Developing pre-service O&M specialists’ reflective practices to improve problem-solving opportunities during instruction

Abstract

The ability of instructors to promote problem-solving abilities is an important pedagogical skill. Providing well-planned problem-solving opportunities is especially vital in orientation and mobility (O&M) lessons. During personnel preparation programs, pre-service O&M specialists would benefit from developing a keen awareness of how well they encourage problem-solving in their instruction. This mixed-methods study reports on a process in which nine pre-service O&M specialists engaged during their blindfold techniques course. Each participant taught two lessons to a peer in their course, engaging in a retroactive think-aloud after each lesson. The process focused participants on the types of questions they asked to promote thinking and engaged them in reflection on how well the lesson met their intended objectives. Results indicated qualitative benefits noted by the participants of engaging in the process and also highlighted a need for further work with pre-service O&M specialists on question asking and allowing problem-solving and thinking opportunities during basic lessons.