Teaching Strategies Overview

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
​Effective instruction for students who are blind or visually impaired relies on carefully selected strategies that maximize engagement, accessibility, and independence. These strategies support all areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) and are most effective when implemented by a coordinated team—including the Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI), classroom teachers, related service providers, and families.
​Instructional planning should be guided by assessment data, classroom observation, and student feedback. Strategies are adjusted to match individual learning needs, ensuring that students can actively participate and demonstrate learning across academic, functional, and social contexts.

ECC Overview

Understanding the ECC framework ensures that instruction addresses the full range of skills necessary for independence and success.
  • Strategies: integrate compensatory skills, literacy, social interaction, orientation & mobility, assistive technology, and independent living into daily lessons.
  • Team Roles: The TVI leads ECC-focused planning; classroom teachers embed ECC objectives in core instruction; families reinforce skills at home.
  • Instructional need: indicated when students with visual impairments ​show gaps in areas beyond core academics.

Individualize Instruction

Lessons are tailored to each student’s visual, cognitive, and developmental abilities. Individualized instruction ensures that teaching is relevant, engaging, and effective.
  • Strategies: differentiated lessons, multi-sensory materials, varied modes of communication, and scaffolding for skills development.
  • Team Roles: TVIs design and deliver adaptations; classroom teachers implement modifications; families provide context for real-life application.
  • Instructional need: indicated when a student struggles with standard lesson formats or shows inconsistent performance.

Pacing Instruction

Adjusting the speed of teaching helps students process information without fatigue or frustration.
  • Strategies: chunk content, provide frequent breaks, allow extended response times, and monitor comprehension.
  • Team Roles: TVI manages pacing for specialized content; classroom teachers coordinate timing across the curriculum.
  • Instructional need: indicated when students appear overwhelmed or cannot keep up with lesson flow.

Build on Prior Experiences

Connecting new concepts to prior knowledge enhances comprehension and retention.
  • Strategies: use concrete examples, relate to real-life experiences, and scaffold learning based on previous success.
  • Team Roles: TVI references prior ECC instruction; classroom teachers reinforce links to core subjects; families provide context from daily life.
  • Instructional need: indicated when students fail to generalize skills or concepts across settings.

Building Trust

Trust and rapport are essential for engagement and willingness to try new strategies.
  • Strategies: consistent routines, predictable interactions, respect for independence, and positive reinforcement.
  • Team Roles: All team members model reliability and encouragement to foster confidence.
  • Instructional need: indicated when students demonstrate anxiety, resistance, or reluctance to participate.

Prompt Hierarchy

Using a structured system of prompts helps students respond independently while receiving appropriate support.
  • Strategies: verbal cues, gestural prompts, modeling, hand-over-hand guidance, and fading support over time.
  • Team Roles: TVI provides initial teaching and modeling; classroom teachers reinforce prompts consistently; families maintain continuity at home.
  • Instructional need: indicated when students require excessive assistance or fail to initiate tasks independently.

Ensure Success

Designing lessons to maximize opportunities for success increases motivation and engagement.
  • Strategies: clear expectations, task analysis, scaffolded steps, and immediate feedback.
  • Team Roles: TVI identifies achievable objectives; classroom teachers provide reinforcement; paraprofessionals and families support practice in daily routines.
  • Instructional need: indicated when students show frustration, avoidance, or repeated errors.

​Challenging Behaviors

Proactive strategies reduce disruptions and support positive learning.
  • Strategies: prevent triggers, teach replacement behaviors, reinforce appropriate responses, and use structured choice-making.
  • Team Roles: TVI leads behavior plan development; classroom teachers implement strategies; behavior specialists provide consultation; families reinforce consistency at home.
  • Instructional need: indicated when behaviors interfere with learning or social interaction.

​Student Aggression

Specialized strategies address safety and de-escalation while supporting learning.
  • Strategies: calm environment, clear boundaries, modeling safe behavior, and teaching self-regulation skills.
  • Team Roles: TVI and classroom teachers maintain safe instruction; O&M specialists and behavior support teams assist with crisis prevention; families reinforce regulation skills.
  • Instructional need: indicated when aggression presents safety concerns or interrupts learning.

​Hand Under Hand Support

This technique helps students explore materials safely and independently while building tactile understanding.
  • Strategies: guide exploration with minimal support, fade contact gradually, and combine with verbal instruction.
  • Team Roles: TVI models technique; classroom teachers and paraprofessionals provide consistent application; families can use it in home activities.
  • Instructional need: indicated when students cannot access materials safely or struggle with tactile exploration.

​Virtual Instruction

Remote instruction requires adaptations to ensure accessibility, engagement, and independence.
  • Strategies: screen reader-compatible documents, audio descriptions, tactile kits sent home, guided video lessons, and frequent check-ins.
  • Team Roles: TVI coordinates virtual lesson design; classroom teachers provide synchronous or asynchronous instruction; families assist with hands-on activities at home.
  • Instructional need: indicated when remote learning is necessary due to illness, travel, or school closures.

ECC Instruction

Teaching Strategies
Compensatory
Concept Development
Alternative Communication
Emergent Literacy
Beginning Braille​
Braille Code
Braille Fluency & Comprehension
Braillewriter
​​Slate & Stylus
​​Tactile Graphics
​Nemeth Code
Access Classes
​Abacus 
​Organize​
​Study Skills
​Time Management
​​​​Listening Skills
Sensory Efficiency
Support Sensory Needs
​Auditory Efficiency Visual Efficiency Skills ​​Optical Device Use
Tactile Readiness
Assistive Technology
Social Skills
​Non-Verbal Skills​​​​ ​Communicate Cooperative Identity ​Interactions
Self Determination
independent living
Personal Care
Hygiene & Grooming
Personal Health
Eating & Table Manners
Household Skills
Shopping & Consumerism
Clothing Management
Telephone
 Food Preparation
Money & Budget
Services
​Safety
Orientation & Mobility
Recreation & Leisure
Career & Vocational

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