Challenge

You notice that deaf and hard-of-hearing students rarely participate in the question/answer portion of your class or in class discussion; beyond that you notice that there is even confusion with these students during these portions of your class.

Let’s look at the possible cause. Suppose that a student (hearing, deaf, or hard-of-hearing), asks a question; deaf and hard-of-hearing students in your class will typically not know who asked the question, nor will they be able to follow the flow of communication. This is particularly difficult if other students jump in with additional questions or comments.

Even if an interpreter or captionist is present, and even if he/she is able to signal the correct source of a question or comment from another student, keep in mind that the interpreter or captionist will finish signing the statement about 5-10 seconds after it is made. Therefore, students relying on the interpreter or captionist will not begin to know who is speaking until some time after the speaker starts. As a result, hearing students may respond sooner to your call for class member participation.

Hearing students may be ready earlier than their deaf and hard-of-hearing peers with questions regarding your lecture, may have an opinion sooner, and may raise their hand to answer your question earlier. Deaf and hard-of-hearing students almost certainly have the same questions, opinions, or ideas, but they may need a small amount of extra time to receive the information and then respond.

Strategies

NOTE: The handout at the left provides you with a handout you can print and give to students (or include in your syllabus), that explains the need to allow everyone to follow the class discussion, and explains a device you will use to ensure that happens in class.

There are a variety of strategies you can employ to ensure deaf and hard-of-hearing students have equal opportunities to participate in class with their hearing peers.

• When you pose a question, pause at least 5-10 seconds before calling on a student for a response. This may be difficult, because you may not be used to the silence. But be patient and it will become a habit for you and your class; it will become easier.

• Similarly, when you open a topic for class discussion, control communication by calling on students (by name if possible) and pointing at the student. In addition, take the time to repeat student statements and wait for the interpreter to finish signing it prior to starting your response or calling on another student.

• Establish a communication rule that students may not raise their hands until the interpreter or captionist is finished with a question you’ve asked the class.

• Some faculty members don’t let students raise their hand in class; instead they wait for the interpreter or captionist to catch up, and then call on someone, usually deliberately trying to rotate through all the students.

• Ask if other students would like to add thoughts once one student has responded.

• Some faculty members place all students’ names on note cards and use the cards to pick a name for a response. They place a check on a student’s card every time they call on that student to ensure that everyone has been called on. This accomplishes two goals— first, every student will be called on at some point, and second, the process of looking through the cards will create a pause in your presentation.

  An added benefit of this strategy is that hearing students who are shy or may need a few extra seconds to respond will benefit by greater inclusion in class discussions. Also, since all students will expect to be called on at some point, all will probably be more attentive to the presentation.

• Some faculty use a method called “write, pair and harvest” when soliciting answers to questions in class. First allow students to write their individual answers, providing all with time to consider the answer. Second, pair each student with another, thus allowing them to validate their individual answers with a peer. Finally, harvest the answers by allowing students to provide their answers to the class.