ORGANISATION is key !
Kerri discovered LEGO Braille Bricks early on. She shares her interest in the method and some tips on how best to use them with her students.
Written by Kerri Peet Somerton from Canada
Jun. 21. 2023
My name is Kerri and I am a TVI (Teacher for the Visually Impaired) in St. John's, Canada. I have been in this position for 13 years and I am always looking for new and exciting ways to teach braille to my students. I heard about LEGO Braille Bricks a few years ago and when the opportunity to attend the training and receive my own personal set of bricks came up, I jumped at the chance.
Fast forward to today... training done and bricks in hand. I have a braille student this year and he absolutely loves using the braille bricks. We use them quite often and always in different ways. The possibilities are endless.
After a year of using the bricks, here are my tips. I can say that organisation is the key to using the bricks to their full potential. What I personally found worked best (I wanted my pupils to be able to access the bricks independently) was to use stackable, inexpensive drawers. I labelled them with print/braille, sorted the bricks into the drawers and they were ready to rock and roll!
A word of advice... Do yourself a huge favour and familiarise yourself with the activities already listed on the LEGO bricks website. They are categorised by level and type of activity and are a fantastic stand-alone or spring board for your own activities.
There are really an endless number of games, lessons, etc you can use your bricks for! Everything from silly, fun games to structured lessons. The best part is that no matter what you choose, students are learning. There is so much incidental learning that happens just by giving your children the bricks and letting them explore.
"You can just let the kids have fun with the bricks. I promise you they are learning!"
Tips from M&M
Kerri is right, sorting the bricks makes life easier for both the children and the teachers. We have some videos here to help with sorting the bricks.
