Final Week

Describe your notebook or file box.

For the project I created a notebook. At first I was really not looking forward to this assignment because it sounded like a lot of research. When I actually started trying to find things for my binder I was surprised that it was actually fun. I never knew how much information and resources were out there. Pretty soon I was printing off everything. Even things that I wasn't sure I would ever need but knew there was a possibility. I loved finding new strategies that I  had never heard of and thinking of the ways I could make it work for my students. I think that this assignment is an awesome idea. It forces us to search for strategies on our own and to use critical thinking when applying them to deaf education.

Do you think this will be helpful during student teaching?

I definitely plan on using my binder during student teaching. I even thought about that as I was completing it. I think every strategy that I found could be used with these students. I can't wait to try out some of the new ones that I found. I think I will continue to add to my binder as well. I love having everything in one place so I am able to find it when I need it. I think this project will be so helpful during student teaching and beyond.

Week 12

What are three pointers you have learned  in using instructional strategies?

One pointer that I have learned during this class is how to use deeper thinking questions. It is so easy to ask students "what" questions but it requires a lot more thought for them to answer "why" questions. We should get out of the identifying questions pretty early on in elementary and moving on to more complex, deeper thinking questions.

Another pointer that I have taken from this class is how to help our students transition. I never realized how important this aspect of a deaf educators job was. I learned all of the different things involved in transitioning our students and how to make it easy on them, the parents, and ourselves. Part of teaching our students to transition is allowing them to attend their own IEP meeting and contribute to future plans. The class on transition was probably one of the most insightful classes this semester and has helped me to understand more about my duties as a deaf educator.

The third pointer that I have learned in using instructional strategies is the importance of having a solid behavior plan. There are so many different behavioral strategies out there and it is important to find one that is motivating for your student or students. All students are different and will be motivated differently. For this purpose you may have to have several behavior plans or perhaps just one will work. Whatever the case it is important to have a solid behavior plan in place for each student, young and old.

Has your viewpoint of teaching changed after taking this course? How or how not?

I wouldn't say that my viewpoint of teaching has changed. I would say that I now feel better equipped to be a successful teacher. I still feel the same about teaching. I am still excited to work with kids but I now feel that I have many "tricks in my bag" to help me do so. I think that I am now more aware of all of the aspects that my future career entails but I am ready to take it on.

Week 11

How can you prepare to address transition for students who are Deaf/HH?

Transition is something that I really did not know much about before this class. I knew it was something that we needed to prepare our kids for but that was all that I knew. After we discussed it in class I know have a much clearer picture of what all that entails. I think that one way to prepare our students for transition is to let them know that it is coming. Our students usually aren't big on change in routine so it is important to warn our students that this is coming up and let them in on what you are going to do to prepare for it. Having the student attend their IEP meetings is also a good way to help them to transition. I think it important that the student is part of the plan whether it be college or the work force. If the student is going to be attending college then it is important that we, as well as the parents, help the child prepare for tests like the ACT and the SAT and filling out college applications. If the student is planning on joining the work force then it is important to teach them how to fill out job applications and how to be professional during a job interview. There is a lot that goes into transitioning our students and I think it is important to be knowledgeable in every aspect so that we can prepare our students to the best of our abilities.

What do you think is important for students to learn as they prepare to graduate?

I think it is important for our students to know how to function in the hearing world. Deaf Culture is extremely important but the reality is that this is a hearing world. Math, science, English, and social studies, are all important but that is not the only thing we are responsible for teaching our students. We also need to teach them how to communicate with others who don't speak their language, how to order at a restaurant, how to ask for something they need while in the grocery store. It is also important to teach them how to socialize and make friends. To me, all of these things are just as important as the core subjects and it is our job to teach these things as well.

Week 10

Students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing often have difficulty socializing and making friends with their peers. How can you address this within your classroom?

