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The Active Learning NewsletterTips and Techniques, News and Stories of Active Learning“Every One Can Learn"
A Free Service of LilliWorks
The Active Learning Newsletter (ALN)
is a periodic electronic magazine – an e-zine devoted to the education and
promotion of Active Learning, the approach to enhanced learning for those with
severe or multiple disabilities authored by noted educator Dr. Lilli Nielsen of
Denmark. As a free service of
LilliWorks, committed to make Dr. Nielsen‘s specially designed equipment
available to all who can benefit, the ALN is an open forum for the
growing community of Active Learning practitioners among parents, educators and
therapists. Submissions from all
are invited! First
Issue The time has come for this proven effective approach to be
adopted by mainstream America. While used in followings in Michigan, Texas,
Illinois, Alaska, Mississippi, New
Jersey, Iowa, Minnesota, Florida and California, there are widely
scattered practitioners. If you practice Active Learning, let us know! CONTENTS:
1. Feature StoryOne Family’s Experience of Active LearningBy Michaele Monaghan Reprinted from “Off To A Good Start” – The Newsletter
of the Blind Babies Foundation (BBF), Winter 2000, by permission.
www.blindbabies.org We first learned about “Active Learning” through our [BBF]
home counselor, Katherine Neale-Manalo. Our
daughter Miranda, having been asphyxiated during birth and suffering severe
brain damage, was simply not able to do much of anything.
Between the cerebral palsy, cortical vision impairment and a whole host
of other ills children such as ours experience, Miranda’s ability to play was
non-existent. Katherine would come
to our home counseling visits with various methods to help Miranda (and
us)…Her advice was always good, however, I remember well the day Katherine
brought a “play tray” to try with Miranda.
I knew immediately that this approach might actually work for our child.
Like many parents, I was saddened that my daughter’s disabilities would
forever keep her from the work of childhood…play…ergo; I have always had
this as her number one goal…that Miranda would learn to play on her own. I made a play tray that very night and this tray is still in
service. Intrigued and excited about the Active Learning approach,
my husband and I began our journey to learn more about the teachings of
Lilli Nielson, the creator of this program.
Katherine, of course, was able to provide us with much of the basic
concepts. In addition, my husband
Rand contacted Lilli regarding her work via email.
Even in these early emails, Lilli gave us ideas and ways to help our
Miranda. We went as far as
Anchorage, Alaska to meet Lilli and to attend her lecture series.
We found that the more we learned about Active Learning, the more it made
sense for us. So, we continued our
dialogue with Lilli, bought her books and made our own resonance board. We had another visit with Lilli most recently in October,
when she came to California to lecture. At
this conference, we met many other families and therapists who felt as we did,
that “Active Learning” had merit and was a viable teaching method not only
for visually impaired kids, but, perhaps more importantly, multiply handicapped
children as well. Why, you might ask, would we be so focused on Active
Learning when there are so many methods available to help children like Miranda
(Conductive Education, etc…)? For
us the choice was an easy one. The
method of teaching and the creator (Lilli Nielsen) respect the individuality of
each and every child. One of the
reasons I feel such devotion is because I know in my heart that Lilli has never
seen a child as a lost cause or unteachable.
Individuals exposed to Active Learning are allowed to find their own path
towards learning; in fact this is the premise of this particular method.
Working on the basis of emotional maturity, rather than “age
appropriate”, children can find comfort and security in their attempts at
learning. Further, using the
methods developed by Lilli, children are always successful. If even on a miniscule level tiny steps are made, there are
still steps. What all of this means to us as a family is that the child that we adore has a chance to be more than a lump in a chair. From the beginning, Miranda’s life was not fun filled and playful as a child’s life should be, but an arduous series of therapies day in and day out. Now we can see that she is beginning to blossom and, yes, even PLAY! It has been a long haul, but just a couple of weeks ago Miranda actually played with her play tray for one-half an hour, permitting me, at long last, to prepare a meal for the rest of the family with my daughter at my side. It took over three years for this to happen for the first time, but it did happen and for us this was huge. Believe me, it was absolutely worth the wait…I have also had the opportunity to see other children in sheer joy of being able to affect the world they live in on their own, without help. Active Learning for us the best way to provide our sweet Miranda with a decent quality of life as well as helping her grow to whatever potential she is capable of…we know now she will find her way.
2. NewsA. LilliWorks Announces Active Learning Equipment AvailabilityThis new company, formed by a parent of special needs child, makes Dr. Lilli Nielsen’s Active Learning Equipment available. Resonance Boards and Essef Boards may be ordered now. Little Room and Support Bench are scheduled for September. HOPSA Dress, Scratch Boards and Multifunction Tables available later. B. Lilli Nielsen 2001 US TourDr. Nielsen visits the US in November 2001, giving full 3-day seminars in Detroit, Los Angeles and San Francisco. This is a rare chance to learn directly from the author of the technique. Conference rates are reasonable, and size is limited. See www.lilliworks.com/news.htm for more information. 3. Theory10 Basic Principles of Active LearningThese are not the only “10 Basic Principles” but they
give a good idea of what Active Learning is about.
The role of the adult is a facilitator, providing the environment, not
involved in the act of playing until invited.
Lilli has met a very few learners that could not learn – they were dying. Unless impacted by survival, every child and older learner can learn. It is up to the parent, therapist or educator to keep finding the right situation with enough support, responsiveness and interest to engage the learner.
Challenged learners often act passive and are treated as passive (everything is done for them). Active Learning involves creating supportive and responsive environments that are tuned to entice a learner to become active. When Lilli realized that blind and disabled learners often resisted any “guided hands” approach, she set about to create environments and situations that would increase a learner’s inclination to explore on their own. This means the “teacher” must disengage and not talk nor prompt until the activity is concluded. (See our “Joke” under Tips.). Kids learn through repetition (see #8)- don’t interrupt them.
