I also work with school districts and if feel like there is never anytime, often feel like my students are left behind. I make sure during our pull-out sessions that they understand, and we work on what they didn’t, but often times the class moves faster than she can keep up. Math is a very hard class, by the time she sets up the problem on math windows the class is on the next problem, and she gets further and further behind.
I so agree to the early intervention. This helps everyone get on the same page and trust can be built. They trust you to go to you with concerns and when you make suggestions that trust what you are saying. This can be time consuming but so worth the outcome.
In what ways might your approach unintentionally promote passive or controlling touch? How could you shift toward more active, non-controlling interactions, and what impact might that have on student learning?
Reflecting on my own practice, I realize there are times when I unintentionally use passive touch, especially when I am trying to help a student complete a task quickly or correctly to keep up with the fast pace of the instruction and teaching in real time. For example, I may be tempted to move a studentʻs hand directly to an object or guide their fingers rather than allowing them the opportunity to explore independently. While my intention is to provide support, this approach can reduce studentʻs active participation and limit the development of important tactile literacy skills.
After completing this module, it strengthened the importance of shifting toward a more active, non-controlling interaction. One strategy I have used and want to strengthen and share with the school team is the hand-under-hand technique while sitting behind the learner, allowing the student to feel the guides movements without taking control of their hands. During trainings, I have received many questions and clarifications on how to utilize hand-under-hand versus hand-over-hand. This module provided me with more explanation as to WHY that is so important and what it positively does for the learner. It reinforced my understanding of guiding rather than directing, using a light touch and giving students time to explore independently before offering assistance. Providing an overview of tactile graphics before focusing on details and encouraging the use of both hands and individual fingers will also help students develop stronger exploratory skills.
This module was especially meaningful because I have a new preschool student starting school next year. She has tactile defensiveness, so I know that building trust with touch and introducing new concepts in a way that encourages active exploration will be essential. Rather than expecting her to immediately interact with unfamiliar materials, I plan to use familiar objects, gradually introduce new textures and representations, and provide meaningful opportunities to explore at her own pace. Using strategies such as hand under hand guidance and allowing her to initiate exploration will help reduce controlling touch while supporting her comfort and confidence.
I believe these changes ahve positive impact on student learning by promoting that independence, the learners confidence and problem solving skills. As students actively explore textures, shapes, sizes and tactile representations, they build the foundational tactile literacy skills needed for braille readiness. Instead of simply learning to complete a task, students develop meaningful concepts through hands-on experiences, which better prepares them for emergent and academic braille literacy.
Hi Carrie! Good to see you on here. I really appreciated your perspective on giving students the time and space to explore through touch instead of immediately stepping in to help. I talked about this in my reply as well because it is difficult to allow that time while also keeping up with the pace of instruction in the classroom. Reflecting on my own schooling experience, I see how important it is that adults encourage and allow time to discover things independently rather than always guiding through each and every step. Those experiences are what supported the stepping stones in developing confidence and problem-solving skills. Your response reminded me that our goal is not just to teach a specific task, but to create opportunities for students to become active learners who trust their own exploration! I think that shift toward less controlling, more intentional support can make a meaningful difference in how students develop tactile literacy and independence.
I appreciated your honesty about unintentionally slipping into hand-over-hand support because I think thatʻs something many of us can relate to. I like how you pointed out that sometimes our instinct to help can actually limit a studentʻs opportunity to learn through exploration. One thing that stood out to me from the module was the reminder to focus on the purpose of the activity rather than just completing it correctly. If students are given time to notice textures, shapes, and patterns on their own, they are developing the tactile discrimination skills theyʻll need for future braille and concept development. Your reflection made me think about how important it is for us to be intentional with every physical prompt we give. Even small changes in how and when we use touch can encourage students to become more confident, curious and willing to explore independently.
- To what extent are current educational systems equipped to support the long-term development of tactile skills? What changes would you advocate for at the classroom or systems level?
In my opinion, it depends on the district and staff by-in to support long-term development of tactile skills. Most current classrooms where learning tactile skills are needed are short staffed, staff apathy (they will never learn; they are blind) and these skills are often put off due to time or explosive students.
Changes I would advocate for would be a consistent calendar routine for the tactile learning for the whole class. OT, PT, SLP, TODHH, and I would meet with the class where most of our DeafBlind students were and include everyone in the class in a couple of activities. In these hour sessions, we investigated sensory bins, painted, Christmas smells (a huge hit), gourds, vegetables, and the tires of the firetruck. Everyone enjoyed seeing that their students could learn but there was little follow through once we left.
