Reading, Writing, and Literacy

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Marschark ◽  
Harry G. Lang ◽  
John A. Albertini
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Deaf Children ◽  
Deaf Students ◽  
Know How ◽  
Early Communication ◽  
Deaf Adults ◽  
Print Materials ◽  
Adults And Children

Language is an essential component of normal development and a means for discovering the world. As we have seen, however, deaf children frequently do not have full access to communication until they have passed the most important ages for language acquisition. Parents and educators of young deaf students thus often struggle to find a balance between fostering effective early communication skills, which research has shown is usually best achieved through sign language, and the provision of English skills needed for literacy and academic success. Despite decades of concerted effort, most deaf children progress at only a fraction of the rate of hearing peers in learning to read. Current data indicate that, on average, 18-year-old deaf students leaving high school have reached only a fourth to sixth grade level in reading skills. Only about 3 percent of those 18 year olds read at the same level as the average 18- year-old hearing reader, and more than 30 percent of deaf students leave school functionally illiterate (Traxler, 2000; Kelly, 1995; Waters & Doehring, 1990). At the same time, there are clearly many deaf adults and children who are excellent readers and excellent writers. How can we account for these differences? What are the implications for educators developing English curricula for deaf students? To answer these questions, we first need to consider what is meant by literacy—that is, what is it we are asking students to acquire? Then, we have to understand how deaf students read, at both descriptive and procedural levels. In this chap ter, we consider only literacy relating to print materials (reading and writing); other possibilities will be considered in chapter 9. But is the question whether deaf students read well enough to fulfill the needs and expectations of their teachers? Is it important to know how well various subgroups of deaf learners read compared to each other? Or, do we want to know how well deaf students read, as a group, compared to hearing students of the same age?

scholarly journals Cochlear implantation: a review of the literature and the Nijmegen results

1997 ◽  
Vol 111 (11) ◽  
pp. 1008-1017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Jamal A. Makhdoum ◽  
Ad F. M. Snik ◽  
Paul van den Broek
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Cochlear Implantation ◽  
Sensorineural Deafness ◽  
Deaf Children ◽  
Subject Selection ◽  
Profound Deafness ◽  
Deaf Adults ◽  
Adults And Children ◽  
To Receive

AbstractThe field of cochlear implantation is developing rapidly. In subjects with bilateral profound deafness who gain no benefit from conventional hearing aids the aim of cochlear implantation is to provide a means for them to receive auditory sensations. Throughout the world, most cochlear implant centres are still continuing their research efforts to improve the results with this technique. Although it is still difficult to predict how an individual will perform with a cochlear implant, the success of cochlear implantation can no longer be denied. In this paper, we review some recent papers and reports, and the results of the various Nijmegen cochlear implant studies. Data about subject selection, examinations, surgery and the outcome are discussed. Our results were in good agreement with those of other authors. It can be concluded once again that cochlear implantation is an effective treatment for postlingually deaf adults and children, and for prelingually (congenital or acquired) deaf children with profound bilateral sensorineural deafness.

Lessons from History

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Marschark ◽  
Harry G. Lang ◽  
John A. Albertini
Keyword(s):  
Parental Involvement ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Deaf Children ◽  
Deaf People ◽  
Deaf Students ◽  
Early Communication ◽  
School Programs ◽  
Mother Child Relationships ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ancient Times

The adage “those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it” is a powerful one for parents and teachers of deaf students. Myths that have grown from ignorance have dogged us in this field as far back as we can see, and faulty assumptions and overgeneralizations have been sustained through time. A study of history also reveals what at first might seem like a series of random events, but which actually manifest patterns that have influenced today’s educational policy (see Fischer & Lane, 1993; Van Cleve, 1993). These patterns are related to several themes critical to the emphases of this book. One such theme is the importance of parental involvement in the education of deaf children. History provides us with factual accounts and anecdotes that enrich our understanding of the advocacy roles parents have played, especially with regard to the establishment of school programs. As we shall see, research clearly supports the role of parental involvement in both formal and informal education, as evidenced in studies demonstrating the long-term influence of mother-child relationships and early communication and the need for providing deaf children with a variety of experiences during the early years. Another theme that emerges from a historical perspective relates to how deaf people have taken an increasingly greater role in influencing their own education. Histories have been published that describe how deafness was perceived in ancient times, how various societies changed with regard to their attitudes toward deaf people, and that highlight the turning points in the education and acceptance of people who are deaf. In most published histories of deaf education, we see the long-standing conflicts through the centuries pertaining to sign language and spoken communication philosophies and the contributions of the individuals who founded school programs or attempted to teach deaf children. Often, however, writers have neglected to examine how deaf people themselves have overcome barriers in many periods of history and under a wide variety of conditions to make important contributions in education and other fields. A history of the education of deaf individuals thus should be more than just a study of changes in educational practices.