Learners with vision impairments
and neurological deficits rely upon hearing as a primary sense.
Vision tends to be secondary, owing to control and processing
difficulties. Tactile sense is also a prominent sense. 4. Work up to Weight Bearing Given the discomfort of bearing weight, provide support until the learner has some control, and slowing increase the weight load. The Support Bench and HOPSA Dress are used to control weight on the legs. Start with no weight. 5. Responsive Environment The environment should provide
excellent auditory and tactile feedback (not just stimulation). Use of the
Resonance Board provides key vibratory input. The Essef Board provides optimal
reaction to leg movements. The Little Room provides a warm inviting echo and
exploration chamber. As Lilli says,
“if the child cannot go to the room, the room must come to the child.” 6.
Mix Variety and Constancy As anyone does, a learner benefits
from moderated variety. That is,
don’t change everything every time, but provide enough variation so that the
environment has interest. Our
experience is that adults need to change the environment more often than they
are inclined to. Cycling through a
large inventory of objects/toys allows for a rich, constantly interesting
environment. Change some of the
objects in the Little Room whenever the learner shows habituation to the objects
available. 7.
Emotional Development Involves Mastery It’s that smile of accomplishing
something, doing something to their environment, rather than the
environment doing it to them that fosters a critical step in emotional
development. Related to the Active vs. Passive learning, that “ see what I can
do” smile is a crucial goal. 8.
Learning is by Repetition - Allow to fail Kids learn by repetition. They
must do something over and over to invoke memory and get the variations to make
sense. Therefore, allowing them to have negative results without intervention
(e.g. without moving an object into their hand as they miss on a reach) is as
important as not interrupting with any cheerleading. 9.
Talk and Reward at the End of Play At the end of play is the time for the adult input, the language and commentary to describe what the learner was doing, and to positively reinforce their activity. Point at and jiggle the objects and talk about what they did. Use short sentences. 10.
Limit Input, Wait for Response As a general principle, remember that neurologically impacted learners usually need more time to take in, process and assemble a response. If you ask a question, remain quiet as long as possible before asking something again, and try not to supply their answer without some sign. This is always subject to judgment, as after a while the question may be forgotten. Repeat using the exact same words, so additional processing to understand new input is not needed. 4. TechniqueUsing an Essef Board
An Essef Board is a simple springboard, having two 16 x
18” pieces of plywood and six (removable to 4) extra springy springs.
This was such a commonsensical piece of equipment that Lilli literally
named it for the Danish “common sense”: “Sund
Fornuft” or S F (“ess-eff”). It pays to keep that perspective in its use. An Essef Board can make all the difference to a learner
that has some orientation to leg use. It
can have interesting qualities, as many learners have discovered. However, most
uses of it the Essef Board is not used alone, but with auditory and support
items, it can create a most enticing response should a learner kick.
It begs for another kick. It can also be used for arm feedback. CONFIGURATIONS
A case in point is our daughter Miranda.
With severe CP, she has some ability to do a stereotyped kick.
Seated in a tumbleform chair in a hammock suspended by one or two points,
she has spent hours happily kicking and swinging.
It has been a breakthrough for her as she has had limited self-play
before. As noted, the learner can be in a hammock, and as well can
be suspended in a HOPSA Dress, or seated in a chair. Those with adequate balance and close supervision (i.e.
spotting) may stand on it holding on to wall mounted bars. To have the most responsiveness, the top of the Essef Board
should swing free on its springs. Hanging it from two hooks on a wall is good
for vertical orientation (LilliWorks has a floor stand in the works as a future
product). Attach various auditorially responsive objects to it.
Bead chains are one of our favorites. We have had jingle bells on them,
but be warned that the high frequency sound is often not appreciated by those
with multiple disabilities. Plastic
spoons strung together are a good object. A rimmed cookie sheet with marbles and
rock and things, or water or beans to start, is good in a horizontal position. The slightest push on the board should make all kinds of
noise. As with all Active Learning situations, a mix of
familiarity and variety is important to its acceptance.
Use judgment favoring variety in mixing up objects (that is, more often
than you might be inclined). In a
hammock, try both single point (spin around) suspension and two point (as a
regular swing). If using a chair, you might try a rocking chair for variety.
A mirror is OK, but do not expect a learner to pay any attention to it. As with all Active Learning, besides setting up the
environment each time to be optimal for the learner, one of the most critical
things is then to walk away. Let the learner learn on their own, and do not
provide input nor feedback until their play is completed. TipHammock Cross StringString objects on an elastic string across the front of a hammock that a learner is seated in, from side to side.
Just be sure the objects are fairly lightweight – so if they fall they will not hurt anyone, AND tie one end with a quick release (bow) knot or use velcro, so that they learner can be removed easily. A True Joke We have a joke about Active Learning that is truer than we like to think: “It takes two practitioners to do Active Learning – one to hold the other back!” Stories/Case StudiesHAVE YOU GOT A STORY? Share your experience! Case studies, stories and letters welcomed. Send your paragraph or article to info@lilliworks.com. ClassifiedsClassified Ads Available (limited listings per month) – FREE.
- Discount Program Available: For low income households only. Call for more information. Tax return required. - Active Learning Gathering, Northern California, Saturday Sept. 15th, 12-3pm at the Wrobel’s, 535 Palace Ct. Alameda, CA. All interested in Active Learning invited including children and older learners. Equipment will be available for play. Pot luck - Bring a dish. (510) 522-1340. - END - |
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