Running head: Differentiated Instruction and the Hearing Impaired Student

Differentiated Instruction and the Hearing Impaired Student

Kelly M Trozzo








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Differentiated Instruction and the Hearing impaired Student
Abstract
Imagine a world full of children that are exactly alike. They all have the same abilities, needs,
learning styles, culture, and interests. They can all be put into the same classroom, taught a
concept, and all master said concept at the same time. Now, take a look at the real world. The
chances of all of your students having the same abilities, needs, learning styles, culture, and
interests are slim to none. There are students from different cultures, with different languages,
different abilities, different disabilities, different needs, and different interests all lumped into
one classroom. How do you teach such a diverse group without having some of your students
bored out of their minds and others confused and frustrated? More specifically, how do you
teach a class in which there is a student with a hearing loss? This paper will focus on how
students with hearing loss differ from typical students as well as how to bridge the gap between
them.

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Differentiated Instruction and the Hearing impaired Student
What Is Differentiated Instruction?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word differentiate is a verb that
means to mark or show a difference in: constitute a difference that distinguishes. It also
defines the word instruction as a noun that means the action, practice, or profession of
teaching. Now, put these two words together. The result is: to mark or show a difference in the
action, practice, or profession of teaching.
Differentiated instruction is a learner-centered instructional design model that recognizes
the fact that students have individual learning styles, motivation, abilities, and readiness to learn
(G. Bush, 2006). In plain terms, it is a sensible approach to teaching our diverse student
populations that concedes to individual differences and pursues the goal of making learning
meaningful for all students (G. Bush, 2006). Its highly effective teaching doing whats fair
and developmentally appropriate for students with the purpose of maximizing students learning
(Wormeli, 2005). The idea is to teach based on the students learning style.
Differentiated instruction is focused on the delivery of the curriculum; it is planned
within the lesson. It requires educators to know their students in such a way that they can
effectively plan for students learning experiences prior to instruction. (Bush, 2006). While
working on a degree in Deaf Education, a professor said, Flexibility will be your new middle
name. (Dr. Diane Klein, 2010) She was right. In differentiated instruction, there is more
flexibility built into the overall lesson plan resulting in more effective delivery to more students
(Bush, 2006). Also, there are three essential parts of curriculum: what is worthwhile learning
(content); how is instruction best delivered (process); and what evidence demonstrates learning
(product).
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Differentiated Instruction and the Hearing impaired Student
Keep in mind, that differentiated instruction should not be confused with individualized
instruction. They are not one in the same. Individualized Instruction provides separate materials
and tasks for each individual student based on each particular students needs resulting in 22 or
23 different options for achieving a particular goal (Tomlinson, 2010). On the other hand,
differentiated instruction provides a three or four different options to achieve a goal (Tomlinson,
2010). While there is some individualizing involved in differentiated instruction, it is only
temporary, and is done on an as-needed basis.
Common Misconceptions
One common misconception is that differentiating instruction will restrict students when
they take state assessments. By differentiating instruction, material is being presented based on
the students different learning styles, helping them to really know the material. If a student truly
knows the material, (s)he will perform better on state assessments. (Wormeli, 2005)
The next misconception is that students are expected to work individually or in small
groups. This is based on the needs of the students. While some students learn best in whole
group instruction, others work best individually or in small groups. Effective teachers offer all
three formats over the progression of a unit. (Wormeli, 2005)
The third, misconception is that instruction is differentiated by changing the students
work load. Differentiated instruction does not add more work to the student that are more gifted
than most. Instead, it increases the challenge. The students are still doing the same amount of
work, but they are facing different challenges. This works the same way with students that are
struggling. In regard to struggling students, we dont want the students to confabulate, or get a
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Differentiated Instruction and the Hearing impaired Student
partial understanding while filling in the holes with borrowed memories as this could be
detrimental to their success. (Wormeli, 2005)
The last misconception is that there is only one way to differentiate instruction. What
works for one group of students may not work for another group. The keys to differentiating
your instruction are expertise on content, cognitive theory, developmental level of students, and
differentiated practices.
The Hearing Impaired Student
Working with a student with hearing loss is very different than working with a hearing
student. The typical hearing student enters school with a strong language base, but students with
hearing loss are lacking in this area (Virginia Commonwealth University, 2008). Ninety to
ninety-five percent of all children born with hearing loss are born to hearing parents (Virginia