Why Schools for Deaf Children Should Hire Deaf Teachers: A Preschool Issue

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (3) ◽  
pp. 42-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney Shantie ◽  
Robert J. Hoffmeister
Keyword(s):  
First Language ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Language Models ◽  
Deaf Children ◽  
Deaf Students ◽  
Future Success ◽  
Teachers Of The Deaf ◽  
First Languages ◽  
Deaf Adults ◽  
Deaf Teachers

First languages are assumed to be learned in the home. Since 90 to 97 percent of Deaf children are born to hearing parents who do not know American Sigh Language (ASL), their first exposure to ASL will be in the school setting. Deaf children will spend approximately 50 percent of their waking hours with teachers, who are their main language models. However, a substantial number of teachers of the Deaf report that they learned to sign from their students, only 45 percent of teachers claim they can sign as well as their students, and only 33 percent claim to understand their student's signing as well as they understand English. Moreover, over the years, educators created a variety of manual codes for English (MCE) in the mistaken notion that manually coding English would promote literacy in English. However, studies have shown that the key to reading and writing success was students'knowledge of ASL and ASL discourse as well as the ability to use ASL to approach learning the second language. The key to educational success for Deaf children lies in their being taught in a truly bilingual manner. Bilingual education has been shown to be successful if the first language is strong and there are adequate language models present. Thousands of Deaf children are currently being taught by the impoverished MCE model and by hearing teachers who could not pass the native signing requirements. More discussion and training in ASL proficiency should be required of educators of the Deaf and those training to become educators of the Deaf. In the crucial preschool years, teachers of Deaf children should be Deaf or Children of Deaf Adults (CODAs) themselves to ensure the future success of our Deaf students.

Clarifying the Relationship between Academic Success and Overt Classroom Behavior

1969 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marshall S. Swift ◽  
George Spivack
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Classroom Behavior ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Fifth Grade ◽  
Classroom Behaviors ◽  
School Behavior ◽  
Behavior Rating Scale ◽  
Overt Behavior ◽  
The Relationship

Using the Devereux Elementary School Behavior Rating Scale, a device developed to identify achievement related classroom behaviors in kindergarten through sixth grade, 298 ratings were made of children designated as achievers and underachievers at the fifth grade level. Achievement criteria were subtest scores on a group test and teacher assigned report card marks. The analysis of the relationship between classroom behavior and the achievement criteria indicates that when a child is underachieving, this is evident not only in the grade or test scores he receives but also in his broader functioning in the classroom. In addition to the poor achievement scores they receive, underachievers are clearly different, in terms of maladaptive overt behavior, from their achieving peers. This is particularly true when the achievement criterion is the teacher's judgment of the quality of the child's efforts.

The Impact of Identity and Culturally Responsive School Leadership: Leaders of Schools and Programs for the Deaf

2019 ◽  
pp. 120-144
Author(s):  
Catherine A. O’Brien
Keyword(s):  
Identity Development ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
The United States ◽  
Deaf Culture ◽  
Deaf Children ◽  
Deaf Students ◽  
Schools For The Deaf ◽  
Almost All

This chapter explores the relationship between culturally responsive school leadership and school culture in schools for the deaf. The author demonstrates how Deaf culture, identity, and culturally responsive school leadership intertwine and influence each other. This chapter reports on observations of and interviews with leaders in six schools for the deaf in the United States. Many current school leaders serving Deaf children lack knowledge and understanding of Deaf culture and Deaf identity. Culturally responsive leaders in the schools for the deaf that were studied were almost all part of Deaf culture. If school leaders are to better meet the needs deaf students’ education and identity development, they must recognize the students’ cultures and identities. The author makes a plea for better equipping potential principals and other leaders of schools for the deaf.

