Classroom tips

Classroom tips for teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing:

• When addressing the pupil say his/her name first and identify the topic you are covering.
• Seat the pupil for optimal listening and visual cues within the classroom. Ideally, this should be with the pupil’s back to the window, seated one third of the distance of the room from the teacher, not in the front row directly beneath the teacher.
• Beware of possible misunderstanding – avoid idioms, sarcasm, slang (if you use them, explain).
• Sometimes ask other pupils if they have heard or understood rather than always focusing on the child with hearing loss.
• Speak in an ordinary tone of voice, without exaggerated lip movements, and at a normal rate of speaking.
• Make sure your lips are clearly visible. Face the class, not the blackboard, when speaking.
• Make sure the room does not have bright lights shining directly in the child’s face. Back-lighting is ideal.
• Be aware that the pupil is unlikely to be able to lip read or fully hear during a film/slide presentation. Either use a captioned film or provide information (transcript) in advance.
• Institute a buddy system – such as a classroom helper or official note-taker.
• Provide an opportunity for the pupil to share information with the class about the hearing aid and/or FM system and how it works.
• Request in-service instruction to learn how to check your puil’s hearing aids; keep extra batteries on hand.
• Be aware that every child is an individual with his/her own strengths and limitations. Thus it is important not to have a preconceived notion of function based on the degree of hearing loss.
• Remember always to speak naturally and clearly. If using exaggerated mouth movements, extremely fast or slow rates of speaking or overly loud speech, the pupil may have difficulty understanding.
• Make sure always to make lip reading possible. Thus be careful not to chew gum or eat while talking to the pupils.
• Remember always to make a recognisable transition when moving on to a new subject.
• Consider passing around a written copy of the day’s and week’s assignments for all pupils, or writing assignments on the board.