TEACHING BLIND STUDENTS

AIMS OF THE WORKSHOP

1- Define and types of visual impairment and blindness 2- Inform about the learning styles of blind students 3- Reflect upon classroom differentiated Instructions 4- Provide useful tips on how to teach language skills to blind students 5- Adapted Activities

VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

There are four levels of visual function, according to the International Classification of Diseases -10 (Update and Revision 2006):

Low vision

Severe visual impairment

Visual impairment

Moderate visual impairmen t

Blindness

CHARACTERISTICS OF BLIND STUDENTS TO CONSIDER

Most of the information we get from external sources came through the vision (around 80%) this information is very fast and globalized . Therefore; when the information is received from the ear or tact, the process is slower and complex because the information is received sequenced and must be interpreted.

LEARNING STYLES: THE FOUR MODALITIES

VISUAL :Use many visuals in the classroom. For example, wall displays posters, realia, flash cards, graphic organizers etc. (NO) AUDITORY: Use audio tapes and videos, storytelling, songs, jazz chants, memorization and drills Allow learners to work in pairs and small groups regularly.

KINASTHETIC: Use physical activities, competitions, board games, role plays etc. Intersperse activities which require students to sit quietly with activities that allow them to move around and be active TACTILE: Use board and card games, demonstrations, projects, role plays etc. Use whilelistening and reading activities. For example, ask students to fill in a table while listening to a talk, or

BLIND STUDENTSLEARNING STYLE

Blind students may be visually impaired but their other senses are intact, so teachers of the blind should use the other senses. Learning a language is very much tied up with culture, exposure and experiences. Blind students may not be able to acquire exposure and experiences the same way as sighted students. So teachers of the blind may have to do a little more than other teachers. Bring experiences and exposure to the blind students.

When in the classroom the teacher has to be more vocal and say out every word he or she puts on the board including direction of where the words are. For example: Teaching the format of a letter say out, 'On the left hand corner of your page you write the address. The address of this college is number twenty-nine, Green Lane'. Remember the blind student cannot see the board but he or she can hear well.

TIPS TO CONSIDER
Identify yourself Use the student's name When talking in a group/ classroom address people by name. Explain to the student about what is going to happen Explain sudden noises Don't shout. People who are blind or vision impaired are not deaf. When seating a person who is blind or vision impaired guide their hand to the back of the chair and allow them to seat themselves. Talk about what you are doing Show the student where things are placed and let the student pick up and feel objects, where appropriate. Don't move objects without telling the student

 Don't leave doors ajar. Close or open them fully. If you are leaving, tell the student where you are going, who is still with them and when you will be back Give clear directions, don't talk about "here" and "there" Speak directly to the student not through another person It's OK to use words like "look" and "see" It's OK to refer to colour when talking to the student. Let the student have hands-on experiences whenever possible. Don't force the student to touch new things if they are unsure about them. Ask if the student needs help rather than assuming. The student needs to become independent. Don't leave the student unless they know where they are Don't push or steer the student, let them take your hand or elbow

Is it an ordinary classroom? What is it different here?

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION
Differentiation is modified instruction that helps students with diverse academic needs and learning styles master the same challenging academic content. Differentiating does not mean providing separate, unrelated activities for each student but does mean providing interrelated activities that are based on student needs for the purpose of ensuring that all students come to a similar grasp of a skill or idea (Good, 2006).

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION STRATEGIES

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTIONS IN THE CLASSROOM. CHAPTER 6

ASPECTS TO CONSIDER WHEN TEACHING LANGUAGE SKILLS Writing

Blind students do not write using a pen they write in Braille system. Braille can be produced manually, using a braille writer or slate and stylus, or it can be produced electronically, using a computer, special translation software, such as Duxbury, and a braille embosser. To teach writing formats we can create materials ourselves or use the services of a teacher of the blind and visually impaired or certified braille transcriber. We can also have a page format and by using word processor and screen readers

SPEAKING

For linguistic and verbal activities there are no understanding problems since blind students can understand oral messages coming form different sources (the teacher, classmates, recording material or audiovisuals) easily. For non-linguistic and non-verbal activities it is hard for a blind student to identify and understand mimic, gestures, facial expressions, hand movements, spaces , paralanguage ,postures etc which are important elements when learning a Foreign Language. Therefore, Teachers should try to familiarize students with the recognition of common sounds, rhythm and intonation in the foreign language as a mean of interpreting speakers intention and the meaning of the message. .

