Activity
Tactile descriptions: Building language and concepts
Building student vocabulary and concepts through exploring and describing tactile models and tactile graphics.
This is the fifth video post on providing tactile graphic rich environments for preschool and elementary students. This post will focus on descriptions: building language and concepts.
Our students need plenty of time for guided exploration and building a shared vocabulary. We need to know what our students are noticing as they explore 3D and 2D tactile materials. Through discussion, we can help build concepts. For young children this needs to happen with enthusiasm, story and play.
Concrete to manipulatives to abstract
Children learn about their world with real objects, soon dolls and toys represent people and things they know. Then children make meaning from pictures and move on to reading letters and words. This progression in understanding abstract symbols happens for the visual learner and tactile learner. But tactile imagery doesn’t just exist in our environments, so we need to be more deliberate about providing those experiences for our students.
Curious and collaborative learning – it goes both ways
Nurture this process of exploring, discussing, and guiding. Especially as sighted teachers, we have so much to learn about what our students with visual impairments are experiencing and how they are thinking. This communication will be vital as you move to more complex tactile materials. Provide the young student with information up front and share what you notice. This can be a way to gently provide corrections and new information. We don’t want the student to be worried about getting things right or wrong. Their understanding of concepts and the world will build over time as they layer on new experiences. Explore, tell stories, and have fun!
Tactile Description: Building language and concepts video:
Resources
The Tactile Graphic Rich Environments series will cover:
- Tactile graphic rich environments series: The missing link, Intro
- Preschool: 2D tactile materials supporting play and literacy, part 1
- Early elementary: Tactile pictures and drawing, engaging student in literacy activities, part 2
- Upper elementary: Tactile pictures supporting literacy and social connections, part 3
- Tactile drawing: Expanding creativity and social inclusion, part 4
- Tactile description: Building language and concepts, part 5
- HOW TO turn tactile drawing film into PIAF picture – sharpie method, part 6
- HOW TO make a tactile image using iPad, Goodnotes and Swell Machine, part 7
Additional Logan resources
by Jessica McDowell
Back to Paths to Technology’s Home page
