How to teach a deaf child who can’t speak English
How to teach a deaf child who can’t speak English? Teaching a child who cannot speak English is an uphill task but if the kid is suffering from hearing loss then it can double the difficulty level. Mostly, it is believed that the hearing impaired students can do well in studies but it is completely a wrong notion.
If they do not manage to produce good results, it’s not their fault rather it is your failure as a teacher. There is no doubt in that hearing loss can badly affect a child’s performance in the class room but you turn things in our student’s favour by applying some simple teaching techniques.
Instructions
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1
First and the foremost thing you should do is to meet your students individually. Try to find out the level of their weakness as it will help you to design a proper strategy. Sometimes, students can understand English a little bit and you won’t have to arrange an interpreter for them. However, you may find in a situation when the students with severe hearing loss need some extra attention.
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2
Make students and their parents realise how important and effective an interpreter can be. Tell them that it does not mean your child is mentally challenged or disabled. Even a note taker can also be really helpful for parties, the teacher and the student. The kids who have limited English proficiency can also relish full benefits of this technique.
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3
Now, when you are in the class, establish eye contact with the student. Do not address the interpreter rather talk directly to your student. Do not punish if the child is not paying attention rather you should grab his attention by just touching on the shoulder or simply walking towards the student.
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4
You must speak loud for hearing impaired kids. Stand in front of the students and let them read your lips. Sometimes, hand gestures and facial expressions really help others to understand you. You should be standing in well-lit areas so that they can see you clearly.
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5
Use the blackboard as much as you can and you will notice a significant difference. Try to write important points of your lecture on the blackboard and give your students some time to write all these points in their notebook.
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6
During the class discussion, repeat every point more than one time so that hearing impaired students can understand the topic of discussion. Encourage them to speak by asking questions.
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7
Bring visual aids in the teaching process. For instance, pictures, videos and other graphic displays not only help the hearing impaired students but also others in the class.
