Hallie! What a great idea, to post the description into an AI engine to have a visual created! Genius!!!
Shelia-
You touched on som many good points. Your statement (quoted below) is so very true!
“The adults in the student’s home environment should not cater to their every whim and be the “do-er”, this hinders a the students self confidence and gives them the false impression that everyone in their world will “do for them.”
I understand life at home sometimes is under time constraints and it’s just easier to “do” for the child to move things along, but in the long run, this act of help can be quite detrimental. When the expectation is different in the home than in school, it’s very confusing and often frustrating for the student, (and of course the teachers).When everyone is on the same page and using the same strategies and language, the learning process is streamlined and more attainable.
Jennifer-
I have had a similar experience with a student with MIVI. While consulting with staff familiar to him, I asked if he had knowledge of directionality. They explained that while he struggled identifying left/right, he knew top/bottom, up/dowm. Well he was able to identify these with arm/hand gestures that accompany a song, he could not generalize this skill to learning materials like a book or paper. You are spot in your post when you address the need to provide repeated , meaningful experiences across multiple settings. The settings should not be limited to just the school/campus, but home and in the community, as well.
- How can educators determine whether a student is ready to move from concrete experiences (real objects/models) to more abstract representations( symbols and raised drawings)? What evidence would you look for, and how would you reposted if a student struggles with this transition.?
A student is ready to move from concrete experiences to more abstract representations starting when they have a sense of object permanence, or an understanding that people and things still exist even when they aer out of sight of cannot be seen. The student also should have reliable tactile skills and learn how to search and scan with their hands in an organized, systematic manner. Also a student should be able to pair language, even if the student is non-verbal to identify the object in some way. It is important that students understand and identify the object in parts as well as a whole. Being able to describe function is very important. For example, a student who is identifying a real spoon, should understand that it is an instrument for eating. In addition, it is important that students learn salient features of like items. For example the salient features of a spoon are slender, 5-8 inch metal or plastic item, it has a handle on one end to grasp with your hand a rounded out scoop at the other to pick up food. While a fork on the other hand is similar, but instead of a scoop at one end it has pointed tines.
As a teacher, I would be looking for a student to accurately identify objects and use that information about that object and its salient features to identify unfamiliar items. I would also pay attention to the language the student might be using while interacting with the concrete item…is it accurate? Relevant? Easy to generalize?
Without repeated exposure and exploration with rich, meaningful language a student with a visual impairment can potentially struggle to build essential skills needed for concept development. Consistently across all a students learning and living environments is key!
Hi Patty
The story had no illiustrations, but I take your point. Pictures often enhance the learner’s understanding of a text and as educators, we need to ensure that any pictures are explained and discussed to ensure that they are helpful to learners who are visually impaired.
I agree with all your have said, Allison.
It is hugely important that learners can generalise understanding across a variety of learning contexts as this is how we know that concepts are really understood.
I often use the pre-braile checklist (I think it came from Paths to Literacy) and it states clearly that learners need to understand positional language as it relates to themselves, to others and to objects.
Allison,
You are spot on. SOmetimes I have staff that wants to move past the object or concept that the student is struggling with. No other student would be asked to move forward, if the foundational skills were missing. reliable tactile information, as you pointed out, must occur freqently. Emphasis on reliable. Same language, and time to explore. Moving back pays off in the long run.
Would you be willing to share your powerpoint or provide more information? This would be great information to share with gen ed staff that work with my students.
- Compare the development of object permanence and causal understanding in sighted vs. blind children (p. 2). What underlying factors contribute to these differences, and how might they influence later learning?
The article states that object permanence in blind children is acquired nearly a year later than in sighted children. It only occurs after they have the ability to reach for objects based on sound cue alone. There are many factors that contribute to the learning differences in sighted children and blind children. Children who are blind have only have sound available as their distance sense, and they are not yet able to understand what it means. Since sound is not as strong at a motivator as vision, children are delayed until they are able to physically reach for an object. Since the environment remains so unknown, children are not yet motivated to explore their environment tactually in a purposeful way. All these factors contribute to delays in later learning in areas of social, language, and understanding how the world works. Since children often rely on watching others and imitating in order to learn new things, children who are blind need to be explicitly taught many things that sighted children learn through natural experiences.
- The reading emphasizes the role of adult mediation and the risk of overdependence (p. 2). To what extent can adult support both help and hinder development? How do you strike an appropriate balance?
The article explains that children who are blind are often discouraged from exploration by adults who are overly protective. Adults may have concerns about the child’s safety but should provide opportunities to encourage the child to explore. For example, children need to be provided with a motivating sound source in order to be encouraged to move towards it and continue to develop their physical skills. If an adult just gives a child who is blind a toy, they will never learn to move towards it independently. The adult’s job is to encourage the child to move towards the toy. I think finding the balance of how much adult support to provide can be difficult, especially for parents more so than teachers. It is a team effort and each person will have their own way of encouraging the child. I think that if the child becomes too reliant on one specific person, this can be a hinder to their development and a sign that the balance is off. The type and amount of support will change throughout a child’s life and will be different for each child.
This is such a great example of how our students depend on adults to help them make sense of the environment around them and that this takes extra time, effort, and intention. Your student is lucky that you were there for him to help interpret the environment for him. So often adults miss this important first step which leads to misunderstanding and poor self concept development in children.
Good point about asking a student to identify not only the parts of an item but also their function! When introducing the cane to new students in O&M, we often talk about the parts of the cane (grip, shaft, tip), but this school year, I am going to make sure that students explicitly understand what each part is used for. It can be easy to show how to do something to demonstrate that you understand it, but I feel like it is demonstrating another level of thinking to be able to put into words what you know.
