Developing Tactile Sensitivity in Biology Lessons
This material is suitable for elementary and middle school students and is designed for those teaching or wanting to teach visually impaired children biology.
One of the main tasks of modern education is to create conditions for unlocking the potential of every child. Lessons should be designed to make learning new material interesting for children. For students with visual impairments, it is important to develop mental processes such as attention, memory, perception, thinking, and speech. Tactile perception is one of the forms of understanding the world around us. If a child has residual vision, it can significantly assist in the tactile perception of objects.
Sequence of Tactile Perception on the Topic “Snakes”
Students begin by examining a snake’s skeleton. This is an axial skeleton, consisting of the head skeleton or skull, and the vertebral column. A snake’s spine is long, flexible, and made up of many vertebrae. The phrase “You can count all the bones” perfectly describes a snake’s skeleton. The snake’s ribs can spread widely to allow large prey to pass through the esophagus.
Next, students take clay in their hands and each creates their own snake.
They discuss how snakes feel to the touch: pleasant and quite firm. Usually, snakes are warm and dry, not slimy. They can warm up very effectively, and during their active periods, they are very warm, which can pleasantly warm cold hands.
The clay in children’s hands also becomes warm and flexible. Students make snakes of different colors, though yellow is the most common among them. Yellow is the most noticeable color. The wavelength of this color is in the middle of the visible spectrum. Many warning signs are in yellow as it is a color that signals danger. Students learn that snakes come in different colors and patterns, often bright to warn of danger.
Benefits of This Sequence in Learning
The structured sequence from examining the skeleton to making a model helps students better grasp the material. Developing tactile sensitivity in visually impaired children does not necessarily require special equipment. Everything needed can usually be found in the classroom. Such lessons develop tactile sensitivity and finger motor skills. Tactile contact relaxes hand muscles, positively influencing the child’s cognitive activity.
The teacher’s speech must be clear and expressive since visually impaired children rely heavily on auditory perception during lessons.