[nobe-l] question about teaching writing

Mon Jun 29 04:24:21 UTC 2015

by tracing stencils. The NFB Independence Market sells magnetic
uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers that are Brailled. But you
could find them without the Braille at anywhere like Walmart, Target,
Toys R Us and maybe even Babies R us and the Dollar store. Hope,
thanks I forgot about that iPhone app. I will file it away to work
with once I get one. Greg, this Sensational blackboard sounds
interesting and promising. Thanks for sharing that with us and
bringing up weighing costs my thoughts exactly. Karen, that is what I
did with the clay letters as well but I used Play-Doh. You could even
bake them for permanency. So Heather you say you don't believe a blind
person should be teaching writingto a pre-kinergartner. I feel it
might not go smoothly for Kelsey due to her having to learn to write
and the basics of recognizing print letters  altogether. How does  a
blind homeschooling mom accomplish this then? I have known a couple
totally blind moms who have homeschooled and I wish they were on hear
to share there perspective. I will ask on the blind parents list.
Anyway, thanks for explaining the process  for us. You are right about
htat signature. I have already been down that road and have NO plans
to have to take a handwriting lesson again. I was publicly humiliated
by a professor in the middle of an Advising session, and dealt with it
by inquiring and taking lessons on top of my already busy schedule
full-time in college and working a workstudy job. I do like the idea
of folding the paper over and might do that in practicing to get the
spacing and length correct though. I learned the first time with
raised line paper. This was about 17 years ago. I have also thought of
using my initials. I found cursive easier to write than print. Kelsey
even if this student doesn't work out I would say take this seriously
and learn not only for the next student you get but for your own
betterment. I commend you.

On 6/28/15, Heather Field via nobe-l <nobe-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hello Irina,
> I think the easiest way to learn to write a signature is to find a person
> whom you believe would be willing to assist and get them to work with you on
>
> developing a signature.
> Since most signatures are written in cursive writing, which is different
> from print in many important characteristics, it is useful to have the
> assistant produce a tactile sample signature so that you have an idea of
> what you're going to be creating. If you don't have a device, such as a
> raised line drawing kit, you can go the old-fashioned rout of having them
> write it backwards on a thick piece of paper placed on a piece of thick
> cloth, such as a towel.
> The letters should be about 2 inches high so that it is easy to see their
> shapes and also how and where they join to each other.
> To make lined paper I just fold creases about an inch apart down the page;
> the raised creases make a top and bottom line. Learning to write a signature
>
> is mostly about memorising the movements one makes with one's writing hand.
>
> However, I also use the thumb and pointer finger of my left hand to keep the
>
> height of the letters consistent. You will need to do lots of practising
> until it becomes learnt by your muscles as well as by your mind. A few
> sessions with the helpful sighted assistant should serve to give you enough
>
> of an idea. As has been noted on this topic already, many signatures are not
>
> particularly legible but they are written the same way every time by their
> owners. So, consistency is an important part of your goal.
> My sister taught me to write my signature and it didn't really take more
> than about an hour, spread over a few days while I practised. Gradually over
>
> time, I made it smaller and perfected the methods I use. When I am asked to
>
> sign my name I have someone make a crease on the line provided for the
> signature, folding the paper under in order to create a raised line. If it
> is someone who knows me well they will also fold me a top line. However, by
>
> keeping my signature fairly small I don't usually need the top line to
> ensure that my signature isn't too high.
> I encourage you to pursue this goal. There are many situations where it is
> important for one to be able to sign a creditable signature and it is not a
>
> difficult skill to master. One just needs to enlist the assistance of the
> right person.
> Keep us posted on your progress.
> Warmly,
> Heather Field
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Irina Anisimova via nobe-l
> Sent: Friday, June 26, 2015 11:09 AM
> To: National Organization of Blind Educators Mailing List
> Cc: Irina Anisimova
> Subject: Re: [nobe-l] question about teaching writing
>
> Thank you for your advice.  I actually do not want to learn to write,
> I have no time to do that.  I just want to be able to have a good
> signature.  Any suggestions for just signatures?
>
> Best,
>
> Irina
> On 6/26/15, Jasmine via nobe-l <nobe-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Another thing I can suggest is foam alphabet puzzles. I'm sure you can
>> find
>> uppercase, lowercase, and number puzzles. This is how I learned to write.
>> They are very inexpensive.
>>
>>
>>
>>> On May 27, 2015, at 11:59 AM, Karen Palau via nobe-l <nobe-l at nfbnet.org>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Kelsey:
>>>
>>> There are several ways to teach writing.  You can use the Draftsman Kit
>>> and Wikki Stix to teach print letters and numbers with students.  You
>>> can
>>> also use the braille cell technique if the child knows braille to teach
>>> letters. There are two apps that are fully accessible that you might
>>> want
>>> to try. Sight Words 2 has multiple levels of sight words to use with
>>> young
>>> children. The DoItWrite app offers students the chance to use his/her
>>> finger to write letters.  When the child gets close to the correct
>>> letter
>>> or number, it announces the given letter aloud.  You could also use clay
>>> to form letters and have the child trace each letter.  I've also used
>>> stencils before too. I usually also begin typing skills early.  I only
>>> teach blind students to write their name, nothing more.
>>> If you need more help, please don't hesitate to ask.
>>>
>>> Karen
>>>
>>> -----Original Message----- From: Kelsey Nicolay via nobe-l
>>> Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2015 1:11 PM
>>> To: nobe-l at nfbnet.org
>>> Cc: Kelsey Nicolay
>>> Subject: [nobe-l] question about teaching writing
>>>
>>> Hello,
>>> I am a registered tutor on Wyzant.com. I received an inquiry from a mom
>>> who
>>> is looking for an elementary tutor for her daughter who is going into
>>> kindergarten next year. She stated that her daughter needs help with
>>> phonics, letter recognition, handwriting, etc. I can teach phonics and
>>> letter recognition without much of any adaptation since I can purchase
>>> flash
>>> cards with the print letters for the student and then braille them for
>>> me
>>> so
>>> I can tell if she is getting the letters right or not. I can also find
>>> phonics books in Braille and provide information for the family to
>>> purchase
>>> the books or braille the books myself. However, I am not sure how I
>>> could
>>> help with handwriting. I am totally blind, so I learned Braille from the
>>> beginning and never learned print. Therefore, is there any reliable way
>>> a
>>> totally blind person can teach a sighted student to print letters
>>> without
>>> sighted assistance? What adaptations would I need in order to help the
>>> student with this skill? I've tutored test preparation with a high
>>> school
>>> student before and never had a problem since the student had his own
>>> laptop
>>> he brought with him to sessions. However, I have never had to tutor a
>>> sighted pre kindergarten student before, so I would appreciate any
>>> advice
>>> on
>>> this.
>>> Thank you,
>>> Kelsey Nicolay
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>>
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-- 
Danielle

Email: singingmywayin at gmail.com