[blindkid] FW: [Pibe-division] Tricks to Learning Braille in your Teen Years orLater

[Carrie Gilmer]

  _____  

From: pibe-division-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:pibe-division-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Dr. Denise M.
Robinson
Sent: Friday, September 23, 2011 4:34 AM
To: Professionals in Blindness Education Division List
Subject: [Pibe-division] Tricks to Learning Braille in your Teen Years
orLater

 


Tricks
<http://blindgeteducated.blogspot.com/2011/09/tricks-to-learning-braille-in-
your-teen.html>  to Learning Braille in your Teen Years or Later 


I use this one particular method repeatedly because it serves me so well.
Well, it actually serves my students well. Especially those who lose their
sight later: Later is later than 3rd grade. You just need to employ
different strategies to achieve the same goals.

One small example. A student came to me during the summer to gain Braille
skills. He had learned most of the alphabet and a handful of contractions,
but could not read Braille at all and had a difficult time remembering how
to braille in general. I had him place his fingers over top of mine as I
placed my hands on the Braille sheet of words. I slowly moved my hands in
the "butterfly" motion, which I call it, because your hands glide together
across, split a few words in, and the right hand finishes the sentence and
the left hand begins the next in a smooth floating motion...just like a
butterfly. I increased the speed so he could feel the gentle and easy
movement across the page. He had no idea it was that easy.

I told him he would be reading Braille by the end of summer if he would
commit at least an hour, but I asked for 2 hours a day...Ok, I know in my
head, what teenage boy is going to read for 2 hours a day in the summer, or
really ever?..but I put it out there. I know with even a minimal amount of
effort he can do it with the next method I use.

He first begins with brailling. He only brailles about himself. His life.
What he likes or does not like. I have him braille 3-4 rows of the exact
same words in a sentence, using all contractions. He first tells me the
sentences he wants to use. I pick out all the contracted words and have him
braille these first, over and over until his fingers start to flow. Then I
have him braille the sentences. Example. I like to fish. (he will braille
that for 3-4 rows--sometimes more depending on the ability of the child's
learning patterns). Next row. I like to fish with my dad.
I have him use 11 x 11 paper, so really, only those 2 sentences fit on a
page. He takes out what he has just brailled and positions his hands on the
braille paper. At first, I need to help him read the page. However, by the
second reading he can do it almost independently. Before he goes home for
the day, he has his braille sheets to practice for the next couple of days
along with flash cards of a brailled words that he had difficulty with in
reading.

There are a couple things going on here. I need him to get the flow of his
hands reading well so he cannot be struggling with reading the braille. That
is where we get all those bad habits from; scrubbing the braille, flying
fingers, 1 handed reading. The reading must be easy at first and if it is
about the person, they remember. With the constant repetition of the words,
he begins picking up the feel of the contraction and the word and flows
through the page. 

By the end of the summer, as in 2 months, he was reading Braille at 32 words
per minute and he only practiced reading about 3 hours a week. On his final
day of testing his skills, I asked him, "Are you surprised at how fast you
can read Braille?" Very matter of fact, he said "No, you told me I could, so
I expected it." 

When he went back to his school, he emailed me and told me his teacher was
very impressed with his braille reading ability, both ability to read it,
but read it with a beautiful 2 handed flow.

 

       Denise 

 

Denise M. Robinson, TVI, Ph.D. 
Teacher of the Blind & Visually Impaired
TechVision-Independent Contractor

Specialist in blind programming/teaching/training

509-674-1853     <mailto:deniserob at gmail.com>  deniserob at gmail.com

 

http://blindgeteducated.blogspot.com/

 

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