JDA Magazine May 2025 Paperturn - Flipbook - Page 33
NEW — DEAF AWARE TEACHING
JDA'S TOP TIPS FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS
We have created excellent deaf awareness materials for our
JDA families to share with their schools.
These give teachers top tips on how to ensure the deaf child
in their class is fully included and has every opportunity to
succeed on an equal footing with their hearing peers.
Deaf Aware
Teaching
JDA’s top tips for
secondary school teachers
To support our JDA children, we are reaching out to Jewish
secondary schools — teaching their teachers and classmates
how to understand and make small adjustments to meet the
needs of deaf children.
Below is an extract from JDA’s Deaf Aware
Teaching lea昀氀et — Top Tips for Secondary
Teachers.
Deafness does not impact a child’s abilities.
Have high standards for the deaf student in your class.
Always face the student
Repeat for your deaf student
Deaf students will struggle to hear when they are looking
down at their work, for example, when taking notes,
because they cannot lip-read. You may need to repeat
where necessary.
A deaf child will not know what information they have
missed. Check in with your deaf student to ensure they
have understood.
Avoid facing the whiteboard whilst talking.
Deaf children will often miss questions/comments/answers
given by other students as they cannot place from
where the sound is coming, nor have time to look at
the student to read their lips.
Try not to pace round the room as this makes it very
hard for the deaf student to follow what you are saying.
Point towards the student who is talking, to indicate
the speaker.
Deaf children will read your lips and facial expressions to give
them input so that they can understand what you have said.
After someone has spoken, repeat back what was said.
Use technical equipment e昀昀ectively
Radio aids are fantastic, provided they are used properly.
Allow the deaf student to tell you if they want to use
their radio aid – in some environments it may be too
loud for the student.
Encourage the deaf student to take responsibility for
their radio aid including giving it to their teacher and
taking it home for charging.
Do turn them o昀昀 every time you leave the room and
during breaktime.
Be aware of the deaf student’s sensitivities
Make reasonable adjustments for foreign
languages and music
It will be considerably harder for deaf students to
hear audio and video tracks.
Be aware that deaf children can 昀椀nd it signi昀椀cantly
more di昀케cult to understand foreign accents.
Headphones may not be appropriate for a deaf student.
Subtitles should be used where possible.
Try not to single out the deaf student in your class.
Remember that deafness can impact
a student emotionally
This may mean being discreet when using radio aids.
Listening is exhausting for a deaf child.
Consider the deaf student’s preferences when
deciding the best position for them to sit in the classroom.
Deaf children can feel a range of emotions from isolation
to embarrassment.
Deafness can be an invisible disability, especially
where children choose to hide their hearing devices
from their teachers and peers.
Emotions like these can a昀昀ect their con昀椀dence and
relationships with their peers.
020 8446 0502
Deaf Aware Teaching
A deaf student can achieve just as
much as their hearing peers
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