Visualizing and Verbalizing CD Rom???

Shay:

When I went for my V/V training, my instructor did not push any of the V/V products other than the manual. She did not push any of the products sitting on the table, especially the CD. She was very practical and didn’t really see the need to buy products you could easily make yourself. However, she did pitch the Specific Skills series, which I think are great. I’m sure the LMB people back home would be very upset to find out how little she pushed the V/V products.

Marilyn

I use the CD-rom occasionally merely as a break for my kids when they’ve been working hard. I don’t think it’s very good though. The child doesn’t have to work as hard because it’s set up in more of a multiple choice style. Rather than the student providing the images, the program provides three from which the student chooses the best. I think that when the goal is for the student to generate images independently, this isn’t so helpful. It’s a good change of pace though for kids who’ve been working hard so it does have its value. I can use it as a reward at the end of a session when a child is tiring. They always like the computer!

I was thinking of buting the cd rom I guess I will not. My son is 10 and they use v/v with him in school. I have also considered the v/v stories. Has anyone used the book? Also how about the vanilla vocabulary books, are they good?

Lisa:

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I do use the V/V stories and really like them. I feel that they’re good for starters. But once the student starts to plateau for a while, there are not enough stories, so you will need to find stories from other sources. I find the Specific Skills series very helpful.. I bought the Vanilla vocabulary books, but have not yet found a use for them.

Marilyn

Yes, I use the V/V stories but I use lots of other sources as well. LMB recommends the Specific Skill Series which is very good. In fact, many of the stories they use in their V/V training sessions come from these books. I’ve used them extensively. They’re interesting and fun for the students. When you choose stories to use for V/V in the early stages, you want them to be those that will provide good, strong images. Walter Pauk’s “Six-Way Paragraphs” are also good for that reason and work well with an older child of about middle-school and up. I don’t follow the questions in his book but just use the stories in a V/V setting.

As you progress through the program, though, you want to start using the student’s own school books so you can help them learn to apply the same skills to their content-rich subjects like geography and science. I also use the student’s own reading books, vocab books, etc. I think this is really a critical part of the V/V program so that the child can really learn that these are skills that can be applied to anything they’re learning.