education 163
Deaf adults help deaf children learn
Deaf adults are probably the best teachers for deaf children. Good
schools involve deaf adults in the classroom as teachers, translators, and
assistants. Deaf adults understand the challenges deaf children face.
Deaf adults can become role models for deaf children, and help create
positive attitudes about deafness and deaf people.
Older children can help
younger children learn to
read and write.
Children can help each other learn
Many children need help to learn difficult
ideas. Deaf children often need extra help
and attention to learn skills like reading and
writing. Children — deaf and hearing, older
and younger — can help each other learn
skills and feel comfortable at school (pages
26, 137, and 138 include examples of how
children can help each other).
Children can take part in their own education
A teacher in a school in Zambia encouraged the children to
express themselves freely about what they wanted to learn. The
teacher introduced ideas like voting in the classroom.
One week the children chose to learn about
the reason why people fight and have wars.
Another week they chose to learn about the
weather and the reasons it rained during the wet
season. As the weeks went by, many children
became more interested in what
they learned. They behaved
better and attended school more
regularly.
By the end of the school year,
the children even went around
the village to find other children
who weren’t attending school and
encouraged them to come.
When children are involved in their education and work together to
solve problems, they get an education better fitted to their needs. They
feel confident about themselves, about what they learn, and about their
ability to make a difference in the world!
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)