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Ask for help > Teaching deaf children_ Advice needed!
Teaching deaf children_ Advice needed!
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izulia
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Teaching deaf children_ Advice needed!
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Hello everybody,
Last week my class was joined by 8 year old girl who has quite extreme hearing problem. She wears a hearing aid but she still doesn �t seem to hear clearly at all. Her parents are very rich and do whatever they can to keep her happy by buying her all sorts of expensive toys, etc. The problem is that the girl is very bad tempered and quite rude towards her Mum and other adults at school.
She doesn �t have any English at the moment, so she swears in her first language most of the time (I know this from my other students in class, who are quite shocked actually) when anybody tries to talk to her. She also tries to either hit you or run away from the class.
I wish her mother could come to class and stay for at least an hour every day to help her settle down, but she has another baby to look after.
I feel sorry for this girl. She cannot make proper sounds in her first language, it �s either mumbling or shouting. I never thought about it, but most of my activities for beginners are aimed at the children who can hear, so I feel quite helpless at the moment.
Her mother says she is not really expecting much academic progress, she just wants her daughter to have fun at school. But the problem is the little deaf girl finds it so difficult to follow just any kind of activity, unless it is a computer game. She gets tired from drawing, colouring very quickly.
The other problem is that she distracts other children in class quite badly.
I �m trying to research this issue online but I would really appreciate any kind of advice.
Thank you!!!
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17 Jun 2012
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papadeli
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It would be much better if another teacher could be with her during the lesson. She could help her understand better and lead her to the activities done. |
17 Jun 2012
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chat52ucr
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I guess u should look for online activities or games.... That will make her feel relaxed and enertained while shes learning english :) |
17 Jun 2012
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ju10
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Hi, Izulia, Nowadays we have to face that we have students with problems and we are not prepared for that. Have you tried a course to deal with deaf people? I am sure you �ll find fa way to communicate each other and have fun. Do you know the language of signals? This is the first step, then you �ll have many ideas to work with. Another problem is her mom because she doesn �t expect her child much academic progress. So, first try to give this child as much attention as you can. Try exercises where students have to move. Students love this kind of things. So if everybody does the activity I am sure she will follow her classmates. You can write the instructions in big letters for her to see. Something like: Stand up, Sit down, clap your hands, raise your hand, walk, jump, please. I have a blind student in class and I started learning Braille. I thought I was not able to work with but now I know that everything is possible. Be patient, my friend. Good luck. |
17 Jun 2012
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papadeli
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The best IWB interactive games I �ve ever used, in case you �re interested.
You could aso use flashcards. Some with pictures and some with words. Children don �t have to talk. They just make pairs: the word and the picture. The one who talks misses his/her turn!! You could play some music while Ss will be trying to find their match.
You could also ask this student to play the role of your assistant. Hand out worksheets, clean the board, collect their homework...
Greetings from Athens,
Sad Sophia 
EDIT: You could also pretend that all of your Ss are deaf or hard of hearing. What kind of lesson would you do in that case? No talking, just moving, pointing and looking. I think it could be inspiring... I think I�ll use the idea...
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17 Jun 2012
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Apodo
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She sounds as if she has behavioural problems and not just deafness. Is her behaviour normal in other classes? I would suggest a teacher/helper to work with her in the class. (Maybe the parents would pay?) It �s really not fair to teachers or other students if she is continually disruptive. |
17 Jun 2012
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PhilipR
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I think this girl shouldn �t be studying with regular students. Special education or a more personalised approach with possibly a tutor is needed. I agree with Apodo that putting her in a class could be very detrimental to the atmosphere and needs of other students.
If the parents are rich, this shouldn �t be a real problem. I wonder how she is doing in other classes. Talk to colleagues and find out. What about suggesting short one-on-one lessons?
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17 Jun 2012
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MoodyMoody
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She really needs grounding in her first language before trying to learn a second language. How is her reading and writing in Chinese? (Do children her age learn Pinyin? That might be very helpful if she knows it.) As ju10 implied, does she know Chinese Sign Language? She may be frustrated because she can �t communicate well in any medium.
I know that in the USA, when deaf students are mainstreamed (put into classes with regular students), the public schools are required to provide an interpreter and to make a special plan for meeting the student �s needs. So take Philip �s advice a step farther: talk with all of her other teachers and the principal/headmaster and decide what this girl needs and what the school can provide. I would recommend that she receive extra help in Chinese rather than taking an English class, but that �s just me.
You and the other teachers, unfortunately, will also need to enforce class and school rules with her: no swearing, no hitting, and no leaving class without permission. She should know better than to do that. It doesn �t sound as though there is mental retardation or autism involved, so in this way you can and should treat her like any other student. Be sure you get the parents on board with this as well. She isn �t going to like being disciplined at first, but it really is for her own good. Read Helen Keller �s The Story of My Life (which was made into the play and movie The Miracle Worker) for inspiration. |
17 Jun 2012
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