The Rate of Information Transmission and the Learning Experience - Essay Example

A. Human beings have three important senses that can greatly enhance their learning: seeing, speaking, and hearing. In fact, there have been manymodels of learning styles that came up through the years as educators and researchers tried to find the best possible learning style that can enhance academic performance. Undoubtedly, vision is very significant in promoting the learning process. Students acquire knowledge by reading different materials as well as observing things that happen. Learners who are visually impaired would encounter more difficulty in learning because the rate of information transmission becomes delayed. A concrete example of this can be made by comparing the speed of reading between a learner who uses the Braille slate and a student who is not visually-impaired. According to healthguidance.org, the average reading speed of an adult is 250 words per minute. On the other hand, the Braille reading speed registers an average of 125 words per minute according to RIDBC Renwick Center for Research and Professional Education. In short, people who use the Braille slate demonstrate a 50% decrease in reading efficiency which has a significant impact in learning. Aside from causing reduced efficiency in reading, visual impairment limits the mobility of an individual. Limited mobility translates to inability to do tasks or perform actions that can be crucial for field learning. Observation, experimentation and interactive activities that can likely enhance learning cannot be accomplished. Additionally, a visually-impaired individual needs to rest the eyes in between tasks more than an individual with good eyesight. 2. B. There are different approaches which can be used to enhance the instructional accommodation of students with visual impairment. Some of these remedies are guided by the lessons from Master Differentiators. The first approach is to classify the students according to the following criteria: functional blindness, low vision and blindness. These varying degrees of visual impairment can serve as guide in preparing more learner-oriented curriculum and materials. The process begins by placing the learners in different classrooms. Then, targeted instruction can be administered which can heighten the learning experience. The second approach would utilize different learning materials for more effective instruction. Technology can be harnessed by using digital projectors as substitute for the traditional blackboard. Even software programs that come with a tablet for writing could aid the students to write. All these enhancements not only assist the learners to overcome their disability but also provide more time for instructors to attend to other instructional activities. The third accommodation is related to the second option although this one does not employ technology. Learning materials with a high-contrast would be used so learners can easily differentiate objects. There are two purposes for using high-contrast material: to reduce eye strain and possibly improve information processing. If national standards would come up with recommendations on color combinations ( as result of study or research ), this would greatly be a step forward in helping these learners. References Cox, P. R., & Dykes, M. K. Effective Classroom Adaptations for Students With Visual Impairments. (pp. 68-74). Vancouver: The Council for Exceptional Children. Craig, C. J., Hough, D. L., Churchwell, C., & Schmitt, V. (2002, June). A Statewide Study on the Literacy of Students with Visual Impairments. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness , pp. 452-455. Mark, T. (n.d.). What Is the Average Reading Speed and the Best Rate of Reading? Retrieved February 16, 2011, from Health Guidance: http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/13263/1/What-Is-the-Average-Reading-Speed-and-the-Best-Rate-of-Reading.html RIDBC Renwick Center for Research and Professional Education. (n.d.). Reading Braille. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from http://www.ridbcrenwickcentre.com/louisbraille/ facts/reading-braille/ 2. A. Challenges in reading instruction does not only come from learners with reading problems; in fact, teachers are also challenged by gifted learners. It is imperative then for educators to provide quality education for gifted and talented students. Literacy development among these students is characterized by the following: a. These learners have a high literacy rate as provided by a rich home environment. It is but typical for such learners to learn reading on their own since support from the home setting is likely strong. b. At the age of two, these students can already read and possess a wide vocabulary. c. Being wide readers, they can easily access more information. d. They explore their environment and demonstrate independent thinking even at a very young age. e. They manifest early development of critical thinking skills. f. They should be given adequate challenge in learning since average instructional content can bore them leading to misdemeanor. 2. Here are some possible instructional accommodations that suit gifted and talented students: A. Differentiated Instructional or Differentiated Learning. These special types of learners are provided with more in-depth and challenging lessons combined with minimal supervision. Teachers become facilitators of learning and promote learner-centered education. B. Ability grouping – First of all, these learners must be grouped together to create a homogenous group. The main criteria for grouping these students are their ability rather than their grade level. By using ability grouping, advanced readers can be given materials that are more complex matching the levels of the students. Once students are broken into groups, discussions can ensue regarding the materials read. This method engages same level learners to learn from one another’s ideas. C. Curriculum Compacting – Learner’s needs are precisely identified