LISTENING

When learning a foreign language we need to teach how to identify, discriminate, locate the sounds to detect the voices of the people they are talking to or they are listening from an audio tape. The students need to imitate and perceive sounds that are typical of the foreign language with the highest fidelity To learn this skill students need to practice individually using audio books or audios recorded by the teacher. Blind students can use headphones , but they cant solve fill in the blank exercises

READING
Blind students can discover the content of a book or piece o writing through: BRAILLE; Braille readers cannot skim read and may take up to three times as long as other students to read a text. They can also read through talking books, which are recordings of entire books-novels, schoolbooks, and so on-that can be played back on cassette, compact disc players, Mp3 players and computers. Optical scanners are another way to translate printed material into sound these computers scan a page from a book or magazine, and a computergenerated voice reads the material aloud.

Computer technology and screen readers have now become so popular among blind readers as it has access to millions of books & magazines all around the world in various medium, text, word, pdf or audio format There is a sound synthesis software such as text to speech and voice recognition that can be installed on the computer. This software varies in price, but there are a number of programs which can be downloaded for free. Blind person proficient at understanding JAWS or such software will read you under the library table any day.

READING FROM THE WEB

Remember, people who are blind access the web using screen readers and keyboards, and there are some major obstacles that they face when trying to access web content. Keep in mind that an accessible web site means freedom and independence for someone who is blind. When web developers don't provide accessible content, the only way that a blind person can get the information from the web site is through someone else.(teachers or parents)

TYPE OF ACTIVITIES BLIND STUDENTS CANT DO

CANT DO LONG READINGS WITH COMPREHENSION ACTIVITIES AT THE END FILL IN THE GAPS WITH CUES ALTERNATIVE IF USING SCREEN READER SHORT TEXT( 4 LINES) AND A QUESTION TO ANSWER. IF BRAILLE READING IDEM THE CUE SHOULD BE WRITTEN NEXT TO THE BLANK SPACE NOT AT THE END OF THE LINE USING SCREEN READERS THE SENTENCES SHOULD BE SHORT SO AS TO RETAIN IN MIND THE MEANING OF THE SENTENCE STUDENTS READ WITH THEIR FINGERS SO THEY WONT REMEBER WHICH OPTION WAS ALREADY CHOSEN IF USING SCREEN READER THE CHOICES SHOULD BE WRITTEN WITH NUMBERS ONE BELLOW THE OTHER.

SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION EXCERCISES

MATCHING ACTIVITIES

MULTIPLE CHOICE EXCERCISES

CANT DO STORIES

ALTERNATIVE BORN BLIND Students do not have the mental image or imagination to write a story. They can finish ideas they listen to but not fill in gaps while listening. If they are not taught how to draw or do artistic activities they wont be able to make a poster

Listening - comprehension gaps posters

WHAT TO DO IN THE EFL CLASSROOM

Playing Area or Environment Make the area larger or smaller Make visible/auditory boundaries Lower the height of goals Orient the individual to the activity area

CREATING MATERIALS FOR TEACHING VOCABULARY

Objects / realia Make the object bigger or smaller Make it softer or harder Make it audible or bright Change the texture of the object Make the object heavier or lighter Increase the size of the target

FINAL ACTIVITY
Summary Ball Purpose: To create a group summary. 1.Write the questions Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How on an inflated beach ball, using a permanent marker. 2. Have Teachers toss around the ball in a small group. Each Teacher who catches the ball will have to look to see which word is closest to his or her right thumb, and to answer that question with regard to the contents presented in the workshop. 3. Record the Teachers responses on chart paper to provide a group summary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBpdcD QG6Tc&list=TLno74iIw07MOR_YXgZ5yEK g-pLb-WnfIG

Click here to see the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBpdcDQG6Tc

They are unable to see they rely solely on their other senses listening, smelling, tasting and touching. They have a huge sense of trust in humanity they will listen to you, share their stories with you, seek guidance in you and vice versa, hold your hand as a team mate, laugh freely with you and hug you endlessly without hesitation. Its only natural for us to feel sympathetic towards those without sight but after some time spent with them

WEBOGRAPHY
http://www.hltmag.co.uk/jan08/stud02.htm http://www.artbeyondsight.org/teach/howblind-draw.shtml http://www.aph.org/edresearch/illustration s http://www.aph.org/pe/art_lieberman1.html http://www.pathstoliteracy.org/tools-writingbraille