Class Act: Environment: First Day of Class

It’s the first day of class, and the classroom environment is on your mind. You want to make sure that everything in the room is at its best to support your teaching and the learning needs of all students in the class.

You’re uncertain as you consider how the classroom environment – safety, seating, lighting, etc. – will meet the needs of the deaf and hard-of-hearing students who will be in your class.

This section concentrates on the classroom environment. At the same time, we encourage you to read the other three “First Day of Class” sections you’ll find in the listing above.
As you think about the situation, you realize there are a number of classroom questions on the environment.

How do you ensure that student safety needs will be met in your classroom, or in labs and on field trips if those are part of your instruction?
Will the lighting and seating be appropriate for deaf and hard-of-hearing students?
If you use group work, what strategies will you use to facilitate cooperation and understanding between hearing, deaf and hard-of-hearing students?
How will deaf and hard-of-hearing students function in the lab, and what can you do to ensure their success?

These are all appropriate questions, and issues that are not addressed simply. This entire web site seeks to provide strategies for dealing with these, and other related issues. However, the material below provides some direct answers to environmental issues on the first day of class.

(NOTE: The next few paragraphs are repeated in slightly different forms at each of the other three “First Day of Class” pages on this web site.)

On the first day of class you set the tone – perhaps without realizing it – for the environmental aspects of your class for the whole term. If you are uncertain about how to handle each situation that arises on the first day, that’s normal and not a problem.

But if you are, or become, impatient, irritated, or upset with situations surrounding the classroom environment with deaf and hard-of-hearing students, your behavior is a problem. The first day of class is the opportunity to indicate to all students that you want to accommodate each and every student if possible.

The ultimate responsibility for all aspects of the class is yours.

If there is a problem with the layout of your classroom on the first day of class, try to resolve the issue with the students (and interpreter or captionist if present), in a manner that makes it clear you want to be as supportive as possible.