I am no longer a rookie observer :)

I had the opportunity to observe nine deaf and hard of hearing students from the ages of eight to nine doing a hands on activity led by two teachers on a sunny afternoon at Kentucky School for the Deaf. Two of the students wore hearing aids, four students wore cochlear implants, and three students did not have any assistive listening devices. They communicated with each other using mostly total communication and American Sign Language. The teachers used a lot of visual resources such as a huge map of North America with bold labels on it. They also told their students where they were. They all sat in a circle which is common in deaf educational settings. All of the students tried to grab teacher’s attention by violently waving their hands. The teacher allowed students to take turns pointing to where they thought Kentucky was on the map and had them explain why. Most of the students correctly identified where Kentucky was and explained how they knew which most knew based on the state’s shape they saw from somewhere else. This activity lasted 45 minutes as students were able to understand the whole map of United States.

I was told that most of these students entered the school with no language and often times had no communication in their hometown. This school was the only place for them to be exposed to and acquire language. They all have shown tremendous signs of improvement in their communication skills since they first entered school.

Blending what I observed in the classroom and what I learned at Eastern Kentucky University, the students are lagging behind their hearing peers in vocabulary acquisition. For example, they do not understand that United States is a country so the teachers have to go back and explain where Kentucky is on the map, then explain its relationship with other states. Once they understand, they will able to gain the knowledge and understanding of the United States as a country. This is a result of the student’s delay in language acquisition.

I was inspired by the students I observed because most of them arrived at the school without any language, and they are learning quickly to express themselves. Despite this improvement, they still need some work in conducting themselves properly. Once they acquire language, their lives will be easier as long as they keep being exposing to language as much as possible. If it wasn’t for the signing environment that the school for the deaf provides, they would have a difficult time expressing themselves and it could change their emotional and behavioral patterns as they get older. Better late than never, I always say.