Challenge

You’re referring to items on a diagram or a PowerPoint slide by pointing to them, perhaps even using a laser pointer.

We all know the power of these visual aids and the importance of indicating where you are by identifying your place on the media.

Challenge with interpreters/captionists present: Unfortunately deaf students will miss your reference since their primary focus will be on the interpreter or captioning.

Keep in mind that there is a processing time between when you say something and when it is interpreted or captioned for deaf students. By the time the students’ eyes leave the interpreter you’re probably no longer pointing to the object of your attention.

Challenge without interpreters/captionists present.

Unfortunately hard-of-hearing students will miss your reference.

Keep in mind that a student who is successfully speechreading you will lose the stream of your words when he/she looks away to the object of your attention.

Strategies

NOTE: The handout at the left provides you with an in-class evaluation form you can use later in the term to obtain feedback from students on whether or not your strategies for ensuring that you are succeeding with using point of reference are successful.

You want to ensure that students understand both your comments and your illustrations. Both are critical to understanding the concept.

The key is not to speak and point at the same time.

• Build pauses into your delivery – we know this is easier said than done, but this is vital to allow the focus of attention to switch between you (or the interpreter or captioning) and the visual material.

• If you are using a PowerPoint slide and prefer to add new lines one-by-one to individual slides, pause as each new line appears. Delay discussion for 5 seconds after each new line is displayed. If this is awkward, try the presentation with the entire contents of the slide appearing at once; allow students time to read the entire slide, and then proceed with the explanation.

• Observe the faces of all of your students (deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing) after displaying a new line; when they have read the line, then discuss the point.

• When displaying a complex diagram, ask students to take a minute or two to study the image before you begin to discuss it. If you discuss each element of the image separately, use a pointer to indicate the element to be discussed, and again pause for 5 seconds to give all students time to orient to the image. Then continue your lecture.

• If you use a laser pointer, be certain to hold the pointer on the object long enough so that deaf and hard-of-hearing students can look up, and locate the reference.

• In a laboratory or studio setting, when telling students where equipment is located, be very specific regarding the location. “Use the test tube in the second drawer on the right side of the sink,” or “Use the beakers located above the sink.”

• For a laboratory or studio setting, prepare and distribute a map of the room indicating the storage location of frequently used equipment.