This is a difficult task for teachers. I think the first thing that should be done is introducing the other students to the child's hearing loss. I think it is important to explain to them in very plain terms what it is and about the amplification the child has to wear. If the child and the family are comfortable with it I think it is also a good idea to let the other students come up and touch the child's amplification. I think if all of this is taken care of at the beginning then the children will accept the child with a hearing loss as no different than anyone else. It is important to encourage the child who is deaf or hard of hearing to make the effort to communicate. A lot of times children are discouraged because they have to work hard to listen and often times don't want to put the effort in. This results in the child secluding themselves. It is important to teach them self-advocacy and how to make themselves understood.

Communicating with parents is very important. What are some ways you can communicate with parents and is there a better way than another?

There are many ways to communicate with parents but I think the best and most effective way is face to face. This eliminates the possibilities for unnecessary misunderstandings. However, sometimes that is not always possible. I think phone calls or emails are both acceptable ways to communicate with parents depending on your relationship with them. I also think it's a good idea to put out a monthly news letter for the parents letting them know what is coming up for the students. This way parents are always in the know and can contact the teacher if necessary.

Week 10

If you are having a student who is struggling to pay attention in their regular education class, what are some strategies you can use to help the student attend?

I have a student who is struggling to pay attention in their regular education class room I will first have a discussion with the regular education teacher. Together we will assess what might be causing the problem. I will make sure that the child is sitting in an appropriate spot based on their hearing loss. We will then assess whether or not the child is understanding the material. This could be an underlying reason for the child's difficulty to pay attention. If all of these things are addressed then I will then give the teacher strategies she can use to help the child pay better attention such as capturing the student's attention before the lesson begins. This can be accomplished by using a motivating introduction. Another way to ensure that the child pays attention is providing lots of opportunity for the students to participate. Praising students who are being attentive will also motivate the inattentive child to do so as well.

Positive Behavior Supports or PBS is a program some districts or schools implement. Complete a mini-research regarding this program. Do you think this is a beneficial program? Why or Why not?

I think the PBS program is beneficial. I think it is beneficial because it really focuses on what is causing the undesired behaviors. It is important to understand the underlying reasons the behaviors are occurring before we can correct the problem permanently. In order for this program to work the techniques must be feasible, desirable, and effective. I really think this program is beneficial for not only the students but the educators as well.

Week 9

While I was searching for strategies to teach Science and Social Studies I ran across several ways to teach vocabulary. One strategy I found was having the child look up the word and then use it in their own sentence. This ensures that they not only know the definition but also understand how to apply it. When teaching these subjects I think it is very important to pre-teach the vocabulary so that the students are not lost during the lectures. It is important to incorporate vocabulary activities using the new words before prior to teaching the actual material.

I think one of the most important ways you can prepare to teach these two subjects is to know the subjects yourself. We cannot expect to teach students to understand something if we do not understand it ourselves. I think we as teachers need to know the material well enough that we can alter and modify it in ways that our students will better understand.


I think a good way to expand on similarities and differences and get our children to the level of creating metaphors and analogies is providing lots of modeling. It is important for the children to see this kind of language being used. I think our students will require more explicit teaching of these things than children without a hearing loss. I think a good way to start this could be making a list comparing two things and then plugging those words into a sentence. The teacher could provide several examples and then ask the students to create their own.

Week 8

The authors noted the lag in development of mathematics concepts is due to delays in language development, lack of exposure to life-based problem-solving, and inadequate pre-service teacher preparation in the area of mathematics. Do you agree or disagree.

I agree with this statement. The language used in mathematics is sometimes difficult for us as hearing people to understand and it is especially difficult at times for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. I also think that children who are deaf or hard of hearing do not get as many opportunities to problem-solve in real life. Some of this is due to over protective parents and lack of incidental learning.

 I think teaching math to students who are deaf or hard of hearing requires a lot of pre-teaching of vocabulary terms and concepts. This isn't always possible in larger classes and many of these students are mainstreamed into the regular education classroom. I think teachers need to be made aware of this language barrier that our students face when it comes to math and provide individualized instruction whenever possible or consider sending these students to the deaf education classroom for math.

