Students who are deaf or hard of hearing present unique opportunities and challenges for literacy instruction in mainstream classrooms. By addressing the specific needs of this diverse student community, teachers are given the chance to sharpen instruction and create learning opportunities for the entire class. The authors discuss two easy‐to‐follow principles that will increase literacy outcomes for students who are deaf or hard of hearing and all other learners by making content and thinking visible and optimizing access to the language and thoughts of all readers and writers. Practical tips and strategies are based on research and experience across a range of settings, including schools for the deaf with signing students, and mainstream classrooms with students who use listening and spoken language are included.
Parents, teachers, and administrators report concerns and challenges related to the transition from early intervention (EI) to preschool for children who are deaf/hard-of-hearing. The goal of the current article is to assist teachers, administrators, and specialists involved in the transition of a young child who is deaf/hard-of-hearing from EI into preschool. The TEAM approach involves Transition planning, establishing an Educational team, determining and providing appropriate Accommodations, and Making connections for continued success. Although the TEAM approach may apply to all young children transitioning, the focus of this article is on addressing the unique needs of this particular population. Recommendations and resources are provided.
There is little research on effective educational experiences for deaf and hard‐of‐hearing (d/hh) children in Jamaica. Using a formative and design experiment framework, in this project we explored the potential efficacy of an intensive literacy camp that provided professional development for d/hh adults working in classrooms with d/hh children, and provided literacy instruction for elementary‐age campers. We found that the children improved in all tested areas, and observations of d/hh adults provided evidence that with minimal training they were able to implement important facets of literacy instruction with the campers. Further research on these types of experiences and their potential for lasting impact after the camp is necessary.
The ability to write clearly and effectively is an important communication skill that is necessary for school and employment, as it is often the best way to disseminate information and ideas. Both unrecorded sign and speech are ephemeral, but writing allows the author to share an experience or idea long after an event or thought has occurred. Developing writing skills will support Deaf and hard of hearing students (DHH) and Deaf students with additional disability labels in becoming more effective communicators, and will increase their academic and reading success.
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