Make sure that hearing aid users are wearing their hearing aids and that they are maintained correctly. Complete listening checks on a daily basis to ensure that the hearing aids are working optimally.
Ask students where they would like to sit to optimise communication, making sure they are near the teacher and away from heavy traffic areas, careful seating that allows the pupil to see the teacher clearly and also to see other speakers. Having our back to the window is not good as the light can mask the face and make it more difficult to lip read.
Always face students and get their attention before speaking, use short simple sentences and say their name before asking a question or giving an instruction.
Name students that have contributed answers and repeat what they have said.
Use facial expressions, gestures and other body language to communicate.
Gain the pupils attention before important info is given, face the pupil when speaking and keep hands away from mouth
Slow down speech rate a little, but keep natural fluency and do not raise your voice as this will make the speech sounds slushy.
Repeat new vocabulary in different contexts to reinforce your message
Use visual aids since vision is the primary means of receiving information
Provide information about assignments, deadlines, homework, exam dates etc in writing eg write all homework assignments and class instructions on the whiteboard, making sure that anything you write can be easily read, and refrain from talking while you are writing
Reduce background noise sounds normally ignored by hearing individuals are amplified by a hearing aid and interfere with communication
Pre-learning – prepare pupils for lessons, explaining concepts that rely on vision for understanding Also consider post-learning teaching
Accept pupil’s utterances but re-phrase and give them back in a grammatically correct version –allow more thinking and talking time
Allow extra time to complete tasks and be aware of the fatigue the pupil may experience, give listening breaks
Consider using an ‘electronic ear ‘to measure noise levels in the classroom