Art
As the classroom teacher, it is your responsibility to teach skills and concepts in art to all of your students, including your braille-reading student. You have probably noticed the enjoyment your elementary aged students get from participating in the rich and meaningful process of creating art. This will likely be true of your braille-reading student as well.
You may be wondering how your braille-reading is going to participate in drawing or painting activities if they have little to no vision. Remember, you have the ability and tools to provide a rich learning experience for your braille-reading student. There are many people that can help you, such as your student’s TVI and teachers from previous years that have had an opportunity to teach art to your braille-reading student. The following information will provide you with strategies and tools used to teach art to your braille-reading student. Don’t doubt yourself. You probably already have some great ideas!
Considerations in Planning for Instruction in Art:
When planning for your elementary art lesson, remind yourself of the unique learning process of your braille-reading student. Consider, for example, how your braille-reading student will learn about pottery. You will probably be showing your entire class examples of pottery that either you or others have made. By simply viewing the pottery, the majority of your class will instantly be provided with information about the type, style and characteristics of each piece. However, your braille-reading student may need to manually explore each piece of pottery in to obtain the same information, similar to putting together pieces of a puzzle to see the entire picture.
Art Strategies for Learning:
The following practicle strategies will allow you to give your braille-reading student some of the pieces that he or she will need to put the art puzzle together.
- Be proactive in planning for how your braille-reading student will access your lesson. While planning your lesson, ask yourself, “How will my braille-reading student access the concepts learned in today’s lessons?” Make sure that you have an answer to this question before you teach your lesson.
- Set aside time for your braille-reading student to explore any equipment for upcoming art tools, demonstrations or field trips. Remember, if your student is familiarized with equipment ahead of time, they will likely put more energy toward their creativity, rather than learning how to use a tool.
- Verbalize all information that is written on the board or on posters. Pair your braille-reading student with a peer who can read allowed the notes from the board while your braille-reading student takes notes.
- Provide an electronic copy of your notes to your braille-reading student if they use high-tech devices, such as a braille notetaker or computer.
- Allow your braille-reading student to sit close to you when you are demonstrating an activity. Allow him or her to explore any equipment and supplies at appropriate times during your demonstration.
- Encourage ample dialogue about concepts that are learned in your art class. Pair your student with a peer to discuss their art projects.
- Take time from every class to individually touch base with your braille-reading student to ensure concept gaps are being addressed.
- Pay attention to your classroom environment. As you know, the classroom can easily become a cluttered mess during an art activity. This clutter can make it a little difficult for your student to move safely around his or her class. If classroom furniture has been moved, such as pushing desks together to create peer groups, ensure that your braille-reading student knows about these changes ahead of time.
- Try not to discourage a student who wants to try using tools, such as a paintbrush or pencil, even if they don’t have any vision. These experiences will provide your braille-reading student with a concrete understanding of the tools used to create different types of visual art.
Use of Art Supplies in the Classroom:
Your elementary braille-reading student may initially need to be shown how to use the different tools in your art class. The following are some ideas of how to introduce your braille-reading student to tools and equipment used in the art room.
- Explore the Tool - Give the tool to your student and let them fully explore it. Provide them with information about the equipment, such as the name of the different parts of the tool. For example, if you are showing your student an easel, allow him or her to fully explore while you explain the how the different parts of the easel are used, such as the ledge where the paint brushes are held or the stand on which the canvas is placed.
- Guide Hand Under Hand - In demonstrating how to use a tool, ask your braille-reading student to put their hand over your hand while you use the tool. For example, if are demonstrating how to use a paintbrush to create long brush strokes, ask your student to place their hand over yours to feel the movements that your arm makes in the process.
- Guide Hand Over Hand - Once your student understands the idea, allow him or her to try it alone and if necessary, you can place your hand lightly over theirs to replicate the movement.
- Independence - Finally, move your hand away and let the student take over.
You may be wondering how your student is going to use other art tools, such as scissors. Remember that your student’s TVI can help you answer these questions. You can also find many valuable and practical resources on line.
Additional Art Tools for your Braille-Reading Student
At times, it may be necessary for your braille-reading student to use specific tools to create their art. For example, if you were planning a drawing activity, you may question how your braille-reading student is going to draw if they have little or no vision. The following is a list of tools that can be used for specifically for a student who will need a more tactile art experience:
- Tactile Drawing Board or Screen Board - This is a textured board that, when drawn on, will produce raised lines.
- The Internet - If you are teaching the history and culture of different types of artwork, the Internet can be an easily accessible tool for your braille-reading student to use.
- Wikki Sticks - These flexible sticks are made out of a piece of yarn that has been dipped in wax. Wikki Sticks are cheap and fun tools to use. They are flexible enough to outline simple pictures and provide tactile guidelines for your braille-reading student.
- Materials in Daily Life - Materials found in everyday life, such as egg cartons, cans, pine cones, plant leaves, sticks, and much more can be both cheap and easy to use.
- Clay or Play Dough
- Textured Paint - Mix different textures, such as rice and sand, into different colours of paint to allow your braille-reading student to identify different colours.
Teaching art to braille-readers is a popular topic and many ideas have been shared among classroom teachers. Many of these ideas can be found online.
National Art Challenges for the Blind
Two art challenges: Hellen Keller and APH. Every year they accept art work from kids all over North America.