Each child in your classroom is like a seed in a garden and you are the gardener who will pour the first drops of water which will encourage growth and learning. The children whom you teach will have different goals, ideas of success, and pursuits of happiness and each child is trying to find his or her own path in life. To a child with a cochlear implant, you are the key to understanding the world. As a teacher you must be able to provide the child with patience, concern, kindness and even adjusted assignments. A child with a cochlear implant may be the most difficult of flowers to cultivate, but his or her success will undoubtedly be the sweetest of blossoms.
While the classroom is a focal point in the environment of a child with a cochlear implant, the child should be able to transition smoothly from home to school. To optimize the benefits of a cochlear implant, parents must work with professionals to ensure the device is constantly working properly and worm by the student daily. Educational resources must be made available, and staff must be trained to address students’ specific educational needs, as per the student’s individual educational plan (Cochlear Implants, 2007).
In order for a smooth adherence to the curriculum, a daily functional check of the device should take place. Also, it is advised to create a supportive learning environment complete with a strong awareness for any special safety considerations and needed resources. They way in which the curriculum and learning environment support the child are critical in achieving high results from use of the cochlear implant. The student’s acceptance of the device and personal communication goals must be considered in planning and implementing training for educational staff to maximize the benefits of an implant (Cochlear Implants, 2007).
It is easy to fall into a misguided mindset about how to teach to a child with a cochlear implant. The 2002 Cochlear Implant and Sign Language Conference highlights several issues to avoid when teaching to a student with a cochlear implant. Here is a list of advice to anyone teaching to a child with a cochlear implant (Cochlear Implants, 2007):
– A one-size-fits-all approach will not meet the needs of all students with cochlear implants.
– Sign language and spoken language can support each other in the learning process.
– Opportunities to develop and utilize spoken language are essential to student progress.
– Many students with cochlear implants function as hard-of-hearing students rather than hearing students.
The Learning Environment
It is critical that parents and educators collaborate in providing an appropriate learning environment for the child with a cochlear implant. Many small details, such as the classroom acoustics and the amount of static electricity in the room, can alter the functionality of the cochlear implant. Background noise in the classroom can mask and distort sounds heard by the student. The following are suggestions for improving classroom acoustics (Cochlear Implants, 2007):
– Close the classroom door to avoid ambient noise from activities in the hall.
– Cover hard, reflective surfaces, such as floors, walls, and desks, with sound absorbing materials.
– Arrange the classroom so that instruction occurs away from high noise sources.
Educational Services
There are many education services available to a student with a cochlear implant, such as the IEP team. Members of the IEP team will collaborate with parents to design a supportive educational environment and specific teaching strategies to help the child with the cochlear implant succeed. Parents, teachers, audiologist, speech-language pathologists, and the student, as appropriate, should be members of the IEP team (Cochlear Implants, 2007). All students should have the opportunity to be educated in the same classroom, therefore it is important to plan a student’s schedule to include academics and opportunities to develop listening and language skills.
Literature Cited
FY 2007-5 January 2007 Technical Assistance Paper 312870 Meeting the Educational Needs of Students with Cochlear Implants and IDEA 2004. http://www.fldoe.org/ese/pdf/y2007-5.pdf
Cochlear Implants, Wikipedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlear_implant#Candidates