SUPPORTING HEARING IMPAIRED STUDENTS IN THE MAINSTREAM CLASSROOM

SUPPORTING HEARING IMPAIRED STUDENTS IN THE MAINSTREAM CLASSROOM
Tip and information for Classroom Teachers

Have you, the classroom teacher, just been told that a hearing impaired student will be placed in your class? It is surely understandable that you might be nervous about this, but truly there is no need to be overly concerned. Hopefully you will have the support of the school’s Speech and Language Specialist, and a Teacher of the Hearing Impaired who will also work with your student. These specialists will also help you to support this student in your classroom.
The following tips and information are to help the classroom teacher understand, communicate with and fully enjoy this student.

FLUCTUATIONS IN HEARING -
Background noise, the student’s physical health, his distance from the sound source, and the pitch and intensity of your voice all affect the hearing-impaired student’s hearing acuity. Also, noise within and without the classroom, shuffling papers, closing desks, nearby conversation, fans, motors, moving furniture may make hearing of classroom instruction very difficult.
The lunchroom and gym are particularly difficult hearing environments due to the noise level and sound reverberation. Special attention must be given to insure that any important information or instruction given in these environments is personally received by the hearing-impaired student.

COMMUNICATING CLEARLY WITH YOUR HEARING-IMPAIRED STUDENT
Be sure to speak clearly, and to vary the pitch of your voice. Speak in a normal volume, and at a normal, moderate rate.
Use your body and facial expressions when speaking, and use your hands to emphasize your statements (of course, within normal, everyday parameters).
Hearing-impaired students, even students with a cochlear implant, rely heavily on “speech reading” (a combination of lip-reading, gestures and facial expression). Without seeing the speaker’s face, a hearing impaired student will miss much of what is said.
Therefore:
*Be aware of staying within the visual field of your student
*Be careful not to speak while turning to write on the board, or while walking around the room
*Try to keep your hands, books or papers away from your face while speaking.
*Keep hair from falling on your face
* Stay within 2-5 feet and in front of the student when speaking to him. If you are
side-by-side, be sure you are on the side of his implant or hearing aid.
*As much as possible, maintain a quiet and non-distracting learning environment.
If the student does not seem to understand what you have said to him after repeating the question once, do not repeat it the same way again; instead, rephrase the question.
The light should be on your face and not in the eyes of the student. Try not to stand in front of a window or strong lights, as the glare from the light can be distracting.
Be sure that there is enough light for the student to see your face when using overheads projectors or power point presentations.
Films should be captioned.

ORGANIZING THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT
Optimally, the seating arrangement in the classroom will allow the hearing ¬impaired student to see all his classmates. A horseshoe configuration works best, if space allows.
In addition, this student should be up front, and close to where the teacher is presenting.
During class discussions, help the hearing-impaired student locate the classmate who is speaking by pointing to the student as you call on him/her. Then re-phrase or re-state, what that student said. Summarize the important points of the discussion. This repetition and restatement, of course, actually serves all the students
Keep classroom noise to a minimum:
*Close the door to avoid noise from hallway activities.
*Desk chair feet can be padded with slit tennis balls fitted on them. This results in a much quieter classroom!.

AMPLIFICATION SYSTEM
You may be given an amplification system which will be set up in your classroom. The Speech and Language Therapist, Teacher of the Hearing Impaired, or other specialist will set this up and instruct you how to use it. The amplification system has also been found to improve the focus and attention of other students in the classroom.

ACADEMIC CONSIDERATIONS
Assignments should be given orally, and then written on the board
Due dates for all upcoming tests and other important events should be consistently written on a specific portion of the of board.
Check, when possible, and privately, that you’re hearing impaired student has understood important information. Have him tell back to you the important information.
State the topic to be discussed before initiating the conversation.
Sudden, hurried or casual change of topic may be very confusing for a hearing-impaired student. For example, interjecting information that is not related to the topic at hand (“oh, by the way, this may be on your test tomorrow,” or “don’t forget to bring a bag lunch for the trip tomorrow.”) will likely be missed information.
Also, avoid giving last minute, hurried information or instructions as children are noisily preparing to leave the class.
When working in small groups, allow this student and his group to work in the hall, or somewhere where it might be quieter.
All tests should be given in written form when at all possible; hearing-impaired students are at a great disadvantage when tests are given orally.
When presenting a lesson, make notes, outlines, or written examples on the board to support the student with written coverage as well as oral.
Idioms, sarcasm, metaphor, and other idiomatic phrases present challenges for hearing impaired students, and might require explanation.
When possible, use concrete visual aids that give information about the topic presented.
Demonstrate whenever possible.

WORKING WITH THE TUTOR/TEACHER OF THE DEAF
Hearing-impaired students will often work with a teacher of the hearing-impaired several times a week to support them in their class work. This teacher will emphasize key vocabulary, concepts, review, and studying for tests. This teacher will want to PREVIEW material with the student before it is presented in the class, so that he has a grasp of the new vocabulary and concepts. This prepares a foundation for greater learning in the classroom, and promotes the self-confidence and motivation to contribute in class. You and the teacher of the hearing impaired will be working as a team. To support this teamwork:
Provide the tutor with educational materials (textbooks, handouts, homework sheets, vocabulary, tests, project outlines) for that week’s classroom topics.
Create with the tutor a regular, weekly time to meet briefly for discussion and to share materials. Discuss what the student needs to preview that week, and what needs to be reviewed, any difficulties your student is having, and upcoming tests.

FATIGUE FACTOR
Focusing on listening carefully requires a great energy output. By the end of a concentrated lesson, or at the end of a day, you may notice that a hearing-
impaired student is “wiped out!” For teachers who have their students all day, it is
helpful to the student if you can reduce the noise level in the classroom several times
a day.

AND FINALLY— Privately tell the student that you need to know if he is having any difficulties in the classroom; that you are there to support him, and that it is his/her responsibility to let you know when he needs clarification or support of any kind.

This may seem like a lot to absorb, yet after a few weeks this will all become quite natural. You will soon get to know and bond with this student as you do with all your students.

PLEASE KNOW THAT YOUR DEDICATION AND CARE AS THIS STUDENT’S TEACHER IS DEEPLY APPRECIATED. THIS APPRECIATION WILL ENDURE FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people
will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them
feel.” —Maya Angelou

PAULA B. BORSODY, M.A.
CONSULTANT AND TEACHER OF THE HEARING-IMPAIRED