[nfbmi-talk] this is inforinformative

Fri Sep 10 15:18:33 UTC 2010

Hi Elizabeth, 
Well the thing that really bothered me about that story on the Training
Center, was Sherri's repeated use of the phrase: "they are trained".  As I
said, that phrase makes me think of animals being trained, rather than blind
adults, learning how to take back the control of their own lives.  When you
hear someone say "they are trained", do you think about a competent
professional?  Would you want to hire someone who was "trained" in how to
use special technology?  All I know is, that while I was at the Center, we
always did everything we could to paint our students in the most positive
light possible.  We spoke about students as our equals, recognizing the kind
of take charge attitude that had brought them to the Center in the first
place, and focusing on the student's role as a learner and an up and coming
professional.  This did not take anything away from our teaching staff,
since it is obvious that a competent instructor is necessarily a part of any
learning that takes place in the Training Center environment.  

To explain what I see as the difference between learning and training, I
really need to go all the way back to something that Professor Alan Dodds
observed when he was first exposed to a blind O&M instructor.  Dodds was
then a Senior Research Fellow in the Blind Mobility Research Unit at the
University of Nottingham in England.  He had read with great interest a
series of articles that came to be known as "the Great Debate", and which
appeared in the Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness through the early
part of the 1980's.  The authors were Professor Bill Weiner of Western
Michigan University and Carl Olson, Public Information Officer for the
Nebraska Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired.  At any rate, Dr.
Dodds was fascinated by these articles, which centered on the possibility
and advisability of hiring blind persons to work as orientation and mobility
instructors, and so he came to Nebraska to observe the person who was, at
that particular point in time, the only blind O&M instructor known to be
employed by a state rehabilitation agency for the blind anywhere in the
Country.  

What Dodds observed was that it really was not the issue of blindness versus
seeing that made this individual an effective instructor.  Rather it was the
teacher's use of an egalitarian teaching   style rather than an autocratic
one.  The teacher engaged the student, involved them in the learning
process, and demanded their active participation in that process.  Professor
Dodds noted that, if a person is going to learn, that person must be
actively involved in that learning.  Only then can they incorporate the
lessons into their daily life and continue learning on their own long after
the instructor is gone.  

Perhaps it is just me, but when Sherri talks about students being trained,
it suggests that the engagement between student and teacher is entirely one
sided, or nearly so.  The teacher gives information, and the student
receives that information.  The student then demonstrates that he or she has
understood the commands and information given, by performing as instructed.
Think about it, this is exactly how animals are trained.  They are given
commands, and then they are supposed to respond in a certain way.  The
animal is not really able to engage in a conversation with the trainer, but
is only able to demonstrate confusion or misunderstanding by an inability to
perform as instructed, and comprehension by following directions.  

Learning on the other hand, is a process of give and take, that begins with
a conversation between student and instructor.  The student asks questions
in both a training and a learning environment, but when learning is taking
place, the instructor also asks questions.  If the subject is O&M, the
questions might be something like: 

What do you hear?  Can you feel the sun or wind and which direction are they
coming from?  What do you think you should do in this situation?  When this
happens, the student cannot be a passive participant in the process, even if
he or she might want to be.  The questions must be answered, and in order to
answer, the student must think rather than simply mimicking the actions that
the instructor dictates.  

Having said all of this, we need to look at more than just the process in
order to judge the effectiveness of a teaching style that promotes learning
versus one that focuses on training.  That is exactly what Professor Dodds,
did, and that is what convinced him that this active teaching style was so
great.  Students who were taught in an inter-active manner, Dodds called
this the egalitarian method,  became inquisitive, like Georgia was in her
example about learning to tie the ribbon around the candy cane.  They
continued to learn even without an instructor present.  The student of the
autocratic instructor on the other hand, remained at the point where their
training ended, and were never able to advance any further on their own.    

