Helpful Hints About Teaching Braille Reading

Helpful Hints About Teaching Braille Reading

Future Reflections Spring/ Summer1987, Vol. 6 No. 2
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HELPFUL HINTS ABOUT TEACHING
BRAILLE READING
by Sally Mangold, Ph.D.
(Editor's Note: This article is an
excerpt from the teacher's manual of The Mangold Developmental Program of
Tactile Perception And Braille Letter
Recognition and is reprinted with permission of the author, Sally Mangold,
Ph.D. The program, according to the
author, is designed to help beginning
readers become fast readers, and to help
experienced Braille readers improve
their reading speed. The series can be
purchased from: Exceptional Teaching
Aids, 20102 Woodbine Avenue, Castro
Valley, CA. 94546; telephone: (415) 5824859.)
This reading program is designed to
promote good two-handed reading. Research
has shown that a few good Braille
readers use only one hand, but the vast
majority use two hands.
Performance Objectives: The following
are typical of the majority of good
Braille readers.
1. The student exhibits few regressive
hand movements (either vertically
or horizontally).
2. Uses very little pressure when
touching the Braille dots.
3. Utilizes a two handed reading
technique in which the left hand locates
the beginning of the next line, while
the right hand finishes reading the
previous line.
4. Uses at least four fingers at all times.
5. Demonstrates the ability to scan efficiently when reading both a vertical
and horizontal format.
6. Demonstrates the ability to read letters accurately without confusing
letters1 which are mirror images of other
letters.
If your student has a heavy touch try
the following: Place a piece of paper
on the table, ask the student to pass
his hands over the paper so lightly as
not to move the paper. Another suggestion
would be to place plastic discs or
checkers on raised line graph paper and
ask the student to pass his hands over
the objects so lightly as not to move
the objects across the lines on the
graph paper. Create your own games
which would encourage a light touch.
Encourage your student to touch the
dots lightly (tickle the dots). Try to
help him develop a smooth movement of
the hands from left to right and try to
avoid having the student stop as he
moves across the page.
Suggest that your student keep all
fingers in contact with the paper. It
should be remembered however, that some
Braille readers have been known to use
unorthodox hand positions efficiently.
If your student displays dominant one
handed reading, it may take a long time
to develp the coordination and motivation
required for two-handed reading.
Continue to instruct your student in the
two-handed method, but respect his right
to experiment with other methods when he
is working independently.
It is important that the school furniture
fit the student. The student's
elbows should be on the same plane, or
perhaps a little higher than the top of
the desk or table being used. If the
furniture cannot be adjusted, let the
student sit on several books (not
Braille, of course).
Some beginning readers have little
strength in their hands or arms. As a
result, they may tire quickly. If this
is a problem you might try the following
activities.
1. Have the student punch holes all
the way around a heavy piece of construction
paper using a single hole punch.
2. Have the student lace from one
hole to another, all the way around the
border using medium weight yarn. The
resulting product may be used as a
placemat during snack time, or folded in
the middle and used as a cover for completed
work.
3. As a reinforcer for work completed
satisfactorily let the student use a
nutcracker to crack nuts, after which he
may eat them. Start with peanuts first.
4. Cut strips of heavy construction
paper (about 1/2" wide). Have the student
cut across the strips with scissors
to make pieces of paper. The small
peices may be pasted down to decorate
the folders.
5. A box containing several dozen
nuts and bolts of the same size may be
given to the student to put together.
Clean warm hands are important for
rapid and correct Braille reading. Be
certain that your student washes his
hands, rinses them thoroughly, and uses
a little hand lotion before beginning to
read. An old hair dryer is useful on
cold days to warm hands before reading.
Place the student's worksheets one at a
time on top of a rubber pad. This prevents
the paper from slipping around the
desk and thereby, promotes a light reading
touch.
This is a consumable program. That
is, an entire new set of Braille work
sheets should be provided for each student
who receives instruction through
this method. The pages should be taken
out of the binders and used according to
the instructions in the teacher's
manual. The use of the pushpins will
deface the pages, but will strengthen
the arm muscles and heighten the reading
performance of the student. After use,
the pages should be given to the students
to take home. Sighted children
take home completed pages every day and
proudly boast to friends and family
about their marvellous achievements.
Visually impaired students need the same
kind of reinforcement and encouragement
if they are to maintain enthusiasm toward
reading. Teachers will doubtlessly
be tempted to keep the entire program
and use it with other students. Braille
becomes rubbed down easily when used
with beginners. Every student deserves
an equal opportunity.
Many adults think of Braille letters
as reversible pairs. i.e., (w and r)
etc. Never, NEVER teach a child that
there are reversible pairs of letters in
Braille. This requires that the student
perform a double mental process when he
applies his knowledge of letters to
academic assignments.
Remember that one of your greatest
strengths is your ability to reinforce
correct reading techniques. Reinforcing
incorrect techniques only shows the
student what is "bad", but offers no
example of the desired behavior and
thereby, provides no substitute for the
"bad" techniques. Reinforcing correct
techniques provides an example of the
goal behavior and increases the probability
that the desired behavior will
recurmore frequently.
Good reading skills are only mastered
after years of practice. Praise your
student for correct hand position when
it occurs.
Remember that no program can effect
maximum progress in a student without
the support and enthusiasm of his teacher.
I hope that you will find this
program worthy of your full support and
enthusiasm.
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