Master Teacher: Nancy Moothart

Master Teacher: Nancy Moothart

Interviewer: Rachel Kerr

2/2009

Biographical:

Story of how and why they became a teacher of students who are deaf/hard of hearing (d/hh)?

I have always loved kids and am familiar with disabilities as I grew up with a mother who has polio. I started out in the biology field at college but had a resident advisor who was studying to be a speech pathologist. She was fascinated with her classes. She brought me to a sound booth and showed me a new and interesting world! She also told me about speech and hearing disorders. Because of my friend, I pursued a bachelors degree in speech pathology, something I really enjoyed. Once I was out of school, I visited a school for the deaf. The superintendent there met with me and encouraged me to think about becoming a deaf educator. I was persuaded by him to apply for a fellowship and to pursue a master in Deaf Education.

Year began teaching students who are d/hh?

I started working in Iowa in 1977.

Progression of teaching positions/responsibilities?

My first four years of teaching in Waterloo, Iowa were in an elementary classroom working with students who were deaf and hard of hearing. It was an oral classroom in an integrated setting. Half of our students were hard of hearing. I labored through Daniel Ling’s text to learn everything I could about teaching speech to deaf students. I also had the privilege of co- teaching with a very talented teacher of the deaf who had the ability to make a language lesson out of anything! Our students were mainstreamed into the regular education classrooms. We worked on speech, auditory training, language building and academics. For students who were mainstreamed for reading, we provided a double dosing which included explicit teaching of vocabulary and concepts, re-reading and comprehension strategies and activities. I consider this teaching experience one of my greatest challenges and learning opportunities because when I came to Waterloo, I believed that all students who are deaf should sign. I left that classroom knowing that a continuum of services and communication options is a possibility.

After I started my family, I took a break from full time teaching. I interviewed in the itinerant program which offered a full-time position, however, I only wanted part time work. When the AEA wasn’t able to find a full time teacher, they accepted my offer and I stayed in this position for nearly 10 years. During this period of time, I had the opportunity to mentor a pre-school teacher who was interested in pursuing a degree in deaf education. Because the AEA was unable to employ a teacher in the field, a pre-school teacher with a background in early childhood education was given the job of teaching three or four deaf children. I was assigned to mentor her on a part time basis and given the privilege of introducing her to the wonders and challenges of the field. She loved the children dearly and was a quick study. I take very little credit for the fact that she is one of the most dynamic and talented teachers of the deaf I know today. She remains an esteemed colleague and friend. I also had an opportunity during those years to work part time in an elementary total communication classroom. Again, the AEA was unable to fill a position, so I taught language and reading to a group of lower elementary students in addition to my itinerant teacher responsibilities.

As my own children grew older, I decided I was ready for yet another challenge. In the fall of 1993, I agreed to teach full time in a middle school total communication self-contained classroom when a teacher of the deaf had to leave the area. For the next three years I was responsible for teaching reading, language arts, math, English and content classes to deaf and hard of hearing students with intense language needs. During that period of time, I also obtained my consultant endorsement at the University of Northern Iowa.

In the fall of 1996, I embarked on another kind of journey. I spent the next two years working as a general consultant to a few school districts in northeast Iowa. By 1998, a part time position working as a consultant to five classrooms for deaf and hard of hearing students opened up and I chose to move back into the field.

Current teaching position/responsibilities?

I currently work seventy percent as an itinerant hearing teacher and thirty percent as a consultant to classroom teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing, and as a resource to itinerant hearing teachers in the AEA. My consultant responsibilities include working with teachers to provide them with instructional strategies and curricular ideas and materials, and supporting them with student assessment. I also provide the classroom and itinerant teachers with information regarding professional development opportunities. I’m responsible for assisting the AEA with sign language interpreters as well.

I also participate in a state leadership group. The group provides an opportunity for networking, collaborating, and initiating projects that promote best practice and current trends in the education of deaf and hard of hearing children. We recently did a survey on auditory accessibility and had five hundred respondents! Another project completed by the group was an Interpreter Manual, which explains the requirements for hiring interpreters and what their role is in the classroom etc. This will be set up on a state website for teachers and administrators to access.

"Where do you see yourself professionally in 5 years? In 10 years?"

I will continue to work as an itinerant teacher and consultant. Within the next 10 years, I will be looking forward to retiring and embarking on another exciting journey!

Instructional:

During the course of your teaching students who are d/hh, what instructional strategies have you found to be effective in teaching language arts, mathematics and/or science?

For the younger children who are deaf and hard of hearing, I like using Visual Phonics to support them in reading and spelling. In my itinerant teaching, I also like using the Kansas University Learning strategies for reading, writing and vocabulary including: Visual Imagery, Self-Questioning, DISSECT, LINCS, and Sentence Writing. The 4-Square strategy is a great strategy for paragraph writing.(not part of the KU strategic model)

What assessment strategies have you found to be effective in documenting the evolving language arts, mathematics, and/or science performance of students who are d/hh?

The current school of thinking is to move away from formal assessments. In my itinerant teaching and in the classrooms for the deaf/hh, we typically follow what the general curriculum uses with modifications when needed. This would include the use of informal writing probes, rubrics, DIBELS(for hard of hearing and students who are more auditory), basic reading inventories (BRI), and Jamestown reading passages. In our elementary classroom for deaf/hh, we also use maze comprehension passages in addition to informal reading probes. Susan Rose, one of the authors of Reading Milestones[1] provided training in Iowa, and strongly recommends the use of mazes as a way to monitor progress in the area of reading comprehension in developing readers.

