THE PECULIARITIES OF TEACHING HARD OF HEARING EFL / ESL

LEARNERS IN INCLUSIVE SETTING

WebQuest Description: The WebQuest was designed for (would-be) EFL / ESL teachers as a part of their pre-service teacher
training program or in-service professional development course. It also provides opportunities for distant learning and self-instruction.
The WebQuest deals with the following topics: the degrees of hearing loss, the correspondent challenges in everyday life and in the
classroom, teacher's and learner's classroom accomodation strategies and their practical implications.
Grade Level: College / Adult
Curriculum: Professional Skills
Keywords: Pre-service teacher training, in-service professional development, hearing impairments, hearing loss degrees, EFL / ESL,
accommodation strategies.
Published On:
Last Modified: 2020-04-08 12:18:20
WebQuest URL: http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=433174

The inclusion of children with disability into mainstream schools has become an integral part of New Ukrainian School. Among these
there are children with hearing impairments. Teaching them effectively is possible if the teacher understands their peculiarities and
meets their special educational needs. Thus, you should be well-prepared to select and apply individually rational accommodation
strategies in your classroom.

This WebQuest is focused on solving a case of the peculiarities of teaching EFL a teenager with a severe degree of hearing loss. To
do this you will study the degrees of hearing impairments and their manifestations in everyday life and in the classroom, consider
teacher's and student's classroom accommodation strategies and their possible consequences.

                                 
                                 
              Stage 1. The degrees of hearing loss and their
manifestationGlossary:Hard of hearing Hearing impairmentHearing lossDeafnessHearing aidsSTEP 1. Have you ever had a
hearing test? Try it online. STEP 2. Everyone hopes to be healthy and to live a life without limitations. Unfortunately, people find
themselves having various impairments that are often not their fault. And the more tolerant and prepared for their integration the
society becomes, the more rights it has to be called civilized and humane. Teachers play a crucial role in this process. And it is their
awareness of learners' peculiarities and needs that may become a decisive factor.Read the articles below and do the quiz.
Then take a screenshot of your quiz results for the final report. 1) Degrees of hearing loss 2) What sounds would you
miss with hearing loss?                          
                                 
                  Stage 2. Learners with hearing impairments in the
classroomSTEP 3. Read the following questions and see if your background knowledge is sufficient for answering: •What
devices may help learners with hearing impairments understand audio information in the classroom? •What
teachers' accommodation strategies can help these learners at the lesson? •What behavior may help these students to be
more successful? • What teachers' ot students' actions make it harder for them to learn? STEP 4. Watch the
video and do the quiz. Take a screenshot of your quiz results for the final report.STEP 5. The following case
describes a classroom situation which has got out of control. Your task is to read it and compile 2 lists of strategies: at least 5 useful
ones practiced by the teacher and / or the student;at least 5 harmful ones that have caused the current situation. A 16-year-old
learner, called Nick, has a severe degree of hearing loss. His voice is quiet and his speaking is often slurred. He is a shy, clever and
sensitive boy seeking for socialization. He rarely communicates with other learners, never asks the teacher to repeat information and
sits passively when something is not clear or is challenging for him. In the same time, he comes to the lessons from a neighboring
village by bus, which is expensive and time consuming. He does most of the home tasks but when he is absent, he never contacts
anyone to ask about the current home assignment.  Nick is a student of a special school for deaf and hard of hearing students.
He has been learning EFL for years without any visible success. That is why his mother decided to enroll him in a language course for
children with diverse disabilities. There he is the only learner with hearing impairments.The teacher started using a sound amplifier as
soon as she realized that Nick could not understand a normal audio volume. She tried to speak louder and to articulate clearly but
sometimes she forgets about it. The teacher speaks to students from different parts of the classroom and sometimes the boy cannot
see her face. Nick was placed at the front desk to see all visual aids and to lip read. She invited a teacher aide who transliterated
some English words into Ukrainian and wrote down the teacher's instructions and home assignments for him. Still when the aide was
absent, the boy looked lost and distracted. Other children are usually noisy and they may speak all at once. The teacher has to call
out Nick's name several times before he looks up. From time to time the teacher comes up to the boy and sees that he is idle. He may
look sullen or at loss. but there are also brighter days. When the lesson is over the teacher always smiles and hugs him and it looks
like he is unwilling to leave the classroom. Nick has an older sister and a younger brother. His mother is an unemployed speech
therapist and she uses a sign language to talk with the boy. As he keeps missing classes, the teacher thinks that he is going to quit
the course. STEP 6. Look through the teaching and assessment strategies described in the following article, additionally you may
watch the videos provided below. Write at least 5 teacher's accommodation strategies that might improve the situation
described in the case.1) Top 10 Tips for Teachers of Students with Hearing Loss 2) Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students in the
Classroom 3) Tips for teaching deaf children with a mild hearing loss            
                                 
