QTC #5

Deaf students have a tendency to give you “the nod.”  You know...you ask them if they got what you just told them and the nod their head up and down just to get your approval (or so you’ll leave them alone).  They want to appear as if they understand something when in actuality they don’t.  I think the one thing I want to do is ensure my students are able to admit when they do not understand something.  Deaf students do not have the knowledge base that their hearing peers do because their language acquisition is usually delayed.  They have not had the experiences necessary to engage in meaningful learning.  As a teacher for elementary age deaf students, it will be imperative that I help build their knowledge base and teach them to use elaboration, organization, and visual imagery to make connections. Deaf students also have difficulty transferring knowledge/skills from one area to another. I will need to challenge them to move out of this situated cognition so that they are able to apply what they learn in one subject to all others.