Week 7

The CAEBER sounds like an awesome program. I had never heard of it until I went to complete this assignment. From the research I did it seems to be a program that teachers attend and at the end they are qualified to be on-site ASL/English Bilingual Professional Development (AEBPD) mentors at their respective schools/programs. According to www.gallaudet.edu CAEBER promotes a national collaborative effort among educators, parents, and researchers who work together to respond to the educational needs of deaf and hard of hearing children through these strategies

Promotion of the appropriate use of scientifically research-based language planning in educational settings

Promotion of the acquisition, development, and use of both ASL and English for academic purposes for deaf and hard of hearing students as well as their parents and educational staff 

Training for educational staff in the strategic use of ASL and English as languages of instruction in educational settings 

Promotion of an understanding and appreciation of language and cultural diversity

These strategies could be easily incorporated into any deaf classroom. I think it is important for children to have a good solid foundation in English for academic purposes even if they use ASL as their main mode of communication. I think this is what we have been taught to do all along. However, if we do have a child who uses ASL I think it is important to be fluent in both and to have an appreciation for the language and the culture itself.

Week 6

Several approaches and suggestions were mentioned by the authors, however challenges continue to impact educating students who are D/HH. In thinking of your classroom, what components of reading and writing do you feel are important to teach and how will you teach them?

The subject of teaching reading to D/HH students is something that is talked about a lot in the field of Deaf Education. Research shows that it is a struggle to get D/HH students reading on grade level after the third grade. This is something that needs to be remedied. I personally feel that all components of reading and writing are important to teach these students. I feel that if these components are being taught to children without a hearing loss then they also need to be taught to children with a hearing loss. These children deserve the same education but it just needs to be delivered in a different way. Children who are deaf and hard of hearing need more explicit instruction when it comes to reading and writing that children without a hearing loss do not always require. I think it is extremely important for these children to get this direct and repeated instruction for letter sound correspondence. This is the beginning of learning to read and if they do not have a solid foundation here then they will continue to struggle throughout the reading process. Comprehension is also a component of reading that is often difficult for children who are D/HH. I think read-alouds and repeated readings could both be strategies that could help in this area.

Writing and editing their own writing is something that children who are deaf and hard of hearing also struggle with. I think this too can be fixed with direct teaching and repeated practice. These children take longer to process things than children without a hearing loss and sometimes all it takes is for a teacher to spend more time on things and give them more opportunities to practice.

Actual Week 4: Just Realized I Wrote Week 5 Where Week 4 Should be...#Fail

Stages of Development vs. Common Core Standards vs. Curriculum Scope and Sequence vs. Hierarchy of Skills

I think all of these have their place when it comes to teaching children with a hearing loss. I would start with stages of development since children with a hearing loss are sometimes behind developmentally in certain areas such as speech and language. If a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing were to start with common core the child may lack some of the prerequisites that are necessary in meeting those standards. Another way to begin with a child with a hearing loss that may be behind developmentally would be a hierarchy of skills. After one skill is mastered move on to the next. If a child is functioning at the appropriate level developmentally then I think it is important to stick with the curriculum that his/her peers are being taught in the regular education classroom. I think it is important to assess the child's present level of performance before deciding where to start.

When the child expands and progresses in skill then we will shift our focus on to the next skill in either a hierarchy of skills or meeting the next common core standard. No matter which method is used all of the skills build upon each other and it is important that some be mastered before moving on to others. However, some skills can be taught simultaneously. I believe that all of these methods have a place but it is important to assess where the child is academically and developmentally before deciding on which method might be most important for that child.

Week 4

In teaching a lesson, when should you use cues, questions, and advance organizers? What adaptions might these need in working with students who are Deaf/Hard of hearing?

Cues, questions, and advance organizers can be used when further engaging students in new content. These things help students to access prior knowledge and promote better understanding. The more a child knows about a subject the more engaged that child will be in the learning. There is a place for these tools in every lesson. However, as educators of the deaf and hard of hearing we are often faced with modifying teaching techniques for our students. A few ways these teaching tools can be modified is maybe having the teacher fill out the advanced organizer while the student tells them what to write and providing lots of visuals for the cues and questions.

