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.