Guidelines and Games for Teaching Efficient Braille Reading

Renae Bjorg, Myrna R. Olson

• Publisher: American Printing House for the Blind
• Year: 2022
• eBook ISBN: 9781950723119
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Guidelines and Games for Teaching Efficient Braille Reading is based on research in the areas of rapid reading and precision teaching, and offers unique guidelines and games ideas for adapting a general reading program to the needs of braille readers. This handbook serves as an invaluable resource to both supplement and enrich early braille instruction for classroom teachers and anyone working with children who are blind or visually impaired.

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

Audience and Intent

This book on braille reading is intended for parents, preschool educators, resource and itinerant teachers, and teachers of students with visual impairments. Many of the ideas presented will also be helpful to teachers who work with braille readers in the general education setting.

Anyone teaching a child to read braille should have a knowledge of the braille code and an understanding of the major reading methods.

Knowledge of the Braille Code

Any individual planning to introduce braille to another person must have adequate knowledge of the braille reading code in order to decide a sequence for the introduction of contractions and analyze the student’s reading errors.

If a formal course on braille is unavailable in the local community, the following self-instructional materials can be utilized:

• 1. The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress, offers a free course to teach students to transcribe print materials into braille (loc.gov/nls/about/services/braille-transcription-proofreading-courses/). Upon successful course completion, students receive a certificate in literary braille transcribing. A manual braillewriter, a computer with a six-key direct input software program, or a 40-cell slate is required to produce the braille.
• 2. Ashcroft’s Programmed Instruction: Unified English Braille consists of 12 chapters (scalarspublishing.com). Students learn the braille code in a systematic way. Answer keys to the practice lessons are provided so students are able to receive immediate feedback. The Companion Reader is produced in braille and can be used for supplementary reading. A manual braillewriter or a computer with a six-key direct input software program is required to complete this course.
• 3. Braille Brain: A Braille Training Program for Educators and Family Members (Kim Blackwell, Cheryl Kamei-Hannan, & Gina Michell, 2021) is a training program funded by the US Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Agency, (H235E190002). The overall goal of the project is to promote literacy and STEM instruction provided by pre-service and in-service teachers of students with visual impairments, paraprofessionals, parents, and educational team members.
  The Braille Brain microsite (pathstoliteracy.org/braille-brain) consists of three main components: (a) braille training materials that focus on UEB literary braille and Nemeth Braille, (b) braille reading and writing assessment, and (c) instructional materials and evidence-based practices that support braille literacy and STEM instruction.
• 4. The Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) offers a Unified English Braille Transcription Course that is geared toward transcribers, proofreaders, and teachers of braille reading (cnib.ca/en/unified-english-braille-ueb-transcription-course?region=on).
• 5. Hadley offers courses to learn the braille code visually through a series of interactive online workshops or tactually through audio-delivered courses (hadley.edu/learn?topic_id=15).
• 6. Unified English Braille Australian Training Manual (2016) is a series of lessons and practice exercises for teachers, transcribers, and parents to learn braille.
• 7. UEB Online (uebonline.org/) offers online training programs in braille literacy and is free to anyone who wants to learn braille. A computer and Internet connection are required.

Whichever self-directed text or program a person chooses, access to a braille writing device will be necessary. Many state schools for the blind will loan a braillewriter to individuals who want to learn braille. At approximately $800, the cost of buying a braillewriter may be prohibitive.

The slate and stylus (equivalent to a paper and pencil) are inexpensive, starting at less than $20 and are made of a variety of materials such as metal or plastic. The Janus Interline Braille Slate with Saddle-Shaped Stylus is plastic and allows for 11 lines of writing. The user is able to write on both sides of a standard 3-by-5-inch index card without having to remove the card. It is enclosed on three sides, and one of the 3-inch sides is open and notched for easy insertion of the index card. The cost of this tool is $5.