Commonwealth University, 2008). This poses a language barrier because the hearing parents are
learning American Sign Language (or another mode of communication) at the same time the
child is learning it. There is no strong foundation of either language. On the other hand, when a
child with a hearing loss is born to Deaf parents, there is a strong language base using American
Sign Language (in the same way that hearing children learn English from their parents).
Although these children born to hearing parents are behind the eight ball, early intervention
services can help to bridge the gap (Virginia Commonwealth University, 2008).
Approximately eighty-seven percent of students with hearing loss spend a portion of their
day in the general education classroom (Johnson, Luckne, Slike, 2012). According to the U.S.
Department of Education (1992), Because deafness is a low incident disability, there is not
widespread understanding of its educational implications, even among special educators. This
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Differentiated Instruction and the Hearing impaired Student
lack of knowledge and skills in our education system contributes to the already substantial
barrier to deaf students in receiving appropriate educational services.
There are five challenges that educators face when teaching a child with a hearing loss:
language delays, gaps in background knowledge, inadequate knowledge of learning strategies,
deficits in social skills, and reliance on assistive technology (Johnson, Luckner, Slike. 2012).
Differentiating Instruction to Meet the Needs of a Student With Hearing Loss
As previously stated, there are five challenges educators face when teaching a child with
a hearing loss. The first one is language delays. Most of the instruction in the general education
classroom is given orally. How is oral instruction given to a child that cant hear you? Some
might say, write things on the board, or present materials using a PowerPoint presentation. This
is a great way to differentiate instruction by meeting the needs of both your auditory learners as
well as your visual learners, but with language delays, written English is most likely a problem
as well. Chances are, the student with hearing loss may not have learned the academic language
and key vocabulary necessary for understanding the content (Johnson, Luckner, Slike, 2012).
Because literacy development is dependent on language competence, most students with hearing
loss are in need of supplementary language instruction. Using concrete activities such as pre-
teaching, enjoyment by identifying areas of interest, engagement by using informal
conversations, and linking to prior experiences, modeling by using key words, graphics, and
texts, purpose by linking meaning to out of school activities, and direct instruction by using
items such as phonics and expository reading strategies (Johnson, Luckner, Slike, 2012).
The second challenge is gaps in background knowledge. Chances are, the student with
hearing loss hasnt had the same experiences that his/her hearing peers have had. Some methods
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Differentiated Instruction and the Hearing impaired Student
for overcoming this are using graphic organizers to introduce material, using conceptually
related books covering a wide range of reading levels, group discussions, and captioned
educational media (Johnson, Luckner, Slike, 2012).
Third, we have inadequate knowledge of learning strategies. According to Johnson,
Luckner, and Slike, students that are deaf and hard-of-hearing are less aware when they do not
comprehend resulting in the requirement of direct and indirect instruction and guided practice in
the use of learning strategies (2012). Establishing routines is a great way to accomplish this.
Supplementary learning strategies in the areas of gaining information, storing and retrieving
information, expressing information, self-advocating, and managing time are also useful
(Johnson, Luckner, Slike, 2012).
The fourth challenge is deficits in social skills. People who lack social skills are often
rejected by others (Johnson, Luckner, Slike, 2012). Therefore, students with hearing loss may
benefit from coaching in the area of social skills as well as adult facilitated peer interaction. This
will help improve their experiences with group work and collaboration.
The last challenge is reliance on assistive technology. There is a multitude of assistive
technology used by students with hearing loss including, but not limited to, hearing aids,
cochlear implants, bone anchored hearing aids (BAHA), frequency modulated (FM)
amplification systems, sign language interpreters, and sound fields. A teacher who has a student
with hearing loss in his/her classroom must be able to work with whatever technology that
student needs to utilize. He/She also needs to realize that the use of these devices does not make
the student hear, and function, in the same way as his/her hearing peers. (Johnson, Luckner,
Slike, 2012)
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Differentiated Instruction and the Hearing impaired Student
Closing
The research shows that although students with hearing loss suffer from language delays,
gaps in background knowledge, inadequate knowledge of learning strategies, deficits in social
skills, and a reliance on assistive technology, differentiated instruction will ultimately bridge the
gap between them and their hearing peers, contributing to the success of every student in the
classroom. And, as research in this field continues, the gap in learning will continue to shrink.

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Differentiated Instruction and the Hearing impaired Student
References

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Levy. (2008). Meeting the Needs of All Students Through Differentiated Instruction: Helping Every Child
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