33-HI

1. From the case, identify the problems which occurred in Miss Lim’s classroom and

explain why they took place. Cite evidence from the case to support your answer. (6marks)

1. Might not have conveyed clear instructions for class to go to the special room. But it is unlikely, since they have been doing the same thing for the past 3 lessons

2. Seats were arranged in one row. Allowed free seating. This led to boy segregating together.

3. Hot environment

4. Boys formed a small cluster

5. Girls sat at the back of the room, and kept the back door open (complained it was too cold)

6. Skipped introduction

7. Only maintained eye contact with first 2 rows

8. Teacher was engrossed with the computer

9. Overly focused with carrying out planned lesson, instead of engaging students

10. Teacher was situated not within students’ sight and wasn’t aware of what the student was doing. She wasn’t aware they were not paying attention. E.g. yawning etc

11. Did not face the class while writing question on the whiteboard, and asking questions

12. Group of boys distracted the teacher

13. Not everyone was doing the work assigned by the teacher.

14. Volume started to increase

15. Tossing event between david and susan. Ignore the incident. Distracted the class.

16. Did not do anything when she saw that Keith looked confused and lost.

17. Neglected keith even though he had confided in the teacher how he felt. Allowed him stay in the same group as David

Main problems:

-had difficulty managing the class as there were too much movements

-As a result, the students could not concentrate. This was made worse by teacher who did not make sure they were listening and in control.

-Allowed the boys to congregate together.

-All the rush at the start of the lesson caused teacher to neglect Keith.

-did not enforce discipline from the start.

-Rules and routines are neither established nor reinforced

2. What relevant classroom management strategies and models would you have adopted to prevent the problems discussed in 1 from taking place in your class? (7marks)

Authoritative style – should not have allowed the students to sit wherever they want. Put an immediate stop to any disruptions in class. Instead of just staring at the group of boys, should have enforce her authority and prevent them from forming their own table. Should not just ignore the tossing incident.

Indifferent style -

Structuring physical environment – could have used planned sitting. Engage the students in some group activities to keep them attentive.

Rules and routine, developing consequences – since the class always need to go to this special room, rules and routines should have been stated from the start. In this way, the teacher could have prevented a lot chaos and unnecessary movements. E.g. the students could have been assigned to fixed sitting.

Logical consequences - the classroom is a learning environment for all students, those who misbehave; compromise learning will be asked to move to the back of the class for a "time out" until they are ready for lesson.

Discipline model AD,BM, LC – The teacher clearly subscribed to a AD model. But yet it wasn’t done wholeheartedly.

Kounin group management theories – integrate teaching and discipline.

-withitness - awareness and ability to correct misbehaviour before it gets out of control and before other students in the class see it and also begin to do it

-Overlapping: how a teacher deals with two or more events that are going on in the classroom at the same time

Group Alerting: is engaging the attention of the whole class while individuals are responding

Encouraging Accountability: communication to the students the their participation will be observed and evaluated

3. At one point in the case study, it was stated that ‘Miss Lim looked at David and Susan ...’ What should Miss Lim have done to handle the situation? Give reasons for your answer and substantiate with the relevant classroom management strategies and models that you have learnt in this course. (7 marks)

-could have get both of them out of the class and question them what is happening. Find out what is the root reason for David’s misbehavior. Use LC to explain why his action is wrong. Then only can we achieve discipline through preventive approach. Give verbal warning to David. Develop the consequence of repeated offence. (AD + BM = Setting rules and implement them using punishment or rewards accordingly).

-could ask them to see her after class, to prevent disrupting lessons. (lesson is already disrupted as it is)

-at the start, teacher should have confiscated the notes David passed to Susan.

4. As a teacher, what are some signs displayed by a student that could indicate to you that he or she might have a hearing impairment? Does Keith display some of these characteristics? (3 marks)

Characteristics Found in the Classroom:

uses hearing aid; Frequency Modulation (FM) system

May appeared lost or disoriented.
Confused about the situation.
Difficulty following verbal directions-> lack of follow through in instructions->often ask for repeat of information
Difficulty with oral expression-> mispronouncing words->Will usually exhibit some form of articulation difficulty
Some difficulties with social/emotional or interpersonal skills -> socially awkward or have difficulty relating to peers
- May be academically weak-> problems will coping with school work due to many factors
Will often have a degree of language delay
Can become easily frustrated if their needs are not met which may lead to some behavioral difficulties
Sometimes the use of hearing aids leads to embarassment and fear of rejection from peers
- (Often follows and rarely leads)

