A resonance board gives a child more feedback, which facilitates their development of spatial and auditory awareness and helps them become a more active learner. This approach can be used with many individuals, but is especially beneficial for learners who are blind and visually impaired or DeafBlind and have additional disabilities.

Active learning is based on the work of Lilli Nielsen, from Denmark. The philosophy behind it is that when given opportunities to learn from their own exploration and examination, children will become as independent as possible and gain skills that enable them to fulfill their own needs, interact with others, and gradually become ready to respond to instructions and education (Nielsen, 1993, p. 19)

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Resonance Board…What is it?

Thinking Pod

Thinking Pod

  • Think about the student sitting or lying on a resonance board and the fact that her weight will push down the board at the center. Therefore, when she drops the item, it will roll back toward and touch her.

  • How many items would you put on the board at once?

    Probably only one or two at a time until the student starts to recognize the item and where it is in relation to her body. You might even play with those items with the student before she goes onto the resonance board.  This is also another way of introducing vocabulary.

What and why do you use a resonance board? There are two students shown in the video who are using the resonance board with items that have qualities the students will notice or are likes of theirs at other times of the day.

Introducing the Resonance Board

Thinking Pod

Thinking Pod

  • Would you lift the student and place him in the center of the board or is the student more mobile and can get on the board himself?

  • Notice the outline of the student form and consider using it so you can remember what and where you put these items on the board.

  • Later you may consider moving one of his preferred items to a new location and observe the student for signs that he is surprised and maybe even searching for that liked item.

Ways of introducing the resonance board to the student

Resonance Board…What about feet?

Thinking Pod

Thinking Pod

  • If someone was sitting with the student, she might call attention to what the student is exploring. Example: Christopher “your feet are on the wall”, possibly repeating the word and/or use the sign for wall under his hands.  Then refer to walls where ever he is going at school and home.

  • Did you become distracted or confused with so many people talking in the video?  What would the student be thinking?

These students use their feet in different ways for different reasons. Three students of varying visual impairments and hearing levels are using their feet to explore the items on the board and developing concepts.