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| Page | Article | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Focus articles | ||
| 4 | Communication choices � in 2012... | Choices of communication approaches for deaf children have long been highly contentious. There is a long list of communication approaches for parents to consider: sign bilingualism, natural oralism, structured oralism, Total Communication to name but a few. Informed choice for parents may be an added stress at a time when they are vulnerable � or as one parent said, �Won�t someone let me communicate with my child?� As we live in rapidly changing times when parents are faced with more choices than ever, Bencie Woll, Professor at UCL, and Sue Archbold, Chief Executive of The Ear Foundation, ask if it is time to revisit some of the communication policies of our educational services to reflect current research. |
| 6 | From communication to language | Communication concerns the exchange of information between a sender and a receiver. Communication can often take place entirely without language, for example a baby�s cries can communicate distress or need to their carer, but we would not call this language. Similarly, our tone of voice or use of gesture can be communicative, but taken alone they do not constitute language. By �language�, we mean symbolic communication, where symbols are used to refer to things in the real world. Ros Herman and Jane Thomas take a look at the skills that deaf children need to acquire in order to progress beyond basic communication to acquire language. |
| 8 | A role for Total Communication in 2012? | �Total Communication� (TC) is arguably one of the most misunderstood terms in the field of deaf education. These misunderstandings relate both to the definition of the term and to the ways in which it has traditionally been realised in practice. Questions have been raised as to whether TC is still relevant following moves to models of sign bilingual education, and more recently in the context of earlier intervention as a consequence of universal newborn hearing screening and improvements in amplification technologies, including cochlear implants (CIs). Connie Mayer, associate professor at York University in Canada, seeks to explain the benefits of this comprehensive communication approach. |
| 11 | The sign bilingual movement | The sign bilingual approach to the education of deaf children was introduced in the early 1990s in two schools for the deaf � the Royal School for the Deaf Derby, and Longwill School, Birmingham � and a local authority, Leeds, under the auspices of its deaf and hearing-impaired service. Other places were soon to follow suit. Although this might have been seen as a beginning, it was a result of many years of change within deaf education. Susan Gregory and Ruth Swanwick reflect on the past, present and future of sign bilingualism. |
| 14 | From fax to fiction | Deafax was set up in 1985 by Ken Carter, a teacher with a deaf daughter who saw the potential of newly emerging computers and telecommunications in helping to break down the barriers of isolation for deaf people. Now, just over 25 years later, Operations Director Kirsty Crombie Smith takes a look back over the last few decades and reflects on what the future holds for both the Deafax and the world of communication. |
| 16 | On the curriculum | The National Deaf Studies Curriculum was published in 2009, and is now used in more than 35 schools, colleges, resource bases and units. Catherine Drew, Chair of the National Deaf Studies Working Group, expands on the content of the curriculum itself, and considers the landscape before its publication and why it has become so important to those who use it, with specific regard to communication issues. |
| 17 | Communication soup | In July 2011 Norwegian Ketil Eidsaunet, along with his deaf son, attended The Ear Foundation�s international summer camp at St John�s School for the Deaf. With the mixture of different languages, modalities and skill levels, he likens the experience to brothing up a fantastic and great-tasting communication soup. |
| 18 | Language learning ideas | Deafness is a low incidence special need and within this group, the number of children who have additional needs in terms of how they learn language is even lower. Consequently these children are often scattered geographically, making it difficult for professionals to build up an in-depth experience of working with this group of children. Speech and language therapist Maria Cameron highlights some of the areas that are likely to cause difficulty for these children and shares some of the strategies she has used to enable them to make progress with their spoken language skills. |
| 20 | Ensuring Total Communication | Opened in 1972, Windsor Park is a purpose-built school for the deaf in Falkirk, central Scotland. The primary department is situated on the campus of a mainstream primary school and the secondary department is within Falkirk High School, allowing for integration according to individual pupils� needs and abilities. There is also nursery provision in the adjoining mainstream school, and the outreach sensory support service is co-ordinated from the primary school. ToD Eleanor Hutchinson expands on the school�s use of a Total Communication approach, which means using a wide variety of skills and resources to ensure that each child is given full access to the curriculum � learning to communicate and communicating to learn. |
| 22 | Linguistic diversity | In our increasingly diverse school communities, Teachers of the Deaf frequently come across the challenge of communicating with children from hearing families where English is an additional language (EAL). The numbers are substantial: in January 2011, the DfE estimated that of the 16.8% primary school pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English, 22.3% have a hearing impairment. In this article Merle Mahon, a senior lecturer from UCL, and Ali Davis, Teacher in Charge at Bevendean Hearing Support Facility in Brighton, discuss some of the important issues for these children and how best to help them to develop their spoken language. |
