As the Paths to Literacy content manager for over two years now, I am still continually amazed at the amount of meaningful content from the vision community at our fingertips on this website. Weekly, I search a topic on P2L and find new to me articles that are full of content I want to read.
I am also a busy itinerant teacher, which means I am meaning to read up on topics and then it gets pushed down on my “to do list” because of lack of time. Please join me this summer as I make it a personal goal to read more into all the wonderful topics, research, lessons, and ideas from all of you!
Make sure you are signed up for our bi-weekly newsletter which you will find at the end of our home page! It is a great way to get all the latest updates and articles.
Early childhood to young adulthood
We can’t be experts in everything! Some TVIs are great at braille instruction, while others have a strong foundation in CVI or low vision students. Keep striving to become as knowledgeable in areas that you feel less confident in.
No matter what topic you would like to learn about, there are a host to choose from. Think about where an individual student is at that you would like to help more and go from there. If you have a wide variety of ages and needs on your caseload, assess where you are as a teacher and focus on the areas that you personally feel you could improve on.
Here are the main topics to choose from when building basics:
- Literacy Basics
- Auditory Learners
- Braille
- CVI
- Deafblind
- Dual Media
- Emergent Literacy
- English Language Learning
- Learning Media Assessment (LMA)
- Math Literacy
- Multiple Disabilities
- Orientation & Mobility
- Struggling Readers
- Visual Learners
- Writing
Assessments and IEPs
I like to do a mental review of how the year went with all my paperwork. What worked well, what didn’t, and how can I make everything more streamline to SAVE TIME.
Take a look and see if there are some assessments you might want to incorporate into your routine and data collection.
Many states, counties, and even school districts can do an IEP (Individual Education Plan) a little differently. It is important to follow the timelines and laws while making sure your student’s GOALS ARE MEASURABLE.
Braille
Whether you are a novice, intermediate, or advanced braille reader or instructor, you can get the skills you may need through practice.
On our website we have braille support listed under Special Collections. It is such a valuable section to have access to and we are so grateful to the instructors that have worked so hard to make this available to us all.
Common and Expanded Core Curriculum
Common Core Curriculum
Common Core looks at a set of standards of what students should know and when they should know it. The team needs to know how a student’s visual impairment effects their ability to reach these standards and how we can make adaptations for success in learning.
Expanded Core Curriculum
The Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) provides a framework for instruction in a specialized set of vision-related skills for students who are blind or visually impaired. While students who are blind or visually impaired are expected to follow the same core curriculum as their sighted peers, there are certain areas in which they need specific instruction because of their vision loss. Thus, while all students will be expected to participate in core academic subjects, such as English Language Arts, Math, Science, and History, students with visual impairments should also receive instruction in nine specific areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum.
- See our article: ECC Introduction
- Visit our many articles on ECC in our P2L ECC microsite
Fun ideas and learning activities
When tuning up your toolbox of knowledge, don’t forget all the creative ideas that make learning fun! Explore all the creative ideas from our vision community around the world!