                                 
                              Stage 3. Solving
the caseSTEP 7. Write a case study following the outline suggested. For more information and examples of case studies,
read the following article: Outline:1) Give it a title (e.g. Accommodation Strategies in Teaching EFL Learners with Hearing
Loss)2) Write the Introduction, which aims to give the audience an idea of what makes your study so important. 3) Write the
Body. It should contain:the presentation of the case. Retell it in your own words;the outcomes that you have produced: your
assumptions of useful and harmful strategies of both - the teacher and the learner (at least 5 each). and your recommendations of
what might be done to improve the situation (at least 5).4) Write the Conclusion, which sums up the case study restating the main
ideas.5) Supply the references (at least 3). The case study should be 1500-2500 signs.

                                 
                                 
                                 
                                 
          Evaluation RubricEvaluation criteria Unsatisfactory(0-5 points) Satisfactory (6-10
points)Good (11-15 points)  Excellent (16-20 points)Score1) 3 online quizzesNo screenshots of quiz completion have been
provided or there is one completion screenshot with unsatisfactory results. A screenshot of one well-done quiz has been
provided or there are 2 ill-done ones.Screenshots of two well-done quizzes have been provided. The 3rd may be unsatisfactory.All the
quizzes are well done that is proved by screenshots.202) A list of 5 useful accommodation strategies applied by the teacher / the
learnerNo strategies have been selected / the ones selected are scientifically incorrect.There are 1-2 correctly selected
strategies.There are 3-4 correctly selected strategies.There are 5 or more correctly selected strategies.203) A list of 5 harmful
strategies applied by the teacher / the learnerNo strategies have been selected / the ones selected are scientifically
incorrect.There are 1-2 correctly selected strategies.There are 3-4 correctly selected strategies.There are 5 or more correctly selected
strategies.204) A list of 5 accommodation strategies to be selected by the teacher to solve the caseNo strategies have been selected
/ the ones selected are incorrect.There are 1-2 correctly selected strategies.There are 3-4 correctly selected strategies.There are 5 or
more correctly selected strategies.205) A case studyThe case study has not been submitted or there is a title. The case
study  consists of 1-2 appropriate components. Other components are absent.The case study consists of 3-4 appropriate
components. If there are 5 of them, they contain minor drawbacks.The  case study contains all the structural components
required. The content characteristics are also appropriate.20TOTAL:25252525100

Category and Score Score

Total Score

Congratulations! You have learnt the degrees of hearing loss, the restrictions they may cause in everyday life and in the
classroom, the correspondent special educational needs, teacher's and learner's accommodation strategies and their possible
consequences. If you have further interest in the topic, you might find the following resources useful:The Impact of Hearing LossDeaf
Culture Do's and Don'tsHow to Support Someone with Hearing Loss10 Do's and Don'ts To Consider When Teaching Deaf/Hard of
Hearing StudentsMainstream School vs Deaf SchoolBy constant training and professional development you will be able to
demonstrate professional expertise in teaching diverse learners.

