farmers.

A limitation of the study is that it relies on two illustrative case stories (albeit augmented by documentary and desk research) to highlight the phenomena. Obviously, two cases is too small a sample in research terms to reach definitive conclusions. Nevertheless, we believe that our stories and research may resonate with the experience of many farmers and agricultural students who read

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this briefing. We will continue interviewing as many respondents as we can, to develop the number of cases and stories upon which we intend to build our conceptual and theoretical models. We plan to interview up to 100 farmers and / or agricultural students to gather sufficient empirical data to write an authoritative study. Another limitation is that despite the growth of studies into dyslexia, it is still a contested condition. Some practitioners in the medical and educational fields believe that dyslexia is an overused term. There is a belief that many students abuse the condition to obtain extra learning support or equipment. Other medical conditions can manifest themselves in a similar manner to those of dyslexia. For example, visual and optical conditions may result in poor reading skills. This can cause those with these symptoms to believe they have dyslexia when this may not be the case. Thus there is a need to have dyslexia and other learning difficulties properly diagnosed by professionals. Such tests have a financial implication and it is becoming more common to be tested in Primary Schools. An early diagnosis can lead to financial and educational support. Having this support in place from early years allows people with learning difficulties to achieve positive outcomes and increased life chances. This has implications for this study because if a farmer believes that he/she has dyslexia and that their children may too have inherited the condition, they should push for a proper diagnosis. Ignoring the condition only perpetuates the inequalities for future generations. However, most farmers and farmworkers and students with the condition will have coped with the condition in their own way. Nevertheless, it is still beneficial to have a professional diagnosis because without this, you will not get access to proper support. We therefore encourage readers to contact us to volunteer for an interview or to complete the questionnaire and return it to us. We plan to apply for funding from a UK Funding Body to facilitate our research. Anyone interested in sponsoring or supporting such research should also contact us. To be funded, research has to be contemporary, of practical use and provide relevant solutions to real life problems. Academics and researchers have to demonstrate that there is a need for the research, and this is easier to demonstrate if there is a genuine body of support. Letters of support from individuals and institutions are helpful. The funding will also allow us to set up a national learning network, to meet regularly and hold seminars on learning and farming. Anyone interested in participating should contact us. Dyslexia is, but one learning difficulty which influences entrepreneurial propensity, and it is our intention to research other barriers and aids to learning.

References

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Lave, J. and Wenger, E., (1991).Situated learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Lave J. (1997). “The culture of acquisition and the practice of understanding”. In D. Kirshner & J. A

Whitson (Eds) Situated cognition: social, semiotic and psychological perspectives. (Ch 2, pp17-36. Mahway, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

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Logan, J, (2009). “Dyslexic entrepreneurs: the incidence; their coping strategies and their business skills”. Dyslexia, 15(4), 328-346.

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Appendix 1 Dyslexia – Sample Screening Questionnaire

Question No

Dyslexia - Sample Screening Questionnaire Please record your responses below or write them on a

separate piece of paper. Alternatively, copy this form and type

your response into the boxes. Email or post the response to

Gillian Conley, Additional Support & Core Skills Lecturer,

SRUC, Barony Campus, Parkgate Dumfries, DG1 3NE, or to

Gillian.Conley@sruc.ac.uk

If you have difficulty reading this form you can use coloured

overlays or change the background colours and font sizes to

suit you.

Testing

1. Are you a slow writer, for example does it take you more than

ten minutes to write or copy a paragraph of text for farm

paperwork?

Memory

Processing

Speed

2. Do you get anxious when trying to write your ideas down on

paper or complete paperwork, such as cattle passports?

Anxious

3. Do you make persistent spelling mistakes with common words

such as writing the months of the year or days of the week?

Or do you frequently mix up letters in words such as the letter

“b” and “d”?

Spelling

difficulties

Letter reversal

directional

confusion/

visual

difficulties

4. Do you have difficulty clearly distinguishing maths notation like

x for multiplication and – for minus or do you often mix

numbers such as 6 and 9 up?

Coding &

Decoding

5. Do you have difficulty planning and organising paperwork or

business ideas on paper?

Organisation

6. Do you often mix up dates and times and sometimes miss

work/personal appointments?

Organisation

7. Do you have directional confusion, for instance can you tell Directionality

Farming and Learning Briefing Paper Series - 1

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your left hand side from your right hand side of the body?

8. Do you find it difficult to remember mathematical formulae

such as the 8 times table or mathematical instructions, for

example how to multiply numeric fractions such as;

½ X ¾

Memory

9. Do you often write letters of words in the incorrect order, for

example the letter “E” before the letter “I” in words such as

piece?

Sequencing

10. Do you get anxious over how you are going to complete set

practical tasks or written tasks to deadlines?

Lack of

confidence

11. Do you have difficulty following oral instructions? Either given

by a person or noted from a telephone conversation in your own

hand writing.

Memory &

Concentration

12. Can you effectively contribute to a verbal discussion? For

example in a group situation at a farmers meeting or on a one

to one basis.

Speech &

Comprehension

13. Would you be able to get your bearings in a large building, such

as a college or a hospital?

Visuo- motor

Skills

14. What was your favourite subject to study at school?

Did you require any additional academic support at school

either during your primary or secondary school years?

Comprehension

Long term

memory

15. Is your writing difficult to comprehend? Visuo-motor

Skills

16. Do you find form filling difficult and time consuming? Concentration

17.

Which way do you best understand information given to you?

Visual e.g. using diagrams, drawings and/or symbols

Auditory, listening to discussions, recording information and

playing it back or by Reading/Writing?

Concentration

Speech &

Comprehension

18. Has Dyslexia prevented you from taking up a farming

opportunity you would otherwise have liked to undertake?

Lack of

confidence

19. Has Dyslexia influenced your every-day farming practices in

any way/s? Give examples.

Concentration

20. Does dyslexia influence how you conduct your business with the

outside world/farming community, give examples?

Concentration

Speech &

comprehension

21. Have you developed any individual coping strategies to cope

with or mask the problem?

Personal Skills

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22. If you did not have dyslexia do you think you would be farming

differently?

Adaptability

Sequencing

Appendix 2 – Getting Help

Dyslexia affects every sufferer differently, but support is available to ensure that its effect on you and

your farming business is minimised. Whether you’re looking to grow your confidence or seeking ongoing

professional assistance for an employee or relative, there are many options available to you:

FAQ’s Solutions / Answers

“I struggle with the farm’s form-filling”.

Ask a relative or trusted friend to proofread your

submission. You retain your independence, but have an

extra pair of eyes to pick up on any errors. If you’re

uncomfortable approaching someone you know,

charities such as Dyslexia Action and the British

Dyslexia Association can advise on finding additional

support.

“I’m leaving agricultural college, but want

continued support for my dyslexia”

Specialist teachers and assessors will exist locally, so

speak to your disability co-ordinator and adviser at

your college or university or a dyslexia charity to help

you find someone suitable.

“I want to help one of the farm’s dyslexic

employees”

The government’s Access to Work initiative is a free

specialist disability service that gives practical

employment-related advice and support for those

working, self-employed or looking for employment.

“Is there any technology available to help my

dyslexia?”

Assistive technology exists such as voice recognition

software, text-to-speech communication aids and

organisational aids such as mind-mapping software

and electronic calendars.

“As a parent, what support is available for my

dyslexic child?”

Independent Parental Special Education Advice

(IPSEA) offers free and independent legal

information, advice and support to help get the right

education and support for children and young people.

Dyslexia Action has also produced a guide for parents

on what support you should expect from your school.