by the teacher. Based on such needs, certain parts of the curriculum can be substituted with more relevant lessons that are taught at a faster pace. This strategy encourages exploratory learning and provides much-needed enrichment. D. Process Modifications - Blooms’ Taxonomy can be used to formulate questions that can extract higher thinking processes. The higher level of cognitive domain skills (analysis, synthesis, evaluation) can be developed among these special learners. E. Content Modification - Since the gifted and talented students need more challenge, they can be presented with more advanced ideas, themes, genres and other subjects that appeal to the learners. They can make some research and present the findings. Sources: Dooley, C. (1993, April). The challenge: Meeting the needs of gifted readers. The Reading Teacher, 46(7), 546-551. Retrieved February 23, 2011 Halsted, J. W. (1990). Guiding the gifted reader. ERIC EC Digest. Retrieved February 23, 2011 Levande, D. (1999). Gifted Readers and Reading Instruction. CAG Communicator, 30(1). Retrieved February 23, 2011 Taylor, T., & Oakley, G. (2007, February 1). Catering for gifted students in the literacy classroom. Practically Primary, 12(1). Retrieved February 23, 2011, from http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/Practically-Primary/163265289.html Watson, S. Advice for teachers to integrate gifted students into the regular classroom: So you have gifted students in your regular classroom? In About.com. Retrieved February 23, 2011, from http://specialed.about.com/od/physicaldisabilities/a/advicegifted. 3. To clearly answer this question, it is proper to use a simple illustration of how physical impairment is being viewed by most people. Perhaps, you might have seen a movie wherein a blind person is being yelled at by a normal person as part of the conversation. Of course, this may seem comedic but it does present to us the wrong perception that most people have against people with physical impairment. The person is visually-impaired and people think that other faculties such as hearing or speaking are also affected. Not too long ago, there was a deaf student who encountered learning difficulties especially when it came to reading and writing. A teacher took the initiative to carry on some online research that led to the Gallaudet University website. This is the premier and oldest university for the hearing impaired. The mini research revealed a lot of surprising facts that made the teacher interested in the subject. First, deaf students have many disadvantages when it comes to reading skills. A deaf high school graduate posses only the reading skills of a 4th grader. Even educators underestimate the capabilities of such learners believing that they simply cannot hear. Indeed, the road to learning by deaf students is littered with difficulties topped by obstacles in phonological awareness. Literacy is an extremely important part of a child’s development. A toddler begins “speaking” by the sounds they make. These sounds later form into letters and words which build up into full sentences later on in their lives.  But what will happen if there is a physical barrier blocking the child’s ability to locate and create the bond between the important sound/letter relationships? There are two different outcomes depending on the child and its environment. Do its parents have the ability to hear or are they deaf? This can be a critical hindrance to a child’s learning environment if the parents cannot respond to the child’s attempts at speech; there is little to no interaction resulting in the loss of sound/letter relationships.  However, children with deaf parents are proficient in reading skills. The reason is sign language. Sign language is alternate form of communication where the child must associate signs with words, instead of sound. There are many educators who do not consider ASL as a literacy form of literacy development. ASL is similar to ELL in many ways. The ELL student must learn how to read in his/her first language in order to learn how to read and write in the new language they are studying. But what if that child is attempting to learn English without having learned the basic foundations of language? The student will have a multitude of problems to deal with. This applies to deaf children with parents who are not deaf as well. The child and its parents must try to learn the new language promptly. In this case, the language is ASL. Do to the amount of attention required in learning the basics a gap in language opportunity begins to grow.  The term "Language Deprived" (Williams & Finnegan, 2003) was used in an article to explain this gap.  In other words, the lack of language opportunity is caused by taking other alternative language learning programs. Oral learning is not a choice when dealing with the hearing impaired, therefore the deaf must use visual learning to be able to communicate with others. This form of language learning does not stop in the child’s school but it must also continue at home.  In order to recognize the relationship between signs and words the child must practice through reading, writing, and drawing. Visual and kinaesthetic aids are also used in stimulating the child’s learning abilities.  It is important to keep in mind that the child cannot respond to oral aid. Visually teaching the student is the only direction to take. They are human beings so you must also treat them like one. Speaking to the child directly is an effective way to help them realize that they are not very different. In cases wherein you do not want to master ASL, learning finger spelling is a vital minimal skill that you must learn; by doing this, you are solidifying ASL as an extra-language.   References: Williams,C., & Finnegan, M. (2003). From Myth to Reality: Sound Information for Teachers About Students Who Are Deaf. Teaching Experiental Children, 35(3), 40-45. Retrieved February 27, 2011, from From Myth to Reality: Sound Information for Teachers About Students Who Are Deaf. Read More