Last summer, I attended the Alexander Graham Bell conference which emphasized the importance of frequent assessment particularly in younger children and in the areas of vocabulary and language. Some assessments used in deaf/hh settings included: Preschool Language Scale, and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Other tests discussed were the Expressive One-word Picture Vocabulary Test, and Boehm Test of Basic Concepts[2], which tests relational concepts.

Another form of assessment which I received training in from Gallaudet University staff is the use of student portfolios.

What curricular resources have you found to be most useful in teaching language arts, mathematics and/or science to your students who are d/hh?

We use the general curriculum offered in the public schools along with others noted below.

Fairview[3] materials include reading strategies for deaf/hh students. The program comes with cards and CDs, and is designed to support students in learning to read conceptually through the use of ASL signs and bridges.

Auditory skill/language development curriculums we use are: AuSpLAN, Auditory Speech and Language curriculum http://www.childrenshospitaloakland.org/, SPICE, Speech Perception Instructional Curriculum and Evaluation for working on speech, SKI-HI curriculum, and the Developmental Approach to Successful Listening II.

For self-advocacy, I use a curriculum developed at the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency in Iowa called "Knowledge is Power". This curriculum teaches about hearing anatomy and loss, assistive listening devices, audiograms, and other self-advocacy topics. There are pre- and post tests and activities which support each topic area. I’ve also had my itinerant students develop Power Points relating to their hearing losses, to present to peers and others.

For my lower language students, I sometimes use parts of a curriculum called FACES: Functional Academic Curriculum for Exceptional Students.

Lessons Learned:

What advice can you offer new teachers of students who are d/hh?

Deaf education is a wonderful field! Be open to learning everything. Become proficient in sign language, learn Cued Speech, learn ways of helping students develop their auditory skills. Be open to the whole continuum of communication from American Sign Language to spoken English and everything in between.

Stay a lifelong learner, attend workshops, and IMPLEMENT what you’ve learned, even if you are not successful at first!

Remember you are the bottom line. You need support systems and mentors but it is your willingness to take responsibility for your learning and teaching that makes the difference. Connect with others, and be a team player. All team members have a lot to offer. Be open to them and try to respect professional differences for the good of your students.

What are some of the essentials "lessons learned" from your years of teaching experience?

I’ve learned that treating families with respect no matter where they are is essential. They may have had different values than mine, but it was sometimes important to leave mine at the door in order to be a support system to them. The ultimate goal is the good of their child.

I’ve learned that no two students are alike! I truly need to pay attention to who is in front of me. Deaf and hard of hearing children are unique. They vary in the way they communicate and learn. If I can avoid pigeon holing them, or embracing a strong bias, then I can accomplish so much more with and for them.

Whether deaf or hard of hearing, children benefit from having contact with others who are like them. This will look different for each child. Some children attend center based classes with others who have hearing losses. Others may only have an opportunity to see someone else with a hearing loss once in awhile. It is important that we encourage it, because it does make a difference in how they view themselves.

Can you share a story about a student(s) or family(s) who stand out to you?

I’d like to preface this by saying that all of the students who have touched my life have been very special. I would, however, like to share one story.

One person stands out to me, but, for a different reason than her deafness; it was her self-respect that truly separated her from others. Her parents treated her as a person first, gave her a tremendous amount of support, and taught her to be independent and very responsible. She was never permitted to use her deafness as an excuse for not doing what she needed to. She later went on to attend college, and is currently working with pre-school deaf and hard of hearing children. She holds them to the same standard she was raised with.

How should teachers of students who are d/hh be recognized for their instructional excellence?

Well, it is an honor to have rewards and recognition; but being the best teacher I can be, is in itself a reward. I guess being recognized like other teachers. This is rewarding, talking to someone who is starting out in field and looking forward to teaching students who are deaf and hard of hearing.

[1] Reading Milestones: Edited by Stephen Quigley, Cynthia King, Patricia McAnally and Susan Rose. Rose, Susan. http://www.deafhomeschool.com/study/languagearts/readingcurriculum.html. "Reading Milestones is a revolutionary reading series that is characterized by its use of strictly controlled syntax and vocabulary. This successful alternative method, using chunking (the separation of phrases by several spaces) for linguistic control, is designed to take nonreaders to approximately a third-grade reading level. Reading Milestones is especially suited for students with hearing impairment, and is also appropriate for students with language delay, learning disabilities, and students who are non-native English speakers.

[2] Boehm, Ann E. (1998) Boehm Preschool Test of Basic Concepts. More information located on the WWW at: http://pearsonassess.com/HAIWEB/Cultures/en-us/Productdetail.htm?Pid=015-8020-901&Mode=summary

Abstract: "Identify children who lack understanding of basic relational concepts and provide intervention sooner, increasing their chance of success in school. Measure concepts relevant to today's preschool and early childhood curriculum. Standardized and normed on a nationally representative sample of children. Each concept is tested twice to determine the child's understanding of it across contexts. Includes curriculum-based test summary, observation and intervention planning tool, a parent report form, and suggestions for modifying and adapting administration directions and testing materials for differently able children."