5. What difficulties/problems did Keith experience? How might the difficulties/problems that Keith faced affect his development and learning in the short and long term? (6 marks)

reports having few friends, feeling lonely, yet awkward when with classmates
victim of acts of mischief; hearing aid stolen, made fun of by classmates
suffers from low self-esteem and self consciousness -> may feel awkward using the FM-> reluctant to wear->affects learning
Possible delayed and slower linguistic development/learning ->hamper cognitive development ->affect rate of learning C.f with his other classmates ->may not communicate
have confidence problems when communicating with others-> afraid and too sensitive to ask his classmates for help

Keith had mentioned to Miss Lim the day before on feeling awkward and self-conscious about wearing his hearing aid and displaying the FM system. He also confided that he was afraid and too sensitive to ask his classmates for help. This is because they were always making fun of his other classmates. He was afraid that they may steal or make fun of his hearing aid. He also felt lonely as nobody took the initiative to befriend him.

These issues may prevent Keith from developing age appropriate spoken language and be linguistically independent. It may also hamper his cognitive skills, which may result in slow learning and difficulty progressing in school. He may suffer from social stigmatization and isolation as a result of hearing impairment.

In the short run, his self-esteem would suffer and may hinder his social skills development, confidence and self-efficacy in the long term.

6. Recommendations: Using the model for accommodating the needs of diverse learners as a guide, discuss how Miss Lim could better manage Keith’s case. What would you suggest Miss Lim do in terms of provisions/accommodations to meet Keith’s needs? Make recommendations only in areas that are appropriate and prioritise where necessary. (12 marks)

Classroom learning environment

- Keep close proximity to the student: make him sit in front where he can see and hear the teacher clearly

- not forgetting needs of the other student

- make sure students with hearing impairment has a FM system

- classroom should not be too noisy as it would be uncomfortable for keith

- Check the device often to ensure it is working (teachers need to know how the FM system works)

- Shut classroom doors to help eliminate noise

Instructional strategies

Many students with hearing disabilities will have some form of specialized equipment recommended by the audiologist - help the child to feel comfortable with his/her device and promote understanding and acceptance with other children in the class
When using videos - make sure you get the 'closed captioned' type
Use visual approaches whenever possible ->visual outlines/graphic organizers and clarification ->Provide visual aids/materials and demos whenever possible.
- Write on the board:
  - things to be done
  - Instructions
Enunciate words clearly using lip movement to assist the child to lip read
Provide small group work when possible
Make assessment accommodations to enable a clear picture of demonstrated academic growth

Measures to build self esteem

help him find his strength, build confidence
strategies to help him integrate to the class
the class more tolerant and accepting-> help other students understand him
maybe ask him to share how he lost his hearing,
- what are the problem he faces
- let the other students experience how he feels-> relate to his problems -> come up with strategies to help him
maintain the same expectation for students with hearing impairment (no compromise)
goal setting

Collaboration

with school
- teachers' awareness about the issues. Seminar for subject teachers to learn about hearing impairment- characteristics and problems face
with other subject teachers as the form teacher
- To monitor Keith's progress in class
with external organization/other schools
- Learn how schools are creating an inclusive environment for students with hearing impariment and adopt suitable strategies
with parents
- inform them of how their child is coping in school and to keep parents' involvement of student's life

Reference:

Kirk.,S., Gallagher, J.J., Coleman M.R. & Anastasiow N. (2009). Educating Exceptional Children. Wadsworth: Cengage Learning.

Kalivoda, K.S., Higbee, J.L. (1997). Teaching students with hearing impairments. Journal of developmental education, 20(3), 10. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.libproxy.nie.edu.sg/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=9702191230&site=ehost-live

http://specialed.about.com/cs/teacherstrategies/a/hearing.htm

Dear all,

just a link... might be relevant to us...

http://www.schoolbag.sg/archives/2009/11/learning_to_live_in_a_silent_w.php

B. UNDERSTANDING THE AREA OF SPECIAL NEEDS/DISABILITY*

1. The nature of area of special needs/ disability

General definition: Hearing impairment is not included under deafness but it is permanent or fluctuating and adversely affects a child's educational performance (Kirks et. al., 2009). Hearing loss is defined by the degree of loss, the type of loss and the age at which the loss occurred.
Range of conditions, characteristics and possible causes (Kirks et. al., 2009)

3. The general impact of the special need or disability on a student in terms of development and learning

Hearing loss affect learning because of the child probably could have weaker linguistic skills as compared to his peers. Having poorer linguistic skills could also affect his ability of the other subjects. He could also face problem hearing what his teacher said and following the lessons. His personal development like self-esteem and social skill could be affected. However, his cognitive ability should not undermined.