| 24 | Catching it on video | Tait video analysis � monitoring the development of early communication skills � was developed with children with hearing aids and has been used to a large degree in the assessment of children with cochlear implants. It not only charts individual progress, but with large groups of children has been found to predict later performance in speech perception and intelligibility, and has been shown to be reliable across observers, and to correlate with other measures. In their article, Sue Archbold, Chief Executive of The Ear Foundation, and retired ToD Margaret Tait emphasise the value of this monitoring method. |
| 27 | What? What? | How can we really and truly improve communication in deaf teenagers who have poor spoken English, even worse written English, inadequate reading skills and limited parental support? An anonymous and thought-provoking view of communication issues for deaf students in secondary schools. |
| 28 | Sign language online | Researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have been involved in Dicta-Sign, a three-year research project to make online communications more accessible to deaf sign language users by developing the necessary technologies for two-way web-based interaction in sign language. John Glauert, Professor of Computing Science at UEA, has details of the project. |
| 30 | Access to fluent language | Communication is the key to our lives, and hearing parents need an easy-to-learn way to make their own language fully and visually accessible to their deaf child. Anne Worsfold, Executive Director of the Cued Speech Association UK, highlights the benefits of using Cued Speech as a lip-reading tool that enables communication and can give deaf children access to complete language. They can visually and naturally absorb the spoken language of the home that their hearing family are already using. As Cued Speech has been adapted for 68 languages and dialects there really is no limit! |
| 32 | Whatever Works at the Time | Hearing parents of deaf children can be particularly vulnerable to one overwhelming fear � that their child will be unable to communicate effectively in the hearing world. This makes them susceptible to the power of the professional who, because of their own training or experience, will want to recommend their own particular �brand� of communication approach. Drawing on personal experience, Janette Willis urges parents of deaf children to choose their own unique combination of approaches on each occasion. |
| 33 | Defining the roadmap | Communication is defined as the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions or information by speech, writing or signs. Our role as educators of children with permanent hearing impairment is to equip the child to be a confident and competent communicator. The route by which this goal is achieved is determined by the family�s long-term goals for their child. Auditory Verbal Therapy is a parent-centered approach to enabling children with hearing impairment to learn to talk through listening. Catherine White, an Auditory Verbal therapist, explains how this method works and can benefit children�s communication. |
| 34 | The Individual Learner Profile | Cheryll Ford and Dee Dyar describe the rationale and purposes of a new audit or outcome measure called the Individual Learner Profile (ILP), devised at the Royal School for the Deaf Derby (RSDD), in response to challenging questions on learner �differentiation�. The ILP was designed as a simple, systematic and time-effective one-page profile. It is used to monitor changes (or lack of changes) in aspects of a pupil�s auditory/listening and linguistic (BSL, SSE and spoken/written English) behaviours as observed in routine everyday interactions rather than a test context. The full ILP summary is completed after a minimum of two classroom observation sessions and informal discussions held with each pupil�s teachers and key workers. |
| 37 | Campaign conclusion | The decision has been taken by the management group of Now We�re Talking (NWT) finally to call it a day as a consortium of like-minded organisations, campaigning and exhibiting under one banner. After 13 years of the campaign to raise awareness of the sound auditory oral practices in deaf education alongside the emergent technological improvements available to hearing-impaired children, Lindsay Wood and Pauline Hughes reflect on the end of an era. |
| General features | ||
| 38 | Working with Early Support principles | In November 2011 the Department for Education announced the extension of Early Support to young people and families with children of all ages. The extension is one of six new contracts � totalling �6 million � handed out by the Government in a bid to help deliver key reforms to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Early Support promotes the provision of key working so that all families and young people have help to navigate the system, and it provides help with and advice on the child�s, young person�s and families� particular requirements and priorities. It has been successful in the early years � Sue Lewis explains how the aim now is to ensure that it informs and supports the development of an integrated model of working with disabled children and young people of all ages and their families. |
| 40 | Action research makes a difference | In 2010 the Sign Bilingual Consortium launched a �Year of Reading� to explore ways in which action research by teachers in schools can enhance the reading experiences and outcomes for deaf learners. As part of this initiative, practitioners at Longwill School decided to �test� both the inside and outside spaces at the school (classrooms, corridors, indoor tents and outdoor dens) to see whether building alternative learning environments motivated the children to read, raised standards and improved progress. Alison Carter, Deputy Head at Longwill, and Ruth Swanwick of Leeds University highlight some examples from this process. |
| 42 | The best options | Based on the comments of deaf teenagers he has encountered, Peter Gale, Vice Principal of Mary Hare School, is critical of some of the practice taking place in mainstream schools and urges education professionals to consider the best placement options available to each individual student. |
