Title: Hearing Impairment: Teaching Strategies for an Inclusive Classroom - BrightHub Education
Headings: Hearing Impairment: Teaching Strategies for an Inclusive Classroom
Hearing Impairment: Teaching Strategies for an Inclusive Classroom
Page content
Considering Inclusion
Hearing Impaired Children In The Mainstream Classroom
Communication Strategies
Embracing Acceptance
Encouraging Self-Advocacy Skills
References
This post is part of the series: Inclusion and Disabilities

Content: Arranging buddy systems can also be a benefit if students are missing information. Educators can usually access more information and training through itinerant staff in their school district, if they wish to learn more about classroom accommodations, teaching strategies or specialized equipment. Teaching children with hearing impairments can be challenging for mainstream educators, therefore some specific accommodations and inclusion strategies should be outlined by the IEP team prior to a student being placed in the regular classroom. Communication Strategies
Some individuals and families rely on American Sign Language for communication and education, and others, who have slight to moderate hearing impairment, wear hearing aids and rely on lip-reading in the classroom. Either way, when a classroom includes students with hearing impairment, teaching strategies will need to be a little different from the norm. Teachers should provide seating with an unobstructed view of the instructor and lesson materials. They may also need to become more linear in their activities to increase the student’s understanding. For example, they should write on the board, then turn around and give instructions, rather than teaching with their back to students. This may take practice, since teachers tend to be natural multi-taskers. Regular education teachers and peers should strive to maintain eye contact when instructing or conversing with a hearing impaired student, even if an interpreter is needed to communicate information through sign language.