In the past, many individuals who are blind were taught to write braille with a slate and stylus from the beginning; current trends in teaching postpone its introduction as a writing tool until the braille code has been mastered. While some people argue that the slate and stylus are obsolete, it is important that students who are blind or visually impaired have the option to choose the right tool for the task. Learning to use the slate and stylus efficiently provides more choices.

Understanding of the Major Reading Methods

The methods used to teach reading are as varied as the abilities of young children learning to read. However, it is imperative that teachers of braille are familiar with the essential elements of evidence-based literacy instruction. This knowledge leads to application of best practices. The following paragraphs provide an overview of the essential elements to include in an evidence-based approach to teaching reading.

Recent rhetoric surrounding best practices for reading instruction has focused on the science of reading. The science of reading is not necessarily a program of reading instruction or a specific reading strategy, but rather a collective consensus on the scientific research related to how students learn to read and what types of reading instruction benefits readers most. The science of reading is based on scientific research conducted in various fields including neuroscience, cognitive psychology, pedagogical practices, and linguistics. The empirical research provides insights on how children learn to read, which skills are necessary for reading, and how the brain develops in young readers (Ordetx, 2021).

Burkins and Yates (2021), accomplished reading practitioners, discuss the importance of teachers appraising current practices of teaching reading and how those align with evidence-based practices. These practices include teaching foundational reading skills, such as phonics and comprehension, in explicit and direct ways. These methods have been shown to improve students’ reading achievement and confirm that there is one correct way to teach reading—through research-based practices known as the science of reading.

Furthermore, teachers of reading should incorporate explicit instructional and assessment practices framed around the National Reading Panel’s (2000) five components of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Phonemic awareness is a reader’s ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds, called phonemes in spoken words. Because it is a predictor of early reading success, phonemic awareness is an essential element to include in an evidence-based reading instruction approach and requires explicit teaching (Kilpatrick, 2015) to braille and non-braille readers.

A second element of reading instruction requiring explicit teaching is phonics instruction. While phonemic awareness relates to the spoken sounds, phonics instruction focuses on the connection between spoken sounds and written letters. When students learn that letters make sounds and sounds combine to make words, they can apply this knowledge to decode familiar and new words, building their reading fluency.

Reading fluency relates to a reader’s ability to read words with accuracy, speed, and expression. Fluency occurs when readers can recognize words quickly and say them aloud with expression. Readers who are not fluent struggle to read words accurately, quickly, or with appropriate expression. Readers who have strong fluency do not need to focus on decoding words and can concentrate their efforts on comprehending what the words mean.

Another essential element of evidence-based reading instruction is vocabulary instruction. Vocabulary refers to the variety of words readers need to know and understand. Explicit vocabulary instruction helps students better comprehend what they are reading. Duke and Cartwright (2021) suggest that knowledge of vocabulary terms affects reading comprehension and word recognition. Teachers of braille should use explicit vocabulary instruction to introduce students to new concepts and ideas.

Comprehension, some would argue, is the ultimate objective of reading. One reads to understand and interpret what they have read. Comprehending text happens when readers can decode words quickly and accurately and identify the meaning of vocabulary within the text. Because teaching explicit comprehension strategies predicts students’ ability to read successfully, it is important for teachers to include strategies in their instruction that align with the science of reading (Duke & Cartwright, 2021).

In conclusion, advances in research related to reading instruction show that the essential elements of teaching reading overlap in several ways, and it is critical for teachers of reading to be abreast of the most recent and relevant research. Be...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Contributors
• Foreword
• In Memoriam
• Preface
• Chapter 1. Introduction
• Chapter 2. Background on Braille Reading
• Chapter 3. Preschool Experiences Important to Emergent Braille Readers
• Chapter 4. Activities for Teaching Braille More Efficiently at the Beginning Level
• Chapter 5. Ideas for Working With Striving Readers
• Chapter 6. Adding Spice to a Braille Reading Program with Activities and Games
• Appendices
• Index
• Back Cover
• Narrative Descriptions