[Blind-international-students] So what is "structured discovery"?

[Everett Gavel]

    Hello Again Dan, and All,

Great points you made, Dan. I appreciate you 
opening up a bit. Too often these lists seem 
somewhat boring, rather than being used to help 
understand life's challenges better. I love a good 
discussion, although discussion can sometimes 
dilute a fact's impact.

Structured Discovery may not work in every 
situation, or may need to be adapted somewhat to 
fit various needs. But it's fundamentals, I 
believe, are sound. It boils down to that old fact 
that people with disabilities are too often not 
challenged as much as a supposedly 'normal' person 
might be. We are more often let to take an easier 
path in life. As I'm sure you're aware, that 
hinders more than helps in the long run. 
Experiential learning has proven to me at least, 
to be the best means of moving upward, not just 
onward. Structured Discovery, is, Experiential 
Learning. ;-)

It's been my experience that students learning via 
SD are also taught ways to find out how a region's 
roads and addresses are laid out. East West, North 
South, centerpoint of a town, etc. Our brains are 
often the greatest tool we have available to us. 
SD & EL, in my opinion, urge and encourage us to 
use the tools at our disposal -- including our 
brains. But yes, sometimes adaptations may be 
necessary. And sometimes such adaptations are not 
always implemented in a manner to successfully 
work with everyone. There have been times, I know, 
where being too structured limited rather than 
encouraged someone's success with such teachings. 
You are exactly correct, of course, there is not a 
one size fits all method of teaching.

With SD, students are of course given the basics 
and beyond, in a series of necessary lessons and 
examples. But once the student is known to have 
grasped the necessary lessons and use of tools, 
they are always given instructions. Every point 
has a purpose, and every lesson has a point. But 
students are most often expected to think their 
way through a situation, given a chance to figure 
it out somewhat on their own, before simply being 
handed the answer as some instructors I've had 
tend to do. Only once they've proven that they can 
competently handle various situations, are they 
then let out on their own, perhaps with seemingly 
nothing more than an address. But the addresses 
given have been vetted and are known to have only 
the level of challenges which the student has 
already shown they can overcome. It's always a 
stairstep process, to get to the top. My 
instructors which taught via the SD methods were 
with me when they taught me how to tell curbs and 
curb cuts and parking lots and bridges over 
highways and even crossing 10-lane roads. Then, 
later, I was given addresses to tackle on my own, 
using the various scenarios one comes upon in 
life, by myself. But I'd been shown all that I 
needed and more, to overcome, if I didn't simply 
give into the typical fears, y'know?

There was a fellow student who, a few months into 
her program, was limited by her fears of getting 
hit by a car. She didn't think she knew enough. 
But she did, and the O&M teacher(s) knew it. Day 
after day they'd encourage her to go a bit 
further, but she was stuck, for weeks, due to her 
fears. She'd have near hysterics with crying and 
complaining, day after day during that class. But 
the day she overcame and proved to herself that 
she of course *could* do it, what a glorious day 
that was for her. And for others around her, 
because she is & was a testimony to overcoming our 
fears. That was a life-changing moment and day for 
her, rightfully so.

But see, I've talked too much already, It's been 
diluted, and there's now a chance you'll leave 
this discussion still feeling as if you didn't get 
a solid answer as to what Structured Discovery is. 
But yet, you did, in the previous message. (smile)

I hope you enjoy 2014, Dan.


Strive On!
Everett
In Colorado Springs, CO, USA


----- Original Message ----- 
> So if I understand the difference is mainly that 
> instead of having an
> instructor tell you an exact route, you sort of 
> walk around and talk about
> what you're hearing and the cane is telling you 
> and figure out methods for
> that?
> Or am I wrong.
>
> In other words, let's say I were in a new place 
> and wanted to learn where a
> particular coffee shop is or find out etc. how 
> would structured discovery
> help me with that?
>
> I give that example as it's from real life, I 
> like restaurants but
> especially coffee shops as I love coffee.
>
>
> Since you have put your thoughts on the table 
> will put mine down--smile.
> Whatever method you have learned you really have 
> to as I say live your O and
> M.
> This is true of whatever technique, you have to 
> go home and practice in real
> life situations and find what works for you and 
> what doesn't,  sighted
> people aren't made in a mold and neither are 
> blind people, what works for me
> might not for you.
> I for example, due to congenital rubella have a 
> hearing problem in the left
> ear, I actually only hear from the right.
> You can tell me 10,000 times "oh follow that 
> sound" and I can't do it or
> only on a limited basis so techniques I use 
> might be different than what you
> use.
>