Gayle Hirt
Seminole Middle School (954) 797-4350
Broward County, Florida.
A Multi sensory Approach to Teaching Reading to the Deaf
Problem:
It is a well known fact in the field of deaf education that the majority of deaf students read at or below a fourth grade level. The students in my class are between the ages of eleven and fifteen. When tested, scores ranged from pre-primer to second grade level based on informal reading inventories and the Diagnostic Assessment of Reading (DAR). It has been proven that the annual growth rate for DHH students in reading is typically 0.3 in grade level per year (Kelly, 1995). My goal was to facilitate higher gains in reading comprehension and decoding skills by June 2003.
Deaf students are not taught to read in the same manner as hearing students. Research shows the deaf need to have the same tools to decode words as hearing students. The ability to decode and encode words is critical to building a student's fluency and comprehension level. In order to increase my student's reading skills, three interwoven strategies were used in the classroom.
Solution:
The first program integrated the use of the Wilson Reading System developed by Barbara Wilson. Wilson is a phonics based reading program that is multi sensory and interactive. The program encompasses daily sound/letter drills, decoding and
encoding practice, and fluency drills which build from single word usage to sentences and stories. The students are taught names and sounds of letters which employ a finger taping method of blending sounds for syllables and words. Inherent in the Wilson program is the daily repetition of words and sound meanings which reinforce previously taught concepts. Research shows that deaf students need exposure to a word a minimum of fifty times before it is committed to long term memory. The constant repetition of words in the "big stack" practice exercise, enabled the students to build an extensive vocabulary throughout the school year.
Visual phonics is the second phase of the reading program. Tactile and visual techniques are used which combines the use of making sounds into a visual language for the students to be able to synthesize. By adapting a program called Visual Phonics, developed by the International Communication Learning Institute, the students were able to use their natural ability to recognize visual signs and attach it to auditory clues for phonetically decoding and encoding words. Visual Phonics has provided the link that allows deaf students to decode words that they can't produce or hear.
The third component of the reading program involved the use of a Smart Board. The students became excited about participating in their daily reading lessons with the use of this new technology. The SMART Board increased the motivational factor of the students in the classroom. Scanning, typing and downloading lessons and books enabled the concentration level of the students to increase. Opportunities for
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the students to interact with the Smart Board were provided throughout the lessons. The students were able to manipulate their work and save it for future reference. Due to the integration of class work onto the Smart Board the students performed better when asked to recall information at a later date.
Impact:
Incorporating these three components into the classroom has resulted in positive changes including increased motivation and confidence in the students. Reading levels have improved as well as spelling and decoding by at least one full grade level. Comprehension and fluency have also increased but at a slower rate. Students show more enthusiasm and confidence in applying new skills in reading and it is apparent throughout the classroom.