Connie Mayer

The changing context for sign bilingual education programs: issues in language and the development of literacy

Abstract The widespread implementation of newborn hearing screening and advances in amplification technologies (including cochlear implants) have fundamentally changed the educational landscape for deaf learners. These changes are discussed in terms of their impact on sign bilingual education programs with a focus on the relationships between language and the development of literacy and the changing role of signed language in this process.

Issues in second language literacy education with learners who are deaf

Abstract Deaf learners whose first language is American Sign Language face particular challenges and constraints in developing literacy in English as a second language. These constraints are interrogated and discussed in terms of their relationship to issues of language proficiency in both L1 and L2, and to models of second language literacy education. Suggestions are proposed as to ways in which these constraints might be addressed in designing future bilingual programs for deaf learners.

Deaf Education: The Impact of Cochlear Implantation?

Abstract This paper reviews the impact that cochlear implantation has had on the practice of deaf education in terms of educational placement, communication choices, and educational attainments. Although there is variation in outcome, more children with implants are going to mainstream schools, and using spoken language as their primary means of communication, and the evidence to date suggests that cochlear implantation early in life has led to improved levels of spoken language and educational attainments. However, there is also evidence that providing an appropriate educational environment for these learners remains a challenge – from parents making choices in the early years to students managing the complexity of the secondary and post-secondary setting. Managing the technology effectively in the classroom remains an issue in many schools, and ongoing training of teachers and other educational workers needs to include its management. While the positive benefits of cochlear implantation are clear, we must also be mindful of the attendant challenges in providing flexibility of choice in meeting the needs of this increasingly diverse population.

A Model for Effective Practice: Dialogic Inquiry with Students who are Deaf:

The data presented in this study come from the first year of a 4-year research project which has been undertaken to develop a model to describe exemplary communicative practice in the education of students who are deaf. Based on extensive videotaping of teacher-student interactions across a range of ages and subject areas, with participants using a variety of signed communication forms, the nature of this signed classroom discourse is considered with respect to: (a) how it mediates the activity of teaching and learning, and (b) how it encompasses more than the linguistic quality of the signed communication. Dialogic inquiry is proposed as a framework for conceptualizing a model of effective pedagogical practice in the education of learners who are deaf.

Is Reading Different for Deaf Individuals?: Reexamining the Role of Phonology

A quarter century ago , Hanson (1989) asked, “Is reading different for deaf individuals?” (p. 85). Appealing to evidence available at the time, she argued that skilled deaf readers, like their hearing counterparts, relied on their knowledge of English structure, including phonological information. This perspective on the role phonology plays in the reading process for deaf learners continues to generate much debate in the field, and little consensus exists on whether it is a necessary aspect of learning to read for this population. The present article revisits this question in terms of what is known about phonology and reading in typically developing learners, and in light of two reviews of the research from the field of deafness. The authors conclude that there is stronger empirical evidence for the argument for a relationship between phonology and reading in the population of deaf readers than for the counterargument.

Is It Time to Look Beyond Teachers' Signing Behavior?

S   s classrooms and programs for deaf students have evolved from the exclusive reliance on oral/auditory methods to combined methods of speech and English-based signing and bilingual methods that include the use of American Sign Language (ASL). Today there are many deaf students who have signed throughout their school years, and it is no longer unusual to find deaf graduates with hearing parents who have signed to them since their preschool days. In spite of all of these changes, we have seen little change in the academic abilities and in particular the literacy abilities of deaf children (Moores ; Paul ). In view of these dismal results it is surprising to see that research has done little to guide classroom practices (Moores ; Stewart and Kluwin ). One consistent strand of research has looked at the use of signs in the classroom and teachers’ attempts to provide a signed representation of English. Good communication, although desirable, does not necessarily equate with good teaching (Lytle and Rovins ; Stewart ). For teachers, instructional method and style of teaching are critical components of effective teaching. Hence, for an optimal learning environment for deaf children to occur, there