| 44 | A drumming day | At the end of the summer term last year, the Hearing Support Department of Hameldon Community College, Burnley hosted a fun drumming day. The event was open to deaf children in Years 5 and 6 who attend local mainstream schools, those in primary resourced provision and in special schools for the deaf, as well as those attending local mainstream secondary schools and other secondary resourced provisions. It also gave staff and pupils the opportunity to showcase the magnificent new school, which opened in September 2010. SENCO Penny Rowbottom has the story. |
| 46 | Kenyan school days | Some years ago, Helen Moorehead, left her job as Teacher of the Deaf in a unit for the hearing-impaired in Northern Ireland to work in Kenya. Quite by accident, she discovered in a remote and extremely poor area, a high number of deaf children with no available provision. Helen�s dream was to build a school, and in 2007 Kamatungu School for the Deaf opened with the first five pupils. Helen now has 49 on the roll and six teachers. Inspired by her friend�s work, Rosemary Gardner, Head of the Sensory Support Service for the Southern Education and Library Board in Northern Ireland, took time out from her busy schedule to visit the school and lend a hand. |
| 49 | Transition guidance | In November 2011 NDCS launched new Quality Standards in Transition from paediatric to adult audiology services: Guidelines for professionals working with deaf children and young people at the British Academy of Audiology conference. Vicki Kirwin, Development Manager (Audiology) at NDCS, reports on this new guidance which aims to ease deaf teenagers� move to adult services. |
| 50 | Life & Deaf lives on | Life & Deaf was a highly successful poetry project in which deaf children explored their identities through poetry created in English and British Sign Language. They later performed these poems in Greenwich in 2006 and published a book and DVD. Life & Deaf 2 extended the project nationwide, through the publication and dissemination of a Life & Deaf 2 Workbook and via the website www.lifeanddeaf.co.uk Last summer a day of creative workshops held in Greenwich helped to raise awareness of the project and bring together deaf children from all walks of life to share and explore their feelings about being deaf. ToD Helena Ballard reports on the activities. |
| 52 | Studying Swedish FM systems | As Teachers of the Deaf, Jo Garvey and Wasfee Khan are aware of the importance and benefits of enhancing the listening environment for deaf students and their peers, and they are fortunate enough to work in Bromley, a borough committed to providing the best possible acoustic learning environment for deaf pupils. As PC Werth competition winners, they were lucky enough to take part in a communication study trip to Sweden where they were able to investigate new developments in FM systems and listening experiences. In this article they share their observations. |
| Regulars | ||
| 54 | ICT news | In nostalgic mood, Sharon Pointeer rolls back the years to 2002 when she first started writing this page and reflects on how much has, or hasn�t, changed. |
| 57 | This and That | Items from the postbag and e-mail inbox that could be pinned on the noticeboard for you to read!
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| 58 | Abbreviations in this issue | A lifesaver � the page that every ToD turns to when confronted with a set of meaningful uppercase letters! |
| Reviews | ||
| 56 | SNAP Dragons � A stories/narrative assessment procedure | Peripatetic ToD Corinda M Carnelley assesses a CD-ROM that explores children�s developing awareness of books and storytelling. |
| Association Business | ||
| 3 | Achieving potential | When there are so many changes in the educational landscape it is sometimes difficult to hold onto what inspired you to become a Teacher of the Deaf, but one of the many important reasons BATOD exists is to support you in keeping your focus on promoting excellence for the education of deaf children and young people. As Karen Taylor takes the presidential reins from Gary Anderson, she stresses that BATOD is here to represent you in so many different ways, enabling you to focus on the day job, knowing that support is never far away. |
| 45 | BATOD was there representing you | Between the NEC meetings, members of BATOD attend various meetings that are of particular interest to Teachers of the Deaf. This list is not exhaustive as some reports have not yet been received or meetings reported on, some are meetings booked for the near future. This list also appears on the website in the Calendar folder. |
| 52 | Remembering Doreen | At her funeral in Much Wenlock on 19 January 2012 approximately 200 people gathered to say farewell to a �humble adventurer� � Doreen Woodford. Her Methodist Church friends expressed their amazement at the many facets of Doreen�s life that had unfolded in recent weeks. They knew her as a local preacher who had achieved the Diploma of Chaplains for the Deaf in 1982. They knew how determined she was to get her own way, and everyone that she came into contact with appreciated the �what you see is what you get� straightforward approach that fuelled Doreen�s determination to do the best she could for deaf people throughout the world. BATOD past President Ann Underwood pays tribute to a remarkable lady. |
| 53 | The way we were � 50 years ago | With more entertaining snippets of information and quotes, Ted Moore continues his look at deaf issues in days gone by. |
| 56 | Have you moved? Change of address form | Reading a colleague's Magazine? Wondering what has happened to your copy? If you are not receiving your BATOD Magazine and Journal perhaps it is because we have no record of your current address. Put this right by completing the form and returning it to the BATOD Membership Secretary, or simply email from here. |
| 59 | Subscription rates | Annual Membership subscription rates apply from 1st August. |
| inside back cover | Officers of Regions and Nations | Contact addresses of officers of BATOD Regions and Nations |
| Calendar | ||
| 60 | Meetings to know about | Advertised courses and meetings which are of interest to BATOD members.
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