Analyze the tension between time constraints and instructional quality in tactile material creation. How do these competing demands shape instructional decisions?
The tension I experience most is between tactile material creation and my lack of crafting skills. My school district allows me to include additional time for material prep for tactile learners. And I am most comfortable using the computer to create most tactile materials. But, I’ve worked at a braille printing house for over 20 years. I find the best tactile graphics are created using computer-generated background info, collage, and thermoform. I am comfortable with the computer and the thermoform, but I can’t cut a straight line. I can’t line things up as perfectly as I want them to be. My fingers get stuck together whenever I use glue. I am colage-challenged. Ideally, I need to apply for a Monarch!
I am legally blind, and I can do what is needed for colage, but I am so often frustrated that it doesn’t come out exactly as I plan that I find I don’t use it often enough. I resort back to wikki sticks and Tactile Town, or pre-made graphics like Humpty Dumpty, Shapely-Cal, or mazes.
My braille students are all multi-media, and although I do teach tactile graphics, most of their general education graphics are explored visually rather than tactually. My bad, but I am working to change this.
This is so true! Time constraints are always an issue. But coupled with training, knowledge and abilities in the making of tactile material it becomes overwhelming. I am a braillist and I prefer 2 weeks notice for any material I need to prepare. I like to ask a lot of questions of the TVI’s and classroom teachers before I even begin to create something. I feel if I rush it, then it isn’t what the student to complete their objective goal. I have found that over time, I am getting better at stream lining what questions need to be asked. I also know the students better than when I first started out 5 years ago in this role. I am fortunate that we have a pretty stable student population that doesn’t change a lot from year to year. Knowledge and ability comes with experience and time.
I am a computer geek, and technology does help some. We are in the age of high-stakes testing, and to provide our students the opportunity to show what they know on these tests, they need high-quality graphics to learn from. Most high-stakes tests, like SATs and ACTs use a combination of computer-generated, colage, and thermoform to create the graphics on their tests. If the student is not able to read tactile graphics, they will not perform well on these tests. Unfortunately, most of our students don’t have the opportunity to learn and practice on high-quality graphics, but it is important to provide them with 2D graphics to build up these skills.
I am fortunate to work in a large city school. We have a materials prep paraprofessional on staff who is trained by all of us TSVIs and COMS to crete high quality tactile graphics. However, we are often not given enough time by the general education teacher to analyze and produce high quality graphics.
I love when a 1:1 is trained to produce graphics. I often tell special education coordinators that 1:1s may be needed in the classroom most of the time when a child is young, but as they reach middle and high school years, that 1:1 should be spending most time preparing materials and less time sitting with the student. And sometimes this theory works.
Analyze the tension between time constraints and instructional quality in tactile material creation. How do these competing demands shape instructional decisions?
One thing that really stood out to me this week is that the tension isn’t just between time and creating materials. It’s between time and creating GOOD tactile materials. As TVI’s, we constantly have to make instructional decisions about what is most important for a student to learn. A tactile graphic isn’t meant to be a replica of a visual image. It’s meant to communicate the salient features in a way that makes sense through touch. That means simplifying, decluttering, spacing elements appropriately, and thinking through how a student will actually explore the graphic. Those decisions take time. The research also showed that TVIs often settle for tactile graphics instead of real objects or 3D models simply because of time constraints, even though they would often prefer the latter for foundational concept development.
I also appreciated reading the given article because one of the authors, Dr. Holly Lawson, was one of my professors at Portland State. I could hear her voice while reading it, especially around the importance of teaching tactile literacy explicitly rather than assuming students will automatically understand tactile graphics. This was also a major point made in the hive video. When making or selecting a graphic, it’s more about “What is the instructional purpose?” Sometimes that means creating something from scratch, and other times it means deciding a real object or simple tactile representation will teach the concept better than the elaborate graphic. As much as I’d love unlimited planning time (am I right?!), these resources reminded me that our instructional decisions should always prioritize meaningful learning over producing the most detailed tactile material. Sometimes and more than not, less is more!
You made me think about the fact that even if every TVI had access to Tiger or Romeo, we’d still need the training to make good design decisions. The software doesn’t tell you what to simplify or what the salient features are. That instructional judgement is something that really needs to be taught and practiced!
I love that your district dedicated summer time to getting materials ready before the school year started! That kind of planning really makes a HUGE different in helping students start on equal footing with their peers. It also shows how valuable collaboration between the TVI and braillist can be in making high-quality tactile materials a reality.
To what extent do existing supports for tactile graphics use (e.g., resources, training, collaboration, tools) reflect the realities of classroom practice? Which gaps create the greatest barriers for teachers, and why?
From my personal experience, the reality of classroom practices for my students is that I am expected to drop in with no notice and have graphic support for a studen that is struggling. I speak with teachers on the need for subject matter, especially pictures my students will not see to be shared with me to create a graphic image using touch that the student will understand. They nod their heads, share it is a great idea, and then proceed to not provide any information ahead of time. I only get notice after the child has failed a test due to not understanding the pictures to present the idea. This is most prominent in Geometry and Science.
Wiki sticks for my new tactile students has been huge! PixBlaster has been a great resource for my more advanced braille/tactile learners. The biggest barrier is the lack of information from teachers so I can better support my students.
Absolutely. I am lucky that my caseload is not out of control. So I have the time each week to create tactile materials for my students. The need to create things that developmentally are appropriate for the student is critical. I have one student that needs real objects first, then an introduction to how the tactile image supports that object. I have two middle school students now. Some of the curriculum does not lend to real objects. My biggest struggle, however, is getting the teachers o buy in to providing me with images they are using in their classroom to modify in the first place. Sigh..I too loved the simplicity and practical approach of Dr. Holly Lawson. It’s nice when a teacher can present a student’s needs so clearly.
