Use of Objects to Enhance Literacy and Concept Development

Montgomery County SchoolsPresented by Carla Brown, Teacher of the Visually Impaired

Heather Harmon, Deaf Blind IntervenerApril 24, 2015

Why include real objects and experiential learning?

• Team identified:

• Incomplete information was being received from vision and hearing.

• The student showed increase interest and attention in activities that included stories about her experiences.

• There was a need to link objects and experiences to curriculum across all areas.

The team met to coordinate themes and to identify experiential learning that linked to curriculum.

Preparation for experiences

Experiences with real materials and objects

Experience books

Experience and story boxes

Theme: Spring (e.g., weather, how things grow, growing fruits and vegetables)

ClassroomSocial studies: Growing food

Preparation for experiences

Experiences with real materials and objects

Vocabulary (cooking tools)

Pictures/objectsStory in student’s own wordsTechnology:

recorded sound, eBooksvideo of activity

Experience books

Experience and Story boxes

What we learned…

• Experiences were the most important; experience boxes allowed the student to use the objects to “tell” the story of what happened and to review the activity• Stories that had actions that the student could experience were the

most relevant.• Experiences with the objects allowed more efficient picture

recognition.• Community travel was key.

What we have planned…

• It feels that we just started!• Explore technology options. • Develop experience books for upcoming transition.• Continued team communication to coordinate experiences and use of

real objects throughout the curriculum.

Thank you to Connections Beyond Sight and Sound!

This grant has given us momentum to explore new ways to help our students with deaf blindness!