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.
We had similar posts about the socialization and DHH students! One thing I know I forgot to mention was also educating the class on what an FM system is and or an interpreter depending on what the DHH student is using. These two aspects that are foreign to the hearing students. By explaining what an FM system is or what an interpreter is used for can help them be less of a distraction in the classroom. Along with explaining what an interpreter is I would go a step further to explain what visual split attention is: this will let the student in on why the interpreter or Deaf educator are following the regular education teacher around.
ReplyDeleteBuilding a rapport with parents is crucial but may not always be the easiest of things to do. Parents are busy with their jobs and as well as being a parent to one or multiple children. Like you, I stated that it's important to find the best way to communicate with them. I also felt that a weekly or monthly newsletter could beneficial; especially to the parents who are harder to communicate with.