Hey guys! It's Amber!
I have honestly been dreading this blog post since the beginning of this semester. Everybody was posting these really insightful things that made me think. It was pretty intimidating! However, I think I've come up with something will get everyone to reflect on what we've learned over the semester and even before this semester.
I have learned a lot in this class, and a lot of what I've learned has chaged my way of thinking. I think the most memorable moment I've had that really changed my mindset was when we dove into the chapter on the myths and misconceptions of deafness and deaf individuals. I had all of these prior thoughts on deafness and what it meant to be deaf. It wasn't until this chapter that I realized how wrong I was on several things. On that same note, there were things that I knew I was right about, but I didn't really understand why I was right. So, this chapter was really the first moment that my mindset began to open up.
I realize that a lot of you are further along in school than I am - considering I am only a freshman. So, I'm sure you all had some very different things that changed your mindset this semester. If there isn't anything that changed your mindset, what is something that has truly challenged it? What did you decide in the end on this matter or have you decided yet?
Before our trip to KSD, I was really questioning whether I had chosen the right field or not. There were things that had really gotten me down and made me question myself. After going and spending time with the kids, I knew that I had definitely made the right decision. What did change my mindset though was learning about the different ways that I could become a deaf educator (such as a collaborator or an itinerant) and that I didn't have to be a teacher in a residential school.
ReplyDeleteI have always wanted to become a DHH teacher but during this semester I have learned a little about interpreting from classes and close friends. During the middle of the semester when my ASL professor emailed me asking if I would like to look into Interpreting is when my mindset changed about my degree. When I was thinking about which degree I would like to do I was thinking about what I loved most and I honestly love teaching and leading children. So I decided to stick with DHH Education.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with you Amber, I was really shocked to see all of the common misconceptions. Another thing that really opened my eyes this semester was the literacy chapter, I didn’t realize how big of a struggle literacy is for deaf students. Now knowing this new information, I will be better prepared for my future students. I've decided to stick with my major of DHH, after our our KSD visit I know this is where I wanna be.
ReplyDeleteI am the type of learner that takes more from a situation if i can see a face with it. Basically that means I learn very little from a test or lecture, yes I can regurgitate information but i don't take much from it. When it's someones story or when someone lets me see their point of view I take more from that experience then within a classroom. I am so grateful that this course was an opening to allowing me to volunteer at the ACES event in Morehead and honestly I would love to volunteer next semester. When the class was at KSD I got more out of that then sitting in a classroom lecturing. I got to listen to the students stories, learn from them. I am not saying that I don't like this courses structure, I am saying that when I go to reflect on it those events are the things that come clearest to me. I've decided to stick with Occupational Therapy if I get into the program, but if I don't I am taking that as a sign and possibly changing my major to DHH.
ReplyDeleteWhat really surprised me most was all of the different myths and misconceptions about deaf and hard of hearing individuals. I was very shocked there are so many. I had a few of my own but was corrected very quickly. I feel like this has prepared me to answer questions in the future. I am a DHH Elementary major and I am going to stick with that.
ReplyDeleteOne aspect of this class I knew beforehand but was more solidified is the importnace of language in deaf education. Language sets the premise for which deaf students can communicate their wants and needs. If students do not have a mean of experessing their thoughts then effective learning can not take place. Prior to this class I also did not realize that ASL and English had different modes of communication. As a DHH educator it is imperative that I have an understanding of these different modes because they could be potentially used in my future classroom.
ReplyDeleteThis semester as probably changed my mindset more than any other semester here at EKU. And yes, even more than my first ASL class.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I say this is because, with all my ASL classes, I have learned nothing more than the Deaf perspective. All ASL, no sim-com, cochlear is a no go, do not even discuss audiology or oralism, modes of communication consists of ASL, period. Of course everyone is different, but that is the type of information I was receiving, so naturally that is what I believed. Needless to say, this class was a shock.
Now that the semester is coming to a close, I think I am now, though does not agree with everything from this class, I am someone who can understand the different perspectives. I understand why each thing is the way it is and I can accept each persons view points on each of those topics.
So, it has been an eventful semester for me. Especially mentally.
Being a DHH major I have from past classes learn the importance of language. Now I know by the end of this semester I have heard none stop from two classes the word "language". And this class really helped me learn more about the importance of language. Of course in my speech class I learned how to teach a child to speak and how to help them but this class focused on the importance of language but not just in speaking, in other modes of communication as well. A child having language whether it be ASL or they have a hearing device and use spoken language and ASL, it is truly the building blocks to not just their education but their lives as well. And I think it really surprised me to find out that seniors were graduating on a fourth grade reading level in a mainstream school. This goes to show that schools need DHH teachers so we can communicate with our students no matter the mode of communication and help them receive the education and the push they deserve.
ReplyDeleteBeing a communication disorders major, I honestly have not had too much exposure to deaf education and deaf culture -- the only experience I have had was in my ASL class. Because of me having very little knowledge, I do not necessarily think I had too much of a set way of thinking about these topics; however, I was curious about a lot! I've come to learn and understand a lot about deaf culture in this class and why the deaf culture do not typically like the idea of cochlear implants. This is a topic I had heard many negative connotations about before and was eager to learn more. One of the chapters that personally helped me the most in this class was the myths and misconceptions chapter! As said before, I had very little knowledge about the deaf world coming into this class. Learning the truths really helped me.
ReplyDeleteI am a junior but this is my first semester in classes since I changed my major to Deaf and Hard or Hearing Elementary Education. Before the switch, I was an Elementary Education major. The biggest shock to me was that Deaf Education is a small population but statistics show that Deaf individuals represent a good amount of population in schools. In conversations with others, they always seem to have a lot of questions about my major and future career, knowledge of educating the Deaf is not abundant among the public. The fact of so little being known about the education of the Deaf was shocking to me when looking at statistics and it showing fairly large numbers.
ReplyDeleteI have had a few classes in special education but this has been my first class related to Deafness so everything was pretty new. I’ve also never had any interactions with a Deaf individual so I had no experiences prior to this class whatsoever besides what I saw on tv shows and things. I found all of the chapters throughout this class very interesting but I also found the myths and misconceptions probably the most. I hate that when reading them that I actually had thought some of those things too just because the lack of knowledge I had on this community. Reasons like this is why I believe everyone should be educated and know what the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community really is.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to a lot of what you said. In addition, I am also a freshman and so I understand when you say that a lot of our peers in that class are further along in their schooling. Something that really made me think was when we began considering the variety of education options that individuals who are Deaf have. I had no clue that there were specific schools for individuals who are Deaf, I just thought that they were mainstreamed into general education classrooms. It wasn’