The Teaching And Learning Process Of Reading Comprehension To Students With Visual Impairment

Oleh :
Dika Pranadwipa Koeswiryono - X2210009 - Fak. KIP

The research was conducted at SMP YKAB Surakarta, a school that provides good education for students with visual impairment. The seventh and eighth grade was the subject of the research. As a descriptive study, this research is aimed at describing the teaching and learning process of reading comprehension to students with visual impairment. It would discuss the teaching learning process at classroom, the problems appeared and the solutions to the problems. At the teaching preparation, the teacher had some guidance from lesson plan, yet practically, he preferred to manage the teaching and learning process with his own way. He occasionally converted the reading texts into Braille but mostly dictated them for the students. Subsequently, he asked the students to resume the text and read it in the next session. In evaluating, the teacher held daily exam for obtaining mark from the students. At final semester examination, the questions on worksheet had to be dictated, to be answered by the students in Braille. Problems on the teaching and learning process were the lack of time to convert the text into Braille. Dictating the text might solve the problem temporarily, but this solution lead to another difficulty for the students to write the word in correct spelling. Hence, the teacher was supposed to spell the words clearly. The next problem was the difficulty in searching the meaning of a new word, as there was no dictionary printed in Braille version. Fortunately, software that accommodates needs to search the meaning of words had been provided, and could be installed in some of the students’ mobile phone. Also, students’ absences of vision lead to their lack of conceptual ability. Anticipating to that problem, from the very early year of their study at the school, the students were introduced to various objects in their environment. In conducting semester middle or final exam, it was improbable to convert the whole text into Braille, due to the lack of time. Hence, several teachers were assigned to dictate the text for the students. The teacher who graduated from special education was not designed to teach English. On the contrary, teacher from English department was not proficient in teaching special needed students. For that reason, government provides special training for regular teacher to teach special students, as well as those from special education, who assigned to teach specific subject.