ABSTRACT

Pupils with a fragmented view of the world will need time to learn to look and listen in a distraction-free environment for parts of the day. These areas can be specially equipped dark or light rooms or an adapted area of the classroom. The Resources section in Part 2 has suggestions for toys and other materials to encourage children to look and locate in a darkened room, and the Curriculum document in Part 2 has ideas for suitable activities. There is an example in Chapter 9 of using a simple drama session in a dark room to encourage looking and listening skills, and once teachers start to experiment themselves they will be excited by the possibilities. Longhorn (1997a) suggests ways of using ultraviolet light to reinforce the curriculum and, whether or not this is available, activities can be adapted for use with alternative light sources, even as simple as a torch. Expensive equipment is not necessary — of greatest importance is the imagination and enthusiasm of the teacher and his or her relationship with the pupils. Skills learned in these settings will need to be practised in small groups in the classroom, in larger, whole school activities and in the wider community. Pupils may need to return to a controlled environment regularly throughout their lives, but the emphasis should always be on offering opportunities to use a sensory approach to learning in contexts which mirror real life as closely as possible (see Figure 2.1).