Dodds' findings were so powerful, that Professor Weiner came to Nebraska
himself a decade later, and he too was impressed by the teaching approach
and the results.  So impressed was he in fact, that Dr. Weiner changed many
of his previously held beliefs and determined that it was indeed appropriate
for blind persons to provide O&M instruction.   He determined that  many of
the methods used at Nebraska were effective methods for both sighted and
blind teachers.  

Anyway, that was a long answer to a short question.  I am sorry about that,
but I hope it helped.

Warmest Regards,
Christine

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Elizabeth
Sent: Thursday, September 09, 2010 2:03 PM
To: NFB Michigan
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] this is inforinformative

Hi Christine,

I think you bring up some good points about this article. But I'm curious,
what to you think is the difference between receiving training and learning?
I think I might understand what you are trying to say here, but I am
wondering if you might be able to expand upon what you have already said.

Thanks,
Elizabeth

 > From: Christine_Boone at comcast.net
> To: nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
> Date: Thu, 9 Sep 2010 11:23:22 -0400
> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] this is inforinformative
> 
> I think it is a shame that there was not an opportunity for this 
> reporter to speak with any blind staff person at the Commission. I 
> also note phrases like "possible to live a "reasonably" normal life",
> 
> The emphasis here is all on students being trained, rather than on 
> their learning or discovering. It is passive on the part of the 
> students, they are trained like animals. Everything comes from the 
> generous hand of the state. Articles in the past were written from the 
> standpoint of the student taking back the control of their own lives.
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org 
> [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf Of joe harcz Comcast
> Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2010 11:00 AM
> To: nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nfbmi-talk] this is inforinformative
> 
> FYI, below is the link and complete text of yesterday's Kalamazoo 
> Gazette article about MCB Training Center student Ron Molles and his 
> experience at the MCBTC. The article includes quotes from Mr. Molles, 
> MCBTC Director Sherri Heibeck, and MCBTC instructor Barb Wile. (This 
> article will also be posted on the MCB website's Press Room page.)
> 
> Susan Turney
> 
> Communications & Outreach Coordinator
> 
> Michigan Commission for the Blind
> 
> Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth
> 
> direct line: 517-241-8631
> 
> fax: 517-335-5140
> 
> MCB toll-free: 1-800-292-4200
> 
> 201 N. Washington Square, Second Floor
> 
> P.O. Box 30652
> 
> Lansing, MI 48909
> 
> www.michigan.gov/mcb
> http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/09/regaining_hope_a
> fter_l
> osing_vi.html
> 
> Regaining hope after losing vision: Educator gains skills, inspiration 
> at Michigan Commission for the Blind Training Center
> 
> Published: Tuesday, September 07, 2010, 11:30 AM
> 
> Rebecca Roe, Special to the Kalamazoo Gazette
> 
> Molles1.jpg
> 
> [Photo] John A. Lacko / Special to the Gazette. Facing challenges: Ron 
> Molles, a 41-year-old student at the Michigan Commission for the Blind 
> Training Center, rides a bus back to the center after completing an 
> assignment Thursday to practice his mobility skills in downtown Kalamazoo.
> 
> KALAMAZOO - At 41, Ron Molles has become a student again.
> 
> He's not studying history, art or economics, but he is undergoing 
> training at the Michigan Commission for the Blind Training Center in 
> Kalamazoo in an attempt to regain some normalcy in his life.
> 
> Molles, who is from Waterford, north of Detroit, worked in K-12 
> education for the Oakland Intermediate School District. His own 
> education involved attending art school in California.
> 
> "My background was very visual so it was quite devastating when I 
> started having issues with my vision," he said.
> 
> Glaucoma in his left eye led to surgery in September 2009, but major 
> complications resulted in the complete loss of sight in the eye.
> 
> "That was actually my best seeing eye because I have another condition 
> in my right eye called keratoconous, which causes very distorted vision,"
he said.
> 
> "I was just going to doctors appointments and sitting in my basement. 
> I was kind of in limbo. I basically wasn't living." - Ron Molles
> 
> Molles is now legally blind.