What are your thoughts on homework? Will you assign homework? How often do you think students should have homework? Do you agree with the authors in CITW? Why or why not?

I am really torn on this subject. Part of me thinks that the children are in school eight hours a day five days a week and home should be for family. Another part of me thinks that it is beneficial. The book says that the amount of homework assigned is directly related to the grade level which I agree with. I do not believe that homework is necessary or even beneficial for lower elementary students other than maybe getting them used to having it for the older grades. At the high school age there is so much content to cover sometimes it seems that homework is the only way. I think my assigning homework will depend on the grade level. I do not think I will assign homework for elementary aged students. I think if I do assign homework to middle school students it will be minimal and I will assign high school students homework but it will not be as extensive as many schools do. I believe that education is almost the most important thing, but it is not more important than family and the experiences you get when spending time together. I know not every student goes home to be with their family and a lot of them play video games, watch movies, or hang out with friends but I wouldn't want to eliminate that possibility. All in all I do agree with what the book has to say regarding homework.

Week 3

There are many things to keep in mind when assessing a child with a hearing loss. There are so many factors involved that are essential in assuring that you are getting an accurate assessment of that child's abilities such as the language in which assessment is administered, the modifications that are made for that child, the environment where the assessment is given, and the person giving the assessment.

The language in which the assessment is administered is vital to the outcome. If a child who is deaf and relies on ASL to communicate is given an assessment is spoken English the outcome of that assessment will not be an accurate representation of that child's abilities. It would be similar to giving a native Spanish speaker directions in English. That person would not be able to follow those directions at all, let alone correctly.

When giving an assessment to a child who is deaf or hard of hearing it is important to keep in mind the kind of modifications that that child needs in order for it to measure his/her true abilities. These modifications can include extra time on a timed assessment, having the test signed, and repeating questions on the assessments. It is important to make sure that, when modifying an assessment, you aren't supplying the child with the answers. It is also important to list the modifications that were made to the assessment.

A factor that is often looked over is the environment in which the assessment is administered. If a child is in an unfamiliar environment it is possible that that child will not perform as well as he/she would if they were in an environment where they felt more comfortable and at ease. The child should be made familiar with his/her environment before the administration of the assessments.

The person administering the assessment also plays a big role in its outcome. It is much like the environment. If the child is not familiar with the adult giving the assessment it is likely that he/she will not perform as well as they would if they were comfortable with the administrator. It is important to make sure the child is comfortable with the adult and that the adult is knowledgeable and skilled in giving that particular assessment

I do not believe that you should only give assessments designed for the deaf and hard of hearing population but I do believe that tests that are not normed on this population do require certain modifications. Assessments that are normed on the general population can still provide useful information on a child who is deaf or hard of hearing.

Communication between teachers is one of the most vital components of being an educator. There are many different ways to communicate with colleagues and I don't think there is necessarily a 'best' way. I think the best way depends on the situation. I generally believe that, whenever possible, teachers should communicate face-to-face. However, that is not always feasible. Educators are very busy people and are not always available at the same time in order to communicate face-to-face about a child. In these cases I believe that it is perfectly acceptable to email or call. I plan on utilizing all of these communication opportunities when I become a teacher.  

