Students who are hard of
hearing face many challenges in a typical classroom. There are physical issues, teacher challenges, and isolation
scenarios to keep in mind.
1. The
“physical” classroom issues include:
- Acoustics of the classroom;
harder to hold lectures, teacher voice variation can be affected
- Acoustics can affect a
hearing aid, as well; cement floors/walls, noisy heating/cooling systems, lack
of soft sound absorbent materials
2. Some
teachers challenges to consider:
- Moving around the
classroom (proximity, behavior control) = poor acoustics
- Turning back to the
class (writing on board) = inability to lipread
- Looking down
(demonstrating activity) = inability to lipread
- Facilitating class
discussion
- Playing video presentations
*always have Closed Captioning on
3. Students
who are hard of hearing may feel isolated, which could include the following
scenarios:
- Hearing a teacher’s
question … not able to answer
- Hearing a student’s
question/comment … not able to join in conversation
As a teacher, there are
specific practices to be followed when there is a student with an assistive
listening device (ALD) in the classroom:
1. Be knowledgeable: about the device, ask
for training
2. Learn ahead of time how
the ALD will be used with the student
3. Careful microphone
position: 3-5” from mouth, away from noise source (projector, etc.)
4. Check with a
professional about the best positioning of the receiver/speakers
5. Prepare the other
students: explain how the ALD will be used in the classroom, reminder to speak
one at a time, pass the microphone/transmitter to students (if possible). As a teacher: repeat student
question/comments
6. Face the student –
visual cues help understanding
7. Use the ALD for
audiovisual presentations
8. On a regular basis do
listening checks with the equipment and follow a maintenance routine/schedule.
“Being able to communicate
your thoughts, feelings, and ideas is absolutely critical to being successful
in school and the workplace.” (Dell, Newton, Petroff, 2012, p. 139)
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