After reading your comment earlier, I took a couple of your comments to heart and had a discussion with my middle school student (above grade level student), during ESY sessions. During the conversation, I asked what was the most difficult problem transferring the information learned in our 1:1 session to the general education setting and they said all the noise going on in the classroom. They said that they needed to learn to get used to the chaos (auditory and visual clutter) in the classroom in order for it to help them keep up with the class. We problem-solved how they wanted to learn, mostly in the classroom, ie, auditory with braille backup for ELA, braille and concrete examples for math and science, and we will wing it for history (new curriculum and new teacher). The other thing that we worked on was consistent language. We made a cheat sheet, they like math speak so they made a list of ways to present math problems to add to their About Me paper they will present to their staff. They also discussed how people need to learn to describe pictures without all the fluff… ie, does the duck on the pond have to do with the question or purpose? Too much information is just as bad as too little information for an auditory learning experience.
Later that morning the student made an extraordinary comment during a discussion about potential jobs, “If I am going to have a job, I need to be able to focus on the content/job the same a sighted person and I can’t do that if I am mostly learning in a small setting.”
Julie I would love to discuss your training sometime. I am in the process of providing training for a para that will be working with my middle school student.
- Reflect on how educational teams collaborate to support tactile development. Where do breakdowns typically occur, and what could strengthen this collaboration?
Collaboration to support tactile development it’s important so that the person being taught is able to get the same information and access as a sighted person. Educational teams needs to have a good understanding of what tactile exploration should look like for that specific student and how to encourage it. Teams can work together to make sure all educational experiences support tactile development and help all different types of learners in the classroom by providing hands on demonstrations/examples. Encouraging the team to allow the students time to explore when beginning a new task- just as a sighted peer would have time to preview what they are seeing.
Breakdowns typically occur when there is lack of communication between team members. While this communication could be because of lack of understanding, I think there is also a thought sometime that certain team members “Know the student better” which can cause difficulty in communication and collaboration. It’s important for all team members to be open to understanding and a willingness to change their thinking for the betterment of the student’s education. Also, I think the amount of people that are on the team can cause a breakdown because it can seem that everyone is doing something different.
To strengthen collaboration it it’s important for all team members to know the different roles. A colleague and I have had some communication breakdowns with a team and we created monthly meetings with the classroom team. It gives time to focus specifically on what needs communicated as well as demonstrations. It’s also is a great way to make sure that all team members are being heard about their concerns.
Hi Amy,
This is a great example of having a student learning to take ownership for himself. Did you see him participate more other aspects of what he was learning as well? Having students that demonstrate passive participation can be so tricky! I think it’s so encouraging to be able to see a student go from just going through the motions to doing something independently. I really like how you would ask him to repeat what you asked him after giving him some time to process. I think that is key because sometimes the student might not understand what the expectation is and will just wait until someone does it for them..
Kelsey,
I agree! This module made me realize that my placement with my students is important. I like telling the student to “hop on” when modeling. It gives them the ability to understand what you are demonstrating, but also the ability to stop when they need too. I think when demonstrating tactile maps with students it will also help with explaining positioning instead of having to flip it as the instructor.
Melissa
Lana - WAY TO GO! I love that you went to the student and asked them what would be helpful to them! I think that sometimes we forget that our students are our best resource. It also brings up the importance of exposing our students to a variety of learning opportunities so that they can come to the conclusion about what is their best learning style and environment. It also brings up the importance of really teaching listening skills so that they can pick out the information that they need rather than trying to process everything that’s going on!
I am excited about being able to incorporate the ETLP. I have not used it in the past. Any advice about how to begin? I’d like to work on it with OT and PT as well. I have a little one with DeafBlindness and people have been hesitant to accept his need for braille. I think that if the team can work together on the tactile skills needed (even for ASL and basic communication) that it might be more well accepted. Thanks!
I feel that the schools struggle to support the long-term development of tactile skills. Because so much learning occurs through incidental learning and our blind/vi population is so low incidence that many educators don’t have the knowledge or time to integrate the continuous flow of tactile learning. I have taught in public school as well as with infant/toddler programs and at a school for the blind and I feel that for school aged students who need the sequential learning are probably at risk. When working with infant/toddler programs, we work with families and demonstrate how to carry the skills we are teaching throughout their daily routine. As a TVI, we are able to provide instruction but there might not be follow through. Classroom teachers are overwhelmed with what they do on an everyday basis and without proper support from a TA or other support service, it can be difficult for the teacher to incorporate the skills. There is also the time needed. I have found that many of my students need significant wait time to process what they are exploring so when the topic is not able to be pre-taught or it is unanticipated that our students lose out on that time. I currently have a 6-year-old student who is deafblind and we can have a lesson such as mixing items together to create a goo of some sort and at the end of the lesson, he then processes all that he has done by repeating the entire routine. He is processing the tactile techniques, the vocabulary (ASL) and the materials even when he is familiar with the process. It is amazing to watch him tell his story about the activity and to demonstrate what he has learned. If he was not given that time, he may not retain as much of the activity as he does. As far as changes, I believe that the TVI, OT, PT, family and teachers should meet throughout the year and perhaps to each fill out the ETLP or the Oregon Project or whatever tool is appropriate for the child. Best practice would be before school started and at the progress report times. I try to provide as many opportunities for the team to be under blindfold or simulators as possible prior to teaching a skill. I get a kick out the current habit to 3D print everything to fulfill the tactile experience. I often ask the teacher what the concept is they are trying to teach and what is the tactile information that the object is presenting. Most of the time they chuckle and say, “OH, I get the point”. I have not used the ETLP in the past and I am excited to incorporate it this coming year. I often use the VIISA or the Oregon Project. The ETLP provides so much more of a breakdown of skills than the Oregon Project - it will be useful!!