Question #2
Object exploration helps the visually impaired student learn characteristics of objects which include size, shape, texture, weight, and temperature. It is the foundation for academic learning, daily living skills and improves their fine motor skills. Object exploration works on both concept and sensory development.
Environmental awareness is primarily accessed through vision, causing the visually impaired student to lose a lot of incidental learning, requiring them to receive direct instruction in this area. Direct instruction helps the student learn systematic search patterns, workspace routines, orientation to spaces, and independent movement. It includes both mental and tactile mapping of the environment.
Both object exploration and environmental awareness provide the visually impaired student with intentional and ongoing instruction. The student learns spatial awareness and problem-solving skills. Both areas aid in language development. Most importantly, the visually impaired student learns functional independence through instruction in both areas.
I have sat in many IEP meetings for MD students where the teacher discusses all of the things the student is able to complete independently. And the parent turns around and says “he doesn’t do that at home.” One student in particular, autistic and totally blind, would stand at the kitchen table after dinner, holding his drink out, which he had finished, and would wait until his grandmother would come over and take the drink out of his hand. When in school, this student would simply put the drink down on the table when he was finished. He was expected to be as independent as possible in school. When at home, although the grandmother tried her best, strategies were provided, etc… the student would not complete the same tasks at home.
It is so important for these students to have consistency in both home and school. It may be easier or more convenient for the parent to “do for” the student, due to busy schedules, needs of other children, etc… but it does not help our visually impaired students become independent and learn how to do tasks on their own.
This is such a great example of how important it is for the classroom teachers to work with the TVI, so that the activities can be adjusted and modified to meet the needs of the student. The classroom teacher creates activities for the class as a whole and may not be thinking about if the activity is accessible for the visually impaired student. It is not always possible to take all students prior knowledge, exposure or experiences into account when creating activities. When assigning the project, the teacher could have asked the class if they know what a funko pop is. The teacher could have brought in a funko pop for the class to see and provided an description of the features of the funcko pop, before asking the students to create their own.
I think it was great that your student took the time to ask what a funko pop was. There are many students that would just sit there, not saying anything, while they wait for the adult to come over and help. This emphasizes the need for adults to aid the student in becoming independent and bridge the gap, providing additional instruction, as needed, but also allow the student to do and try things on their own so that they can learn from their mistakes.
Question 6: Young children that are blind rely on adults to help them learn about themselves and the world around them. Adults are necessary components of concept development as they provide language and shape learning experiences within the environment. The first step for children to begin learning is being engaged and this may take adult prompting and cueing for children that are blind.
While adults are key in the beginning stages of learning concepts, especially in getting children engaged, adults need to be aware of how much support is being provided in order to decrease dependency. There are a number of articles and flow charts about the hierarchy of prompting and cueing that can be referred to when building independence in children.
In my experience, increasing wait time is the easiest way to begin building independence. Adults can often provide assistance too quickly which prevent the child from developing problem solving skills. By waiting only a few seconds more before mediating, an adult can observe the child’s level of independence with skills.
This is a wonderful example for answering question 6 as well! Expectations as well as letting kids be kids and sometimes messes occur are so important to determine the independence level of students. As a TVI, I typically follow my students across several grade levels and it is always entertaining to see what my students will try to get away with “not knowing” with each new teacher. I find myself reviewing all of their skills, whether academic or independent living, with the new teachers each year. I’m not sure why students will play the learned helplessness role because I work on advocacy as much as I can.
Asking students for follow up information is a great way to gauge their understanding of a concept. I have started to ask my 1st grader ‘how do you know’ or ‘how can you tell’ because I have noticed him guessing often. By following up to ask for a reason, it opens up the conversation about the function of something or other specific characteristic to deepen their understanding.
This is such an amazing example of knowing your students, their backgrounds and needs, and how to break concepts down into smaller, more concrete steps. I also did not know what a Funko Pop was, but my curiosity drove me to look it up! I can see how important being able to explore a real model would be in this situation to help develop understanding before moving to the more abstract raised line drawing. Thank you for sharing a piece of your student’s writing! I loved seeing his understanding reflected in his response!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the role of adult mediation and the risk of overdependence, especially how it related to one of your students. I am currently in classes to become a teacher of students with visual impairments, so I don’t have examples of how overdependence can negatively impact students with visual impairments. However, in my role as a special education teacher, I have seen how overdependence can negatively impact students with other disabilities, such as autism, specific learning disabilities, and/or cognitive disabilities. I have worked with students that are used to adults stepping in to provide assistance at the first hint of a struggle, so it is difficult to teach these students self-help skills, how to give effort on a task and keep trying, how to ask for help appropriately, etc. I know that it comes from a place of caring, but after having conversations about how stepping in right away isn’t helpful in the long run, this desire to help can be channeled into more of a guiding approach the fosters student independence.
When I was a new teacher, this was a hard area for me. I wanted to be successful, which I took to mean they learned something and progressed. Through experience, I learned the best way to determine when a student is ready to move on is to assess. Pre and Post is important. What did they already know? What do they know now? Having measurable goals that you can really measure to see if they have mastered them helps create data. This data then informs whether a student is rready to move from concrete to abstract. Goals like the student will master, don’t help. What data will you use to know if a student has mastered that? When a student struggles, I take it as a step is missing in this transition. There is something that needs to be added to help this child transition from concrete to abstract. For so many of our students, there are baby steps from concrete to abstract. It is not a single step.