Don’t be so hard on yourself. I do agree that the Monarch looks like it may be a good solution to our problem of no advanced notice for creating tactile pages for our students; however, I am not sure it is an appropriate solution for the students just beginning the journey into understanding tactile images. Would love to hear other people’s thoughts!
If the work is presented differently each time it will take the student longer to get the work done. If the work is laid out the same way the student knows where to find the key for graphs or maps. Or how poems are written(lines and stanzas) vs. how a story with paragraphs is written. The student doesn’t then have to guess what they are looking at. They would know quickly what type of assignment they are working on.
I wish we had more time as well! Do we need the graphic? How can we simplify it so the student understands the concept? I am in the classroom as a VI para and I get to relay info to our braillist.
I have the same frustration! If at all possible I let my student have the materials ahead of time. We were occasionally given work and then the lesson was changed last minute to something else. Our kids need extra time especially for math and science! There are so many graphics and such to prep for.
When you consider your current practice, where might inconsistencies in formatting unintentionally increase cognitive load for students? How would adopting a standardized tactile layout shift not just access, but the way students engage with content?
I primarily work as a COMS in my current practice. So, I’m mostly making/using tactile maps. Inconsistences I’ve noticed in formatting include placement of the map key and cardinal directions. Simply trying to locate a key or cardinal direction reference point increases the time and cognitive load for students. It requires a lot more effort to apply systematic search patterns and confusion between key items and other labels on the map could occur. Adopting a standardized layout would significantly reduce the amount of time and mental energy required. If the layout ensured the graphic and key were on the same page, that would further reduce cognitive demands. In turn, this would allow individuals more time and cognitive resources to spend on understanding and interpreting the map for their travel needs.
Good point about less being more sometimes! This week’s topic has really helped reframe my thinking around the learner’s perspective, which is what I think is at the core of your post. We have to be thinking about the student, their concept development, their experiences with the topic, and their tactile discrimination skills to make the most meaningful materials for them. Having a representation of all the visual information provided is not necessarily creating helpful or even accessible materials for our students. Reducing clutter and focusing on the purpose is how we can best meet our student needs.
The reality of time constraints is so real! You make a good point about the fact that, even when you have the time and do your due diligence preparing, that work can all go out the window when there is a last minute lesson change. Have you had any luck using the Draftsman or Monarch for these types of instances?
I’m in the state of Washington. Washington has a statewide certification and the National Federation of the Blind also has a nation-wide certification program for literacy transcription and nemeth transcription.
To what extent do existing supports for tactile graphics use reflect the realities of classroom practice? Which gaps create the biggest barriers for teachers, and why? Time and consult are huge barriers in providing the appropriate accommodations, including tactile graphics needed to access the curriculum. Teachers need the time to create quality materials and students need ample time with the graphic to gain understanding. The PowerPoint slide this week that really resonated was the one which identified visual learning and simultaneous and tactile as sequential. The eyes give detailed information and an overall impression all at once, I thought of this as a camera snapping a quick picture-it happens instantly and quickly. While tactile perception is not as rapid. The PowerPoint slide explained that touch does not give and instant, bigger picture and materials need to be explored a piece at a time. Students need time to pre view a tactile graphic before the lesson, especially if the graphic is complex like a map or a chart. I find the most stress with this is when supporting middle/high schoolers in class. The pace of a lesson in these grade levels can be fast and while the teacher may only use the graphic for a couple minutes, a student with a visual impairment using a tactile graphic needs way more time based on the amount of skills required to gain understanding of the entire picture. Without a preview, I find it challenging to assist the student with this never experienced material, understand it while the teacher is in the middle of the lesson. Verbally cueing, while the teacher is instructing just adds for lots of voices and confusion. Also, the person creating the graphic, whether TVI, teacher, aide needs time to carefully plan and create a graphic that is meaningful. This is where valuable collaboration is key. It’s not easy when sitting in a class with a student and a teacher pulls out a map and expects you to magically turn it tactile in a snap of your finger. This is frustration that I had a few times this past school year with a 6th grade student new to a rotating schedule and a different teacher for each subject. This particular student falls into the low vision category, with pretty significant decreasing vision loss. She’s a braille learner and benefits from tactile representations, as well as the use of color. These accommodations are listed in the IEP and addressed in team meetings. However the teacher expected that she would be able to use her CCTV magnifier. These instances really made me realize the importance of ongoing communication and collaboration.
I have been out of my TVI program for more than 6 years, but I feel that my program didn’t prepare me as an educator to make informed decisions about tactile graphic design. Not to say there was not a course or courses that touched on it. They gave us tools on where to find out about graphics: APH, Teaching Students with Visual Impairments, Paths to Literacy, Perkins School for the Blind, and attending webinars. No, hands on or in person.
I see the gaps being the following: what is considered a good graphic? Do I have time to create the graphic? Is my student proficient in their understanding of the material? Are they at the level to understand the complexities of some graphics depending on the material? Does the school district have a braillest due to the fact that many districts hire contracted workers. Do educators make sure what needs to be made into a tactical graphic is in the hand of the TVI in enough time to get it completed. Is there enough time to make the student is being instructed on said material.
“Predictable layout on all documents can reduce time spent searching, retrieving, skimming and reviewing information. The student can spend more time learning the content instead of understanding the layout of a document.” This is the universe we all want for our students, but in reality the gaps are there and many times the student is playing catchup with their peers. The student struggle to understand material and if they fall behind it is harder for them to understand what is being taught at the moment when they are still trying understand what has been taught.
Many TVI, sped teachers, and classroom teachers try to bridge the gaps, but the hard pard is when there is just not enough time, resources, or knowing what is always going to be needed. TVI programs need to make this a class that is in person.