Week 2

Educational Placement
Educational placement of a student is one of the most important decisions that parents will ever make for their child. It is something that requires a lot of thought and research and it is our job as educators to provide parents with all of the options available to them. There are many things that factor into the educational placement of a child such as the degree of hearing loss, the mode of communication used, whether or not the child uses amplification, and many more. If parents decide that they wish to have their child mainstreamed in the regular education classroom the great "Push-in/Pull-out" debate arises. How often should a child be in the regular education classroom with his/her peers? How often should the child be pulled out of the regular education classroom to receive direct instruction from the deaf educator? This is something that I have only recently began to learn about and hadn't given much thought to before beginning this class. However, from the information I have gathered on the subject so far, I think that I will try to "push-in" as much as possible when I become an educator. I feel that it is very important for a child to get the same experiences as his/her peers whenever possible no matter what the child's disability or difference is. I also feel that it would be best and less confusing for the child if he/she was taught the material in the same way that the other students were taught. For example, if I were to pull a child out of the regular education classroom to teach him/her about long division there is a chance that that child might return to the classroom and be dividing differently than his/her peers were taught. This is because I would not know how it was being taught in the regular education classroom and teach it the way I was taught to do it. I am afraid that the more a child is "pulled-out" the more disconnect there will be between the child and his/her peers.

Attention Span in the Regular Education Classroom
Keeping a child's attention during instruction is a difficult task in and of itself. When that child is deaf or hard of hearing and the mode of communication being used is not his/her first language it becomes even more difficult. This child is having to pay twice as much attention than the other children because he/she must try to gather all the information they can auditorally from the teacher and then look to the interpreter for any information that was missed. This would be difficult for an adult to do all day let alone a child. I think it is important for the regular education teacher to be able to spot when a child is losing attention. This would be a good time for the class to take a drink or bathroom break or maybe just stand up to stretch. This short break might give the child the rest his/her mind needs to continue to take in the information. This is not something that I have had much experience with but I would love to learn techniques to draw a child's attention back to the lesson.

Week 1

I have learned so much about instructional strategies just in the first class alone. One thing that really stood out to me during the first lecture was the video we watched. In the video the point was made that no one instructional strategy is the strategy that should be used by all teachers. The strategy is not what is important, the results are. If you are using a strategy that is not producing the appropriate results then it is time to try something new. This sounds like simple logic but it was honestly something that I had never heard before. There is so much we are learning in these last few years of our education that it is difficult to know when and where to insert our own teaching style, especially when we are still discovering what that is. I feel that there is so much left to learn before we start our student teaching. During this class I would really like to learn how to give appropriate feedback to older students. I mentioned in class that this is a fear of mine because it seems so much different than giving feedback to young children. I would also like to learn how to deal with behavior from older students. Again, it seems so much easier to reprimand younger children and redirect them. I am excited for what is to come in CSD 764 and to gain knowledge that will carry me through student teaching and eventually my career as an educator of the deaf and hard of hearing.

Research shows that often times students with a hearing loss do not achieve greater than a 3rd grade reading level. This is devastating to me. I have always believed that the only thing that people who are deaf cannot do that hearing people can is hear. This means that there should be no academic gap but sadly, there is. This is a statistic that we have heard throughout our educational career and it is something that discussed in many classes. I think one thing that I would try to do to remedy this situation is provide direct phonics instruction. I would also incorporate visual phonics into the curriculum to be used as a reading tool and to teach letter sound correspondence. I would introduce comprehension strategies very early on and read to my children often so that they can apply these strategies. As deaf educators this is a problem that we need to take very seriously. In order for our children to be successful adults and go on to get a higher education I believe they must first be competent readers and successful writers.

After reading the first few chapters in "Classroom Instruction That Works" I have discovered several ways in which to provide feedback. These four guidelines were listed for providing appropriate feedback:

1. Provide feedback that addresses what is correct and elaborates on what students need to do next.

2. Provide feedback in appropriate time according to student's needs.

3. Provide criterion referenced feedback.

4. Involve the students in the feedback processes.  

 

In these chapters I also learned how to appropriately reinforce students. These guidelines were given in the reading:

1. Teach the relationship between effort and achievement.
2. Provide explicit guidance.
3. Have students keep track of effort and achievement.

After completing the reading I believe both tangible and verbal reinforcement have there place in the classroom. I think that if tangible reinforcement is used too often then it loses its effect but it can serve as a useful tool when used periodically. I think the most important thing about providing a child with reinforcement is that they understand it is directly related to effort. We must always praise a child for doing the best that they can. It is our job to guide them to the correct outcome but it is their job to first do all that they can do to arrive on their own.