6 Useful Tips for Effective Deaf Education
While teaching deaf students, a teacher can apply certain strategies that are different than those used for teaching a regular class. Deafness in children can be permanent or temporary caused by cold or other disorder, especially in early grades. In any case, learning becomes interesting when teacher includes fun in teaching. Curt Radford, a passionate teacher to deaf students (& deaf himself) and author of 21 Really Fun ASL Games, a book containing 21 sign language games, believes that every human should have fun while learning so as to retain more. Therefore he strongly recommends the use of these sign language games. Here are some more tips to become successful in deaf education.
1. Simple Instructions
Keep your instructions as simple and brief as possible. Repeat them once or twice, and while repeating, avoid paraphrasing. Be exact and to the point regarding the instructions. Announcements like exam dates, due dates of assignments, etc should be defined clearly. If you want to make any changes, give a notice well in advance. If there is a lecture or seminar, you should provide its handouts well in advance, preferably electronically. Information of lectures should be presented in a visual format like PowerPoint slides, chalkboard, handouts, overheads, etc. While giving instructions, you need not stick to only one way, but, if required, you should use more than one way. Break a big piece of information into smaller ones. Also while instructing about a new task, break it into smaller steps. While speaking, face the class, so as to make sure that deaf students can “see” you. Allow additional time for getting things clarified. Take pauses during your lecture or instructions. Repeat questions and comments of other students, particularly from the back rows. Take the name of students who asked the question or made the comments, so that deaf students can concentrate on the speaker. After the recess, while resuming the class, get deaf students’ attention.
2. Be Flexible
While working with deaf students (or students with any disability) you should be flexible. Thus you should allow your deaf students to work independently with audiovisual material for a longer duration of time. You can also go out of the way to help these students find a good note-taker in the class.
3. Encourage Them
During discussions, you should encourage deaf students to participate and speak. Also you should allow many extra moments for oral responses during class discussions. You can also ask a student to team up with deaf students and volunteer for hearing to help in in-class assignments. Try to provide copies of audio information.
4. Vision is the Primary Sense of the Deaf
Deaf students rely on their vision as a primary source of getting information. Therefore, materials like diagrams, videos, overheads, diagrams and other such visual tools help provide them information.
5. Try to Speak Directly to Students
An unhindered view of the sign language interpreter is very necessary for deaf students. You should speak directly with the students and the interpreter will explain your words to the student. However, you should not allow the answer for the student. But, s/he can voice what the student commented through signs.
6. Include Interesting Components
As recommended by Curt Radford, any human is more interested in learning if it is fun. Include interesting elements in your lecture, like games, stories, etc. to make your teaching interesting. It’s not only about fun, but also enables students to understand the subject better.
Apply these strategies in deaf education and you will be a favorite teacher of your students.