> 
> Although he had intended to return to work, it was apparent by January 
> that he wouldn't be able to.
> 
> "I was just going to doctors appointments and sitting in my basement. 
> I was kind of in limbo," he said. "I basically wasn't living."
> 
> It was then that a counselor suggested Molles consider enrolling at 
> the training center to help him adjust.
> 
> "The motto of the Commission for the Blind is 'Changing lives, 
> changing attitudes,'" said Sherri Heibeck, director of the center. "I 
> think the training center is one of the places that exemplifies that motto
the best."
> 
> About 250 people are served by the training center annually. They 
> include vocational-rehabilitation clients looking to secure 
> employment, as well as individuals who want to learn to live 
> independently in their homes, according to Heibeck.
> 
> Molles2.jpg
> 
> [Photo] John A. Lacko / Special to the Gazette. Traveling a new path: 
> Ron Molles heads out of the downtown Kalamazoo bus and train station 
> as he practices his mobility skills.
> 
> A multitude of programs are available at the training center. Students 
> undergo mobility training, which involves things like traveling with a 
> cane, using the public transportation system, taking a taxi and going 
> grocery shopping.
> 
> Technology is also a major component of training at the center, and 
> the building will undergo an extensive technological upgrade in December.
> 
> "To me, technology has leveled the playing field for blind individuals 
> more in the last 10 or 15 years than I think just about anything 
> else," Heibeck said.
> 
> Students are trained to use devices such as screen readers, talking 
> GPS devices and electronic books. They're taught how to e-mail, surf 
> the Internet and do word processing.
> 
> The center also features an adaptive kitchen where students can learn 
> to cook meals.
> The length of stay at the center varies by student, in part because of 
> the variety of programs offered.
> 
> Molles is attending the personal-adjustment program. He began his stay 
> on May 2, and his time at the center has been extended to Oct. 1 
> because of his mobility training.
> "Students don't leave the center until they're ready," he said.
> 
> Although legally blind, Molles still has some sight and chose to do 
> his mobility training "under the blindfold."
> 
> "Basically what that means is when I go on mobility (training), I wear 
> a blindfold that takes away my remaining vision so I'm traveling under 
> complete darkness, which is absolutely terrifying," he said.
> 
> In the long term, the training should be beneficial.
> 
> "You have visions of being hit by a car or walking into a hole. It's 
> just scary," Molles said. "But I have to say, doing the training under 
> the blindfold has given me a different perspective. It has given me a 
> lot of confidence when I have to travel because now I can travel at 
> night in the dark."
> 
> Just a few months ago, Molles thought his life was over.
> 
> "I couldn't go back to work, he said. "I couldn't play sports. (He 
> thought,) 'What am I going to do for the rest of my life? I'm only 41.'"
> 
> But now he says the center has shown him there are many opportunities 
> and possibilities for him to live a reasonably normal life.
> 
> Molles and some other students attended a kayaking event on a local lake.
> "We can do this stuff," he said. "We can go kayaking, we can go 
> skiing, we can go dancing, we can do just about ... anything out there."
> 
> Mollrd said he gets inspiration from other students facing similar 
> challenges.
> 
> "There's the fear and then there's anxiety, but then there's also the 
> hope, and you're inspired by the people you meet," Molles said.
> 
> Barbara Wile, who has been an instructor for 37 years, agreed that 
> students gain a lot by meeting other students.
> 
> "Students ... find out that there are other individuals who are in the 
> same situation that they are," she said. "There's a lot of bonding 
> that goes on amongst the students, and friendships are formed that 
> last lifetimes. And that's a very important component of the training 
> center. It's not just teachers imparting independent-living skills."
> 
> Molles isn't certain what will happen once his program ends. He may 
> try to go back to school or work part time while volunteering, in 
> order to ease back into a normal routine. But one thing's for sure - 
> he'll face whatever comes with a positive attitude.
> 
> "I feel that there are possibilities," he said. "I don't feel so
hopeless."
> 
> ###
> 
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