C. FOR YOUR GROUP PRESENTATION ASSIGNMENT: IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING*

1. What would I expect of the student with the chosen area of special needs:

he/she will want to be part of the class and activities in school
he/she will want to have friends
he/she may need extra support in terms of…
he/she may have hearing aid
lower linguistic ability as compared to peers of his/her age
he/she may be self-conscious about wearing the hearing aid

2. How will this affect the other students in my class? How do I work with them to understand their peers and to create an inclusive classroom?

classmates are important to students with special needs to provide them with support and help with interpreting, note taking and more.
let other students understand his/her special needs
take note of the constrains he/she faces and adjust his evironment as much as posieble
teacher may be giving more attention to student with special need and hair loss

3. What would I suggest in terms of provisions/accommodations to meet the student’s needs? (suggest only in areas which are appropriate)

learning environment (physical and socio-emotional)
behaviours (look also into the reasons for inappropriate behaviours)
instructional
collaboration (school, home, agencies)

4. Do I have the skills to meet the student’s needs?

Understanding the condition and cause of the child's hearing loss
knowledge on how to create an inclusive learning environment for the student- based on his audiological and linguistic management in class
knowledge of basic principles of effective learning and teaching for student with hearing loss in mainstream classroom

WHAT ARE DEAFNESS AND HEARING IMPAIRMENT?

Hearing impairment is a broad term used to describe the loss of hearing in one or both ears.

There are different levels of hearing impairment:

Hearing impairment refers to complete or partial loss of the ability to hear from one or both ears. The level of impairment can be mild, moderate, severe or profound;
Deafness refers to the complete loss of ability to hear from one or both ears.

There are two types of hearing impairment, defined according to where the problem occurs:

Conductive hearing impairment, which is a problem in the outer or middle ear. This type of hearing problem is often medically or surgically treatable, if there is access to the necessary services; childhood middle ear infection is the most common example;
Sensorineural hearing impairment, which is usually due to a problem with the inner ear, and occasionally with the hearing nerve going from there to the brain. This type of hearing problem is usually permanent and requires rehabilitation, such as with a hearing aid. Common causes are excessive noise and ageing.

CAUSES OF HEARING IMPAIRMENT AND DEAFNESS

Deafness can be inherited: if one or both parents or a relative is born deaf, there is a higher risk that a child will be born deaf.

Hearing impairment may also be caused before or during birth for several reasons.

These include:

Premature birth;
Conditions during birth in which a baby lacks enough oxygen to breathe;
Rubella, syphilis or certain other infections in a woman during pregnancy;
The use of ototoxic drugs - a group of more than 130 drugs (such as the antibiotic gentamicin) that can cause damage to the inner ear if incorrectly given - during pregnancy;
Jaundice, which can damage the hearing nerve in a newborn baby.

Infectious diseases such as meningitis, measles, mumps and chronic ear infections can lead to hearing impairment, mostly in childhood, but also later in life.

The use of ototoxic drugs at any age, including some antibiotic and anti-malarial drugs, can cause damage to the cochlea (the hearing organ in the inner ear).

Head injury or injury to the ear can cause hearing impairment.

Wax or foreign bodies blocking the ear canal can cause hearing loss at any age.

Excessive noise, including working with noisy machinery, exposure to loud music or other loud noises, such as gunfire or explosions, can damage the inner ear and weaken hearing ability.

As people age, accumulated exposure to noise and other factors may lead to hearing impairment or deafness.

FACTS ABOUT HEARING IMPAIRMENT AND DEAFNESS

According to 2005 estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), 278 million people worldwide have moderate to profound hearing loss in both ears.
80% of deaf and hearing-impaired people live in low- and middle-income countries.
The number of people worldwide with all levels of hearing impairment is rising mainly due to a growing global population and longer life expectancies.
Chronic middle ear infection is the main cause of mild to moderate hearing impairment in children.
The impact of hearing impairment on a child's speech, language, education and social integration depends on the level and type of hearing impairment, and the age of onset, especially if it begins before the age when speech normally develops.
In developing countries, fewer than 1 in 40 people who would benefit from a hearing aid have one.
Current annual production of hearing aids is estimated to meet less than 10% of global need.
50% of deafness and hearing impairment is avoidable through prevention, early diagnosis, and management.

TOTAL SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC BURDEN

Hearing impairment and deafness are serious disabilities that can impose a heavy social and economic burden on individuals, families, communities and countries. Children with hearing impairment often experience delayed development of speech, language and cognitive skills, which may result in slow learning and difficulty progressing in school. In adults, hearing impairment and deafness often make it difficult to obtain, perform, and keep employment. Both children and adults may suffer from social stigmatization and isolation as a result of hearing impairment.

