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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Awesome! Integrating braille with standard
educational techniques. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I also found another trick or tip to encourage is
to have the blind instructor/teacher/mentor read out loud because that also
provides another concrete example to try and achieve. I had no blind role model,
but listening to my sighted peers read outloud and take turns motivated me to
learn to read faster. I wanted to participate and not be skipped. Of course,
this may not motivate all, but it worked for me.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=dmehlenbacher@yahoo.com href="mailto:dmehlenbacher@yahoo.com">Dr.
Denise M. Robinson</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pibe-division@nfbnet.org
href="mailto:pibe-division@nfbnet.org">Professionals in Blindness Education
Division List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, September 23, 2011 5:33
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Pibe-division] Tricks to
Learning Braille in your Teen Years orLater</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: #000; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fff">
<H3 class="post-title entry-title"><A
href="http://blindgeteducated.blogspot.com/2011/09/tricks-to-learning-braille-in-your-teen.html">Tricks
to Learning Braille in your Teen Years or Later</A> </H3>
<DIV class=post-header></DIV>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.<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>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.<BR>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.<BR><BR>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. <BR><BR>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." <BR><BR>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.
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Brush Script MT'"><FONT
color=#4040ff> Denise </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Brush Script MT'"></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV>Denise M. Robinson, TVI, Ph.D. <BR>Teacher of the Blind & Visually
Impaired<BR>TechVision-Independent Contractor</DIV>
<DIV>Specialist in blind programming/teaching/training</DIV>
<DIV>509-674-1853 <A href="mailto:deniserob@gmail.com"
target=_blank rel=nofollow> deniserob@gmail.com</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://blindgeteducated.blogspot.com/" target=_blank
rel=nofollow>http://blindgeteducated.blogspot.com/</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV>
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