Name of teaching material
Stringed balls self-made product
*The description appears by hovering the cursor over the image.
| Target | Children and students with intellectual disability in the elementary, junior high, and high school divisions (from children and students with eye–hand motor coordination to those who can count up to 10 out loud). |
|---|---|
| Disability category | mentally challenged |
| Teaching units / Applicable scenes | Japanese arithmetic, mathematics music activities for independent living other |
| Specific purposes |
1. In relation to eye–hand motor coordination: To move the balls by keeping the starting and ending points in mind. To track the moving balls with the eyes. In relation to space perception: To move the balls up and down, right and left, and in other directions. 2. In relation to number fundamentals (one-to-one correspondence and operation): Move one ball at a time to the music and the teacher’s voice counting numbers. 3. In relation to counting out loud: To count out loud to the music or movement of the body. 4. Other purpose: To count up to 10 out loud by using various counting words. |
| Considerations for disability characteristics |
1. Eye–hand motor coordination: Check whether or not the child’s eyes are moving along with their body. If the child’s eyes are not tracking the ball, the teacher may tell the child to do so or may track the movement with the child to show how it should be done. 2. Fundamentals of numbers: Initially, the teacher matches the music or the counting to the timing of when the child moves a ball. Gradually, change the tempo of the music or the counting to bring about awareness in the child so that he/she matches the movement of the ball to the music or to the teacher’s voice. 3. Counting numbers out loud: To encourage the child‘s speech, provide incremental help. This can be done by modeling the whole exercise or parts of the exercise as needed, or by delaying the start of modeling to encourage the child to start counting by him/herself. 4. Before beginning the activity, children learn about various counting words through homework, investigative learning, and other means. |
| Expected effects and results | * |
| How to use |
Basic method of use: The teaching material is used in pairs of teacher and child or two children. The teacher holds both ends of the stringed balls in front of a child. The child moves the balls one by one in the order in which they are stringed. The activity is completed when all 10 balls have been moved. Arrangement 1: Everyone sings one of our original songs together and moves the balls, one by one, while singing. The children take turns to play the part of holding the stringed balls and the part of counting the balls. Arrangement 2: Children count the balls by using various counting words (for example, hitotsu, futatsu, and mittsu in Japanese or one, two, and three in English) while moving the balls. |
| Related teaching materials and information |
The teaching material can be used in a wide range of learning activities, including the learning of numbers, colors, and space perception (direction). If careful thought is given to the colors painted on the balls, children can even learn the name of a color, the binary system (multiplication), and many other things. The children’s motivation can be increased by the use of an original song, for example, “The stringed ball song” (lyrics and music ♪ by Yuka Negishi). The thickness of the string can be adjusted to give friction and a sense of resistance suited to the child’s strength in moving the balls. * Reference: Mizuguchi, Fukashi, Learning from Each Child: the Development and Crafting of Teaching Materials and Tools (Gakuensha, 2006) (in Japanese). |
| Useful for other students |
- Informant Special Needs Education School for the Mentally Challenged, University of Tsukuba
- Keywords Eye–hand motor coordination, words, and numbers
- Created 2016-11-11 12:00:40
- Updated 2023-12-08 17:49:47