When “Inclusion” Jeopardizes the Learning Opportunities of Deaf Students: The Case of Chile

2019 ◽  
pp. 323-342
Author(s):  
María Rosa Lissi ◽  
Christian Sebastián ◽  
Martín Vergara ◽  
Cristián Iturriaga
Keyword(s):  
Educational Policy ◽  
Deaf Education ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Deaf Students ◽  
School Practices ◽  
Key Informants ◽  
The Past ◽  
Deaf Adults ◽  
Published Research ◽  
Important Progress

Deaf education in Chile has made important progress during the past 30 years, particularly during the past decade. However, many of these achievements have brought new problems and challenges. This chapter gives an overview of the paths followed by educational policy, school practices, and research in deaf education. The authors’ review of official documents and published research was enriched by the voices of eight key informants connected to deaf education. From the analysis of all the material gathered, they identified several important issues, such as the tension between policies that promote the education of deaf students in regular schools and those that acknowledge the importance of sign language in deaf education. They also included some proposals for further research and for moving forward in educational policy and practices, with a focus on the important role deaf adults can play in these processes.

Narrative competences of Deaf children in German Sign Language

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Becker
Keyword(s):  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Deaf Children ◽  
Cognitive Approach ◽  
Narrative Skills ◽  
Deaf Adults ◽  
Everyday Interaction ◽  
Hearing Children ◽  
German Sign Language

Hearing children acquire discourse competences like storytelling through everyday interaction and are systematically supported in this process by adults. In contrast, deaf children in Germany often lack appropriate interlocutors with German Sign Language proficiency in family or school. The focus of our research is on narrative competences in deaf children and on the consequences of the lack of interlocutors on the acquisition of these competences. We carried out three studies to examine narrative skills of deaf children aged 8 to 17. We collected data from dyadic conversations with deaf adults and analyzed this data against the background of a cognitive approach to language acquisition and of conversation analysis. From a developmental perspective, our results indicate that the narrative competences of most of the tested non-native signing children have not developed as would be appropriate for their age. From an interactive perspective, deaf adults cooperate with the children in telling their stories by using different strategies.

Affixes and function words in the written language of deaf children

1988 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 385-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Traute Taeschner ◽  
Antonella Devescovi ◽  
Virginia Volterra
Keyword(s):  
Written Language ◽  
Deaf Children ◽  
Deaf Students ◽  
Function Words ◽  
Developmental Patterns ◽  
Grammatical Aspect ◽  
Written Form ◽  
Hearing Children ◽  
And Function ◽  
Age Range

ABSTRACTThe goal of this article is to investigate whether the acquisition of some morpho-syntactic aspects in Italian deaf adolescents is simply delayed with respect to hearing children, or whether it follows significantly different developmental patterns. Twenty-five deaf students (age range: 11–15 years) and a group of 125 hearing controls (age range: 6–16 years) performed four tests, administered in written form, relative to different grammatical aspects: plurals, articles, and clitic pronouns. Results showed three different patterns of development depending on the grammatical aspect considered. Deaf children compared to hearing controls showed normal development in the pluralization task, delayed development in the pronoun task, and a qualitatively different pattern in the article task.

Young skilled deaf readers have an enhanced perceptual span in reading

2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 291-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie N Bélanger ◽  
Michelle Lee ◽  
Elizabeth R Schotter
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Attentional Control ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Deaf Children ◽  
Moving Window ◽  
Perceptual Span ◽  
Deaf Readers ◽  
Deaf Adults

Recently, Bélanger, Slattery, Mayberry and Rayner showed, using the moving-window paradigm, that profoundly deaf adults have a wider perceptual span during reading relative to hearing adults matched on reading level. This difference might be related to the fact that deaf adults allocate more visual attention to simple stimuli in the parafovea. Importantly, this reorganization of visual attention in deaf individuals is already manifesting in deaf children. This leads to questions about the time course of the emergence of an enhanced perceptual span (which is under attentional control) in young deaf readers. The present research addressed this question by comparing the perceptual spans of young deaf readers (age 7-15) and young hearing readers (age 7-15). Young deaf readers, like deaf adults, were found to have a wider perceptual span relative to their hearing peers matched on reading level, suggesting that strong and early reorganization of visual attention in deaf individuals goes beyond the processing of simple visual stimuli and emerges into more cognitively complex tasks, such as reading.

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