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1. University qualifications and prizes:
- 1982 Graduation in Philosophy
and Education Sciences.
- 1983 First prize nationwide
for the determination of Philosophy and Education Sciences studies.
- 1989 Doctorate in Philosophy
and Education Sciences
- 1990 Special merit prize
for Doctorate
2. Professional activity:
- 1985-1990 Education consultant
for the ONCE
- 1990 Director of Vocational
Training for the ONCE
- 1991-1996 Education consultant
for the ONCE
- 1991-1996 Associate Teacher
of Philosophy at Madrid University
3. Publications:
- 1995 "El sentido del tacto
como vía de acceso a la objetividad en Condillac".
- 1987 "Aristóteles
y Condillac: Dos ensayos críticos".
- 1996 "Tacto y objetividad.
Introducción a la teoría del conocimiento. El problema del
conocimiento del mundo externo en Descartes, Locke y Berkeley".
4. Training activities:
- 1994 Conferences given
on the education of the blind and visually impaired, at the International
Congress on Social Services for the Blind, organized by the ONCE.
- 1995-1996 Conferences
given as guest teacher at the University of Zaragoza.
AIM:
The design of a pre-reading method, based on the idea that each Braille symbol comprises a specific spacial form, to serve as a prior, introductory phase to the effective learning of the Braille system of reading and writing.
SUBJECT: Formal conception of the Braille system.
Summary of contents:
The purpose of this work is the preparation of pre-reading elements which favour the development of tactile abilities in the blind adult student, with a view to subsequent use of the Braille system.
Starting out from the assumption that the Braille code characters are first and foremost different spacial forms, in which the number of dots in the configuration is a secondary factor, the training of adults in tactile perception and recognition skills is both essential and of the utmost importance.
The principle behind the presentation of the Braille forms (still lacking a specific graphic meaning for the adult) is the synthetic analytical method which is based on spontaneous access to the object through a cognitive process. This is a two-part procedure: on the one hand, it involves a breaking down of the whole into its constituent parts, and on the other, a reassembly of the parts into a whole. According to this idea, there are three principal phases in the presentation of the different Braille forms:
1. Initial presentation of
the whole (the six Braille dots) as a complete reference form, on which
the remaining forms of the system are constructed through a process of
analysis.
2. The progressive dismantlement
of the whole into its constituent parts in order to arrive at the nucleus
of the system: the dot.
3. Finally, The synthetic analytical process culminates in the recomposition phase, and using the elementary unit as its point of departure, arrives back at the starting point: the six Braille dots.
The development of the different forms of Braille is structured upon ten blocks, each of which contains different series. The different forms follow a pre-established order which remains constant for all the blocks:
- Discontinuous sequence (separate forms)
- Continuous sequence (linked forms)
- A combined sequence of the two.
Block 1. This is structured around the complete generating symbol (the six dots), from which dots can be placed in different positions which always result in a five-dot formation.
Block 2. The reference shape comprises four dots in the formation 1346, which are the four corner points of the generating symbol. When the position of one of the four dots is changed, Braille shapes are achieved in right-angled configurations.
Block 3. The reference shape is based on dots 2345. While maintaining dots 2 and 5 in a fixed position, and varying the position of the other two, different Braille shapes can be developed.
Block 4. This is based on the formation made by dots 2346. This basic shape can be inverted both horizontally and vertically, and can thus create four different shapes.
Block 5. This is structured on the basis of three dots, numbers 134. When these are inverted horizontally and vertically, different shapes are obtained and these will always include "three corners" of the generating symbol.
Block 6. The point of reference here are dots 123. When the position of one, two or all three is altered horizontally, different shapes are obtained.
Block 7. The basic shape is made up of a combination of two horizontal levels with the generating symbol (dots 1245 or 2356). When one of the dots is omitted, different shapes are produced in different positions.
Block 8. The reference shape comprises one single level of the generating symbol (dots 14, 25 or 36). When the level of one of the reference form dots is altered, different block shapes are obtained.
Block 9. The reference shape comprises dots 13. Different shapes of the block can be obtained by horizontally changing one or both dots. Block 10. The reference is one single dot in any of its six possible positions.
The aim of the different activities which can performed with this pre-reading method should be for the adult to recognize how many dots appear and what their formation is, taking the generating symbol as the point of departure.
It is also recommended that all units are worked through with the pupil, as the different shapes are chronologically arranged.