Question 2: To what extent are current educational systems equipped to support the long-term development of tactile skills? What changes would you advocate for at the classroom or systems level?
I feel that some current educational systems are making progress in supporting students who are blind or have low vision; however, from my experience, schools provide specialized services through a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TSVI), tactile instruction is often limited by time, resources, and most importantly, lack of understanding among general education staff. In many cases, instruction focuses on immediate academic needs, such as learning braille, rather than systematically developing the tactile discrimination, exploration, and concept development skills that are essential for lifelong learning and independence. Additionally, limited access to high-quality tactile materials and inconsistent collaboration between general and special education teachers can make it difficult for students to receive ongoing, meaningful practice. Additionally, teachers may also not have training on how to include tactile learning in their classrooms.
A TSVI can help by working with classroom teachers to include more hands-on learning every day. Using real objects, textured materials, tactile graphics, and other hands-on activities gives students more chances to strengthen their sense of touch. The TSVI can also teach staff why it is important to give students enough time to explore objects with their hands instead of expecting them to learn by watching others.
At the school and district level, a TSVI would advocate for more funding for tactile materials, more training for teachers, and more time for direct instruction in tactile skills. They would also encourage teamwork between teachers, therapists, and families so students can practice these skills both at school and at home. These changes can help students develop strong tactile skills that support braille reading, learning, and independence throughout their lives.
Hi Lisa
I really like your point about how tactile skills are reinforced throughout the entire day in a residential school setting. It really shows how important consistency is for students. Having teachers, residential staff, and other professionals all working toward the same goals gives students many more opportunities to practice and strengthen those skills in meaningful ways.
I also agree with what you said about starting tactile instruction earlier. As an ECSE teacher and new TVI, I’ve seen how important it is to build those foundational skills before students begin formal braille instruction. The earlier we expose students to hands-on exploration and purposeful tactile experiences, the more prepared they’ll be as they grow. Even though not every student has access to a residential school, I think your point about collaboration is something all schools can learn from. When the TSVI, classroom teacher, therapists, and families work together, students have a much better chance of developing strong tactile skills over time.
Mackinzie,
I really enjoyed reading your post. I was so excited to find the ETLP checklist to better assess students. I now see how important it is to first build tactile exploration, fine motor skills, and concept development. Those early experiences really lay the foundation for future learning.
I also agree with your point about early intervention. As an ECSE teacher, I see how much young children learn through play and hands-on exploration. The earlier we provide meaningful tactile experiences and involve families and other professionals, the stronger those foundational skills become. I also appreciate your reminder that literacy looks different for every student, especially those with multiple disabilities, and that we need to value all forms of communication as part of the literacy journey.
I think we all have the predisposition to step in to help our students. I know there are times I don’t wait long enough to let them learn. I like the following quote from your answer to the question. I want to keep that in my teaching this year.
I like the following quote! I agree that if all collaborate then it will make it easier for everyone involved with the student. I know that I have been blessed with a great team from OT,O&M, and general education teacher, but that is not always the case. I know it is a way to make sure the student is making gains.
I think that educational teams need to communicate on how the team is going to work with the student. Each part of the team need to put in how their ideas then work in tandem with the child. I have found it can work best if you can with the student at the same time. If you cannot then communicate what you are doing or how you are doing it to help each other so you can help the student move forward. Use similar tools, objects, and definitely the same language. Always send home updates with the families as well as getting updates from the family.
I think the breakdown usually happens with communication breaks down between the team members. I think collaboration could be strengthened by using communication: emails, monthly meetings, or sharing ideas. I think working together as a team with the student. I know have worked with the speech and OT for therapy. Then communicated with the PT, special education teacher, and parent. If there is a para then they should be part of team or be in the therapies with the student. I think communication and weekly or monthly collaboration to help keep from there being breakdowns.