This WebQuest is designed for (would-be) EFL / ESL teachers. It aims at raising their awareness of a number of issues including:
degrees of hearing loss and their manifestations, special educational needs of hard of hearing learners, strategies of inclusive
classroom accommodation and their consequences. The WebQuest can be used as a part of pre-service EFL/ESL teacher-training
or in-service professional development course. In the same time, it can provide guidance for those educators who choose
WebQuests as a method and tool for preparing (would-be) EFL teachers for teaching learners with disability.
Standards
According to the training plan and the syllabus of Zhytomyr State Ivan Franko University a course "EFL Education of SEND Children"
is to be delievered in Foreign Phylology Institute (Master's degree program) and includes a topic "Teaching learners with hearing
impairments". Thus, this WebQuest gives extra opportunities for (would-be) teachers' distant training or professional development.
Besides, the same topic can be found in the syllabus of the Regional Institute for Post-Graduate Pedagogical Education attached to
Zhytomyr Regional Council.
Credits
The following web-sites have been used or mentioned in the WebQuest: 1) Hard of Hearing. Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved from:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/hard-of-hearing2) Hearing Impairment. Encyclopedia of Children's Health.
Retrieved from:Â http://www.healthofchildren.com/G-H/Hearing-Impairment.html3) Hearing Loss. Wikipedia. Retrieved from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_loss4) Deafness. Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved from:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/deafness5) Hearing Aid. WebMD. Retrieved from: https://www.webmd.com/healthy-
aging/hearing-aids#16)Â Online Hearing Test. Retrieved from:Â https://global.widex.com/en/online-hearing-test7)Â Hearing Loss Degrees
and Their Manifestations in Everyday Life and at School. Retrieved from:Â https://learningapps.org/10405835Â (2 quizzes)8) Degrees of
Hearing Loss. Retrieved from:Â https://www.widex.com/en-us/hearing-loss/types-of-hearing-loss/degrees-and-shapes-hearing-loss9)
What Sounds Would You Miss with Hearing Loss? Retrieved from:Â https://www.starkey.com/blog/articles/2015/09/sounds-
missed10)Â Teaching and Accommodation Strategies. Retrieved
from:Â https://www.scranton.edu/academics/ctle/disabilities/pages/strategies.shtml11) Hearing Loss: Strategies for a Classroom
Teacher. Retrieved from:Â https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISWkl29SpwUÂ (video)12)Â Hard of Hearing Learners in the Classroom:
Useful and Harmful Strategies. Retrieved from:Â https://learningapps.org/10412173Â (quiz)13)Â Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Retrieved
from:Â https://www.adcet.edu.au/inclusive-teaching/specific-disabilities/deaf-hearing-impaired/14)Â Top 10 Tips for Teachers of
Students with Hearing Loss. Retrieved from:Â https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2EfxREKmsAÂ (video)15)Â Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Students in the Classroom. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwWAHyD0f4w (video)16) Tips for Teaching Deaf
Children with a Mild Hearing Loss. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jylb7TDn2Tk (video)17) What is a Case Study:
Definition and Method. Retrieved from: https://kingessays.com/case-study.php Images:18) Decibel Scale. Image retrieved from:
https://www.modernhearingsolutions.com/hearing-loss/19) Employers & Deaf Awareness Week 2018 #DAW18. Image retrieved from:
https://equalityhub.org/2018/05/11/employers-deaf-awareness-week-2018-daw18/Â 20)Â Â Stickman Communications: What I Learned
from Deaf Awareness Week. Image retrieved from:Â
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fstickmancommunications.blogspot.com%2F2017%2F05%2Fwhat-i-learned-
from-deaf-awareness-week.html&psig=AOvVaw050EWda4LHlfLVGYNwnJP-
&ust=1586200090714000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCJDM8P390egCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAv 21) Dos and
Don'ts on Designing for Accessibility. Image retrieved from:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Faccessibility.blog.gov.uk%2F2016%2F09%2F02%2Fdos-and-donts-on-
designing-for-accessibility%2F&psig=AOvVaw1TLqAC28y-
98xSz5YABxDM&ust=1586246524915000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCICt5vaq0-gCFQAAAAAdAAAAABBR22)
How to Improve Your Deaf Awareness Without Being Boring! Image retrieved from:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F%40rachelhubbard%2Fhow-to-improve-your-deaf-
awareness-without-being-boring-cc8e223f0833&psig=AOvVaw050EWda4LHlfLVGYNwnJP-
&ust=1586200090714000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCJDM8P390egCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAe  23) How to Help
and Support Someone with Hearing Loss. Image retrieved from:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyhearing.com%2Freport%2F51841-How-to-support-someone-
with-hearing-loss&psig=AOvVaw1TLqAC28y-
98xSz5YABxDM&ust=1586246524915000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCICt5vaq0-
gCFQAAAAAdAAAAABBAÂ Â 24) Deaf Awareness. Tips for the Workplace. Image retrieved from:Â https://scontent.fiev22-
2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-
9/s960x960/41532100_2114372841928166_6012898336875479040_o.jpg?_nc_cat=104&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=2rUqoZ3E1l0A
X_VlMGz&_nc_ht=scontent.fiev22-2.fna&_nc_tp=7&oh=008e70efbea5813e0661519109d0d911&oe=5EB2366BÂ Â Â The author of this
WebQuest is grateful to the authors of the resources mentioned above!Â
Other
The author of the WebQuest wishes great success to (would-be) EFL / ESL teachers who decided to complete it and will be
thankful for reviews - both, positive and negative.