Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Teaching Tips for Supporting Students who use Assistive Listening Devices



The last blog served to remind me that I may want to take initiative in asking students about their listening devices.  In terms of teaching, what follows is a reflection of tips to use with listening devices.

Training in their use at my school is readily available and I have participated in at least two trainings over the past 5 years.  This gave me the confidence to use the amplification system.  Also, with one of my students I had a one-on-one conversation before using it.  She and I talked a few times a week to make sure her needs  were met.   On the other hand, another student I had refused to have me wear the amplification system, despite it being part of his IEP.  To support him, I checked in a number of times and he repeatedly said he did not need or want it. 
 
Joanne Naber, a first-grade teacher at Foothill Elementary, with student Maggie McKee, uses a new sound system, with the microphone around her neck, in
In terms of using it on a daily basis, the student who had me wear it would signal to me if it was or was not working.  She simply gave me a thumbs up or thumbs down.   On occasion, she would request the system be passed from student to student, but I now wonder whether I could have taken more initiative in facilitating some of the communication between her and her classmates.   I did face her when giving any kind of lecture, this really was imperative for her.   For her, I found it to be a successful tool and one I could easily implement.

Source: Dell, A; Newton, G and Petroff, J.  (2012).  Assistive Technology in the Classroom: Enhancing the School Experience of Students with Disabilities. Pearson Education.

1 comment:

  1. That's a great idea having a student give a thumbs up or down to check in on them. It's a simple way to see if the AT is working properly without causing a big distraction in the classroom.

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