Collaborative/Inclusive Strategies

 

  1. Adapted educational aids are a necessary component of any mathematics class. They are especially needed to supplement textbooks that have omitted tactile graphics or contain poor quality ones. However, they are also needed to help in interpreting mathematical concepts - just as their sighted peers benefit from various manipulatives. It is very beneficial to the entire class when the braille student's aid is a fun and useful tool for the sighted students and teacher as well.
  2. Math teachers need to verbalize everything they write on an overhead or blackboard and be precise with their language. If the braille learner still has difficulty keeping up, the math teacher should be encouraged to give the student/vi teacher a copy of their overhead transparencies prior to class if pre-prepared or immediately after. Another alternative might be for a classmate to make a copy of their notes to share.
  3. Math teachers need to give worksheets, tests, etc. to vi teachers to transcribe into Nemeth far enough in advance, so that the braille student can participate with their fellow students in class - not later alone.
  4. Relate various mathematical applications to student activities enjoyed by blind students as well as the sighted students -
    1. Put various mathematical concepts to song or at least teach similar to an athletic cheer.
      1. The FOIL method for multiplying binomials F - O - I - L: First, Outside, Inside, Last!!!!
      2. Quadratic formula sung to the tune of Pop Goes the Weasel
    1. Be sure to include athletic experiences that a blind student can relate to; include the parabolic curve of a diver, as well as the football quarterback's pass.
  1. Math teachers need to realize that it is their job to teach the mathematical concepts to their students. This is not the job of the VI teacher. The vi teacher can be very helpful by insuring that all materials are in proper Nemeth code and all graphics are of good quality if the math teacher is able to supply these in print in a timely manner. However, any math teacher will tell you that there is always that teachable moment that you cannot anticipate. This is when it is imperative that the math teacher has some tools at his/her disposal. It is the responsibility of the VI teacher to expose the math teacher to the various tools and aids available to him/her. Math teachers can be quite creative, as many VI teachers have discovered.
  2. Blind students should not be excused from learning a math concept because they are blind: "Blind students can't graph." "Blind students can't do geometric constructions." Not only can they graph and draw geometric constructions, with the right tools, they can often do so better than their sighted peers. Consideration should be taken into account however with regard to number of problems assigned. It is permissible to shorten the assignment, as long as the student can demonstrate competence in the content area.
  3. It is very important for all students (and especially for the VI student) to use as many senses as possible when learning a new math concept. They need to read a new math problem, write it, listen to it, tactually explore it through manipulatives, and when possible move their body and/or manipulative through space. If it's a fractional problem involving food for example, they can even taste and eat the problem.
  4. There is an ongoing need for four-way communication among the math teacher, the VI teacher, the family, and the student. Braille textbooks, materials, and aids need to be ordered early. The source of a problem needs to be discerned as quickly as possible - is it the math concept, the braille, or the quality of the tactile graphic? Vocabulary in itself can be a problem. Fractions have numerators and denominators in print and braille; however, they have "tops" and "bottoms" in print and "lefts" and "rights" in braille.
  5. For classroom test taking, the student should be given the test in braille (with an option for partial oral administration; for example, in the case of students with learning disabilities who need word problems read) and supplied with appropriate tactile graphics, aids, abacus, and/or talking calculator. Blind students should be given at least twice the time to complete tests. At times, it may be desirable for the blind student to take the test separate from the group due to the needed extra time, use of aids (especially those involving speech), and/or partial oral administration.