The burden of hearing impairment and deafness falls disproportionately on the poor, because they are unable to afford the preventive and routine care necessary to avoid hearing loss, or to afford hearing aids to make the condition manageable. Hearing impairment can also make it more difficult to escape poverty by slowing progress in school and the workplace, and placing people in social isolation.

The cost of special education and lost employment due to hearing impairment can also impose a substantial economic burden on countries.

HOW CAN THE BURDEN OF HEARING IMPAIRMENT AND DEAFNESS BE REDUCED?

Solutions to hearing impairment focus on prevention, early detection and management, and rehabilitation.
Many cases of sensorineural hearing impairment can be prevented through:

Immunizing children against childhood diseases, including measles, meningitis, rubella and mumps, according to national recommendations.
Immunizing women of child-bearing age against rubella before pregnancy.
Testing for and treating syphilis and certain other infections in pregnant women.
Improving antenatal and perinatal care.
Avoiding the use of ototoxic drugs unless prescribed by a qualified health care worker and properly monitored for correct dosage.
Referring jaundiced babies for diagnosis and possible treatment.
Avoiding the effects of loud noise through reducing exposure (both occupational and recreational), using personal hearing protection and engineering noise control.

Many cases of conductive hearing impairment can be prevented from becoming chronic through appropriate detection, followed by appropriate medical or surgical interventions.
Early detection of and intervention against hearing impairment in babies and young children is essential to prevent problems in speech and language and in educational development.
Increased availability of affordable, properly fitted hearing aids and follow-up services can benefit many people with hearing impairment.

WHO’S ACTIVITIES FOR PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF HEARING IMPAIRMENT AND DEAFNESS

WHO activities for the prevention of deafness and hearing impairment assist countries to reduce and eventually eliminate avoidable hearing impairment and disability through appropriate preventive measures. These include:

Developing a global database on deafness and hearing impairment to demonstrate the size and costs of the problem and help compare cost-effectiveness of interventions;
Developing a training resource on Primary Ear and Hearing Care for primary health care workers;
Developing and disseminating guidelines against major preventable causes of hearing impairment;
Building partnerships to provide affordable hearing aids and services to people in need;
Raising awareness about the level and costs of hearing impairment and the opportunities for prevention;
Encouraging countries to establish national programmes for prevention.

WHO'S STRATEGY FOR PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF CHRONIC DISEASES

The hearing impairment and deafness control strategy is integrated into the overall WHO chronic disease prevention and control framework of the Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion.

The strategic objectives of WHO's Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion (CHP) are to advocate for health promotion and chronic disease prevention and control; promote health, especially for poor and disadvantaged populations; slow and reverse the adverse trends in the common chronic disease risk factors; and prevent premature deaths and avoidable disability due to major chronic diseases.
These strategic objectives are to be based on the following guiding principles: comprehensive and integrated public health action, intersectoral action, a life course perspective, and stepwise implementation based on local considerations and needs.

REFERENCES

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs300/en/index.html

Hearing Impairment

1. The nature of area of special needs/ disability

· General definition (if any)

Hearing impairment is defined as a generic term indicating a hearing disability that may range from mild to profound, including the subsets of deaf and hard of hearing.

· Range of conditions (if any)

From deaf to hard of hearing.

A deaf person is defined as one whose hearing disability preludes successful processing of linguistic information through audition, with or without a hearing aid.

A hard of hearing person is one who, with the use of hearing aid, has residual hearing sufficient to enable successful processing of linguistic information through audition.

· Characteristics

Most affected area of hearing impairment of comprehension of English language.

Hearing impaired students have unintelligible speech and are unwilling to speak in public.

The deaf have no cognitive deficit.

2. Causes of disability (if any)

Congenitally deaf = born deaf and adventitiously deaf = acquire deaf after birth

3. The general impact of the special need or disability on a student in terms of development and learning

Hearing impaired students usually have extreme deficits in academic achievements, especially in the area of reading. Interestingly impaired students who have parents who are hearing impaired are more likely to be better readers. Lanes (1992) hypothesis that it is due to more frequent use of the American Sign Language with their parents.

These students are also at risk of social maladjustment, given the difficulty to find someone to communicate with them, due to the low incidents of this impairment.

[Tan Oon Seng, Richard D. Parsons, Stephanie Lewis Hinson, Deborah Sardo-Brown, 2003. Educational Psychology. Thomson. Seng Lee Press. Singapore.]