Gabe's AI Inservice
DEAF EDUCATION
The Hearing-Impaired Student in the Classroom
May have difficulty attending for long periods of time due to listening fatigue
Can look attentive and appear to understand when they do not
May miss part or most of the message when trying to take notes and listen to the teacher
May have language delays due to the inability to acquire language through incidental learning
May have difficulty following classroom discussions with multiple speakers
May not make their communication needs known to their teachers or alert the teacher to equipment malfunction
Most hearing-impaired students can’t understand announcements on the loudspeaker
May need extra time to process language when answering questions
May need to be allowed flexible seating
May need to provide copies of class notes when needed
ACCESS, ACCESS, ACCESS!!
-Learning issues are due to decreased communication access, not due to learning disabilities. Academic success is driven by communication access. This means accommodations are job #1.
-Lipreading and preferential seating cannot make up for not hearing all of what was said (play a bit of a fun lipreading mistake video to make this point (SEE NFL VIDEO BELOW)
-It takes more effort to learn when there are communication access issues. Students who are distracted or not following along may be taking a much needed listening (or interpreter) break.
-More of the same, is not enough. Students with hearing loss often need different teaching strategies for deep learning to occur, not more practice.
Hearing Loss Simulation with The Flintstones
Hearing Loss in the mainstream class
FM/DM Soundfield Tower
Roger Soundfield Distribution Speaker and Teacher Transmitter
“Five Things I Wish Everyone Knew About Hearing Loss”
From, Living With Hearing Loss, A Hearing Loss Blog
1. Hearing loss is exhausting.
You are constantly trying to make sense of the incomplete sounds you are hearing and turn them into a word or phrase that makes sense in the conversation. It’s like playing a continuous game of Wheel of Fortune filling in gaps to solve puzzles.
2. I am not stupid or rude.
I might answer questions inappropriately or miss the point of a conversation, but I am not stupid. I just misheard what you said. And if I don’t respond to you it is not because I am ignoring you. I just didn’t hear it.
3. Hearing aids and cochlear implants don’t work like glasses.
Hearing aids do not restore normal hearing like glasses can restore normal vision. They make all sounds louder, not clearer, and they amplify annoying background noise which can interfere with communication. Cochlear implants process sound very differently from how normal hearing sounds. It takes a lot of practice to make sense of this different way of hearing and success varies among users.
4. I do not need you to speak for me.
If someone asks me a question and I don’t hear it, please repeat it so I can answer for myself. Doing otherwise can be insulting or demeaning.
5. A few simple tricks can help a lot.
Face me when you speak to me and keep your lips visible. Don’t try to talk to me from another room and be sure to get my attention first before speaking. I want to hear you and am trying my best.
Auditory Memory Strategies for Students with Hearing Loss
A student demonstrates auditory memory when she can take in information presented orally, process and understand it, then store it in her mind and recall it at a later time. This can be an extremely difficult series of steps for an individual who is deaf or hard of hearing and experiences a different auditory signal, for example using cochlear implants and/or hearing aids.
A student’s auditory memory can be improved through direct instruction and practice using specific auditory learning strategies. These strategies can help all students improve their skills, regardless if they have deficits in auditory memory.
Rehearsal The student repeats the information aloud or to herself. It’s helpful if she repeats information aloud first, then quietly or silently while moving her lips.
Chunking The student divides information into shorter, conceptually-related segments. This is evident in the way phone numbers are “chunked” into three segments to help people remember.
Visualization The student creates a mental image of the information.
Targeting Instead of trying to recall unimportant details, the student identifies a key word or main idea.
Pattern Search Within a group of items, the student identifies patterns such as rhymes, patterns of numbers and similar colors and shapes.
Mnemonics The student associates a phrase, sentence or rhyme with the information. An example is My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles to help recall the order of the planets.
Role of the Itinerant Teacher of the Hearing Impaired
Provide in-service and consultation services for teachers concerning their student’s hearing loss
Assist with auditory equipment
Attend ALL ARD meetings
Provide direct instruction to (some) students in areas of language, listening, self-advocacy and social skills
Assess student progress on IEP goals
Ensure that IEP accommodations related to hearing loss are understood and carried out
Aid teachers in creating an environment that promotes success for their hearing-impaired student and gives that student the communication access they deserve
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
Ask open-ended questions to check for understanding, not “Did you hear that?”
Repeat what other students ask/say so the hearing-impaired student can participate in class discussions
Perform sporadic listening checks
Gain student’s attention before speaking and face student when speaking
Write important information on the board
Use captions for videos
Preteach new vocabulary/concepts
Encourage the student to ask for clarification when they don’t understand
Limit background noise as much as possible
Use the FM system correctly and consistently-even if the student says they don’t need it
Expect the same kind of behavior, responsibility, and dependability from the hearing-impaired student as you would expect from the rest of the class.
Gabe's Audiogram
How do you read an audiogram?
· The vertical axis of the audiogram represents sound volume or intensity, which is measured in decibels (dB). The more one moves down the axis, the louder the sound becomes. This corresponds to turning up the volume on a radio. Zero decibel at the top of the axis represents the softest sound a person is normally able to hear and is not an indication that you cannot hear any sounds at all.
· The horizontal axis of the audiogram represents sound frequency or pitch measured in Hertz (Hz). Sound frequency increases gradually the further one moves to the right along the axis. This movement can be compared to playing on the left side of a piano and gradually moving to the right side where the tone becomes more and more high-pitched. Frequencies between 500 Hz and 3000 Hz are most commonly used during ordinary conversation.
· During a hearing test the results are recorded on the audiogram by means of red Os for the right ear and blue Xs for the left one. The resulting red and blue lines show your hearing threshold for each ear, and the results may well differ.
· Generally speaking, the more markings below 25 dB or more, at frequencies which are normally used in conversation, the more difficult it is to hear what is being said. Importantly, in situations with a lot of background noise (such as school settings) it will often be even more difficult to hear properly.
Gabe's 8-9-22 Accommodations
Adapt Classroom Instruction
Allow small group administration of quizzes
Check often for
understanding/review/comprehension
Have student paraphrase or repeat directions to
ensure understanding
Modified spelling list
Modify workload or length of assignments/tests
Utilize manipulatives
Visual, verbal or tactile reminders to stay on task
Visual/Verbal prompts for multi-step tasks
Visually adaptive paper ( bold lines on
top and bottom with dashed line in center)
Manage Behavior
adaptive seating
close supervision during field trips
close supervision during PE
Devices are only to be used for educational purposes ( no rewards)
Follow routines or schedules
Gain his attention before speaking to ensure attention.
Provide immediate feedback for social/behavioral supports
routine sensory break before reading and writing activities
seating close to instruction
supervision during dismissal
Required Equipment/AT
Access to Hearing Assistive Technology in the classroom
Contact ME:
Tonya Garrett
Teacher of the Hearing Impaired
Plano Regional Day School Program for the Deaf
Office: 469-752-5179
Cell: 214-701-0841
Email: tonya.garrett@pisd.edu
Website: https://sites.google.com/pisd.edu/planordspdparent/home
Phone: 214-701-0841