Deaf Education Research Paper

Knowledge and skills for Teachers According to Anderson (2011), “It is important that teachers are already qualified as teachers of the deaf before they start working in the field of education of deaf children” (p. 82). This is because many factors in the educational system, like students ages, communication/ language styles and their school setting, can cause a teacher to play many roles (Easterbrooks, 2008). Some different areas a teacher can be knowledgeable about are the student’s family, Deaf culture, their language/communication, and learning styles/tools. Easterbrooks stated (2008), “The more a teacher is cognizant of all the demands he or she will face, the better prepared he or she can aspire to become” (p. 33). This may help with
The teacher of the Deaf child should give their families the knowledge and skills that will help make the right decisions for the child’s educational development (CEC-CED, 1996). This helps parents feel more confident in making the right decisions for their child when the right information is coming from an unbiased person (Easterbrooks, 2001). When teaching Deaf children a teacher should always be aware and understanding of the importance of Deaf culture (Easterbrooks, 2011), because culture may be a factor in the way a teacher manages his or her class (CEC-CED, 1996). To be able to provide the best teaching method for a child could be possible by being knowledgeable about the different cultural levels of the child’s hearing status (As cited in Easterbrooks, 2008). This is because children come from a variety of hearing loss, different levels of culture, and language use (Easterbrooks, 2008). An important part of development in a child is his or her language use (Easterbrooks,
Those who are teachers of Deaf and hard of Hearing students should always be conscious of the services and resources available within Deaf education. Those wanting to work as educators of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students must be willing to expand their roles in order to increase their student’s language learning and instructional success (Easterbrooks, 2008). They need to be willing to work with the student’s families and help give them knowledge on what might be the best choice for their child’s education. The teachers need to be knowledgeable about Deaf culture and the importance of it to their Deaf or Hard of Hearing students. Easterbrooks (2008) stated, “A teacher of the deaf needs to be aware of all these unique aspects of the Deaf community to provide an appropriate response to general education…” (p. 13). Also, the teachers must be aware that their students may use different communication and learning styles and must be prepared to use any tools that can help with their students’ academic