Reading and Writing Skills of Deaf Pupils with Cochlear Implants

Abstract Thirty-three young people with cochlear implants, aged between 9 and 16 years, were assessed for use of their implant system, cognitive abilities, vocabulary, reading, and writing skills. The group came from throughout England and included 26 born deaf, six deafened by meningitis, one with auditory neuropathy, and five with additional needs. Nineteen had bilateral implants with a mean age at first implantation of three years six months. The majority were educated in mainstream, with 85 per cent using oral communication in school. The group was cognitively able, all scoring within or above the normal range. In terms of receptive and expressive vocabulary, 75 per cent and 67 per cent scored within the average range respectively. Using the Single Word Reading Test, 55 per cent were within the average range, and 21 per cent above. As measured by the York Assessment of Reading Comprehension, 72 per cent were commensurate with hearing peers, and 9 per cent above on reading rate, and 75 per cent within the average range, and 13 per cent above on comprehension. Free writing samples indicated that 25 per cent were performing at the expected level for their age, 19 per cent above, and 56 per cent below. Influences on outcomes were age at implantation, bilateral implantation, and age at testing. Overall this group demonstrated good use of their technology, and much stronger outcomes in vocabulary and reading than evidenced in the deaf population prior to implantation. Writing outcomes were not as strong as in reading, but were not showing the use of non-standard English as in the past, and were showing writing strategies such as invented spelling, common in hearing children.

Written Forms of Signed languages: A Route to Literacy for Deaf Learners?

Abstract:While there have been attempts to develop written systems for signed languages, none have been widely used or adopted. In his article in an American Annals of the Deaf special issue that also includes the present article, Grushkin makes a case not only for why, but how efforts should be renewed to develop a written signed language, suggesting that increased written-English competence will be a consequence of increased competence in written and signed American Sign Language, with literacy-related skills transferring across languages. The present author responds in terms of what is known about linguistic interdependence in spoken-language contexts and in light of the evidence base from hearing bilinguals. She argues that, given the field’s current context, no compelling rationale exists for pursuing this route to literacy for deaf learners, and that other routes are more workable from pragmatic, theoretical, and evidence-based perspectives.

SoundSpace Online: The Development of an Online Resource About Hearing Loss

PURPOSE The Internet has been a growing source of health information on hearing loss, but the information provided often varies in quality, readability, and usability. Additionally, the information is provided across a wide range of domains, making access challenging to those who need it. This research forum article describes the development of a new website, SoundSpace Online (Ng, Archbold, Mayer, & Mulla, 2014), which aims to tackle these issues and bring together information and resource s f or all those concerned with hearing loss. METHOD The SoundSpace Online website’s current developmental state was reached through the following methods: (a) discussions with a group of individuals that included experts in e-learning, education, research, and hearing loss; (b) interviews with different target groups (e.g., users, families, and professionals); and (c) collaboration with contributors. RESULT The website is structured to become a g o-to resource on various topics related to hearing loss, providing accurate, comprehensive, and functional information and resources at varying levels of complexity for the intended users. CONCLUSION The literature and the range of interest have illustrated the need for an up-to-date website providing information and resources on hearing loss. Challenges include monitoring and keeping the website up to date; in this article, a plan of action is discussed. The website is currently in development, with plans for a launch in the near future.

Using an Informal Reading Inventory to Differentiate Instruction: Case Studies of Three Deaf Learners

The present study examined the efficacy of using an informal reading inventory to assess literacy levels in elementary-age deaf students, grades 3–5: the period when the gap between deaf and hearing learners often begins to widen, and the need to identify and remediate specific skill deficits becomes increasingly imperative. Emphasis was placed on exploring how results of a formative assessment can inform instruction across a variety of literacy skills (e.g., word identification, reading accuracy, reading fluency, reading comprehension, writing) and among a broad range of learners. A case study approach is used to present in-depth overviews of the performance profiles of three students; also, instructional implications of the findings are discussed. The results illustrate how an informal reading inventory can be used to design interventions that are differentiated and targeted based on identified needs in both the code- and language-related domains of literacy skill development.