[blindkid] Elementary math question

[Arielle Silverman]

Hi Brandon,

I'm sorry to hear Emilia is struggling. I do think a lot of her needs
that you describe apply to sighted students too. The teacher may be
going fast but that doesn't mean all the kids are keeping up, and the
purpose of homework is to provide repetition and practice for all
students. In fact, Emilia may have some advantages as a blind student
which the other kids don't get in terms of specialized one-on-one
instruction.

I am wondering if you've considered having her work with a tutor? When
I was in high school I was part of the National Honor Society and I
tutored a few kids in math and science for very low pay (probably
around minimum wage). Your local high school may have a list of
high-achieving students who would be willing to tutor younger kids for
a little payment or even as volunteers. My kids were sighted, but if
you can find a blind person in your local area to tutor Emilia it
could be even better. It's a good entry-level job for a blind high
school or college student, a great mentoring opportunity for Emilia
and the blind tutor will likely understand nonvisual techniques better
than anyone else she will work with, perhaps better than her TVI will.
What state are you in?

Best,
Arielle

On 10/3/13, Marianne Denning <marianne at denningweb.com> wrote:
> That is very unfortunate.  Is there a braillist or para who could be
> in the math class with her and help her.  I work one-on-one with many
> blind students to explain the concept.  Teachers often teach several
> methods of getting to the answer and I usually only teach one or 2.  I
> base the method I teach on the student.  The classroom teacher has to
> teach several methods because she has so many kids.  I have the luxury
> of working one-on-one with the student.  Kids are also learning many
> new concepts in fourth and fifth grade so they are very challenging
> years.  It is not hard to teach a blind child but it takes one-on-one
> instruction at times.  If your TVI doesn't have time look at other
> options.  I am glad you are fighting for your child.
>
> On 10/3/13, Brandon and Sarah <lanesims at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Thanks to all of you for your replies on this issues. It is especially
>> helpful to have blind adults weigh in and unanimously support the tools
>> being used. My questioning of the number line and the hundreds chart
>> ultimately has more to do with the presentation of the material than with
>> the tool itself. Her gen ed teacher has no experience with nonvisual
>> teaching techniques and has 27 sighted kids in the room all going 100
>> miles/hour. Our daughter is not exactly a speed demon on a good day. This
>> has nothing to do with her blindness, for I remember being the same way
>> as
>> a kid! In order to actually truly learn and retain any
>> information, she needs time to explore the tactile materials, learn the
>> formatting, be able to ask questions as they arise, do a problem,
>> consider
>> it, maybe do the same problem again with a different tool to cement the
>> concept, then repeat, repeat, repeat. This is what we do at home in
>> the evenings and it usually both fun and effective. However, school is a
>> different world.
>>
>> My question about throwing out parts of the curriculum was also a bit
>> broad
>> and would understandably open a big ugly can of worms. My real ongoing
>> question has more to do with which teaching *methods *are useful and
>> which
>> ones should be thrown out. She obviously needs to learn all the material.
>>
>> I made a home version of the MathView this week and we'll be adding that
>> to
>> the toolbox.
>>
>> We had a change of TVI for the our school district this year, which is
>> ultimately a very good development and I think she is good. Right now,
>> however, we are all reassessing needs and discovering that some the the
>> previously claimed measurements of acheivement and progress weren't
>> exactly
>> accurate. It's unpleasant to think about, but is an important part of the
>> process of rebooting and catching up.
>> Brandon
>> _______________________________________________
>> blindkid mailing list
>> blindkid at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> blindkid:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindkid_nfbnet.org/marianne%40denningweb.com
>>
>
>
> --
> Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
> Teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired
> (513) 607-6053
>
> _______________________________________________
> blindkid mailing list
> blindkid at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> blindkid:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindkid_nfbnet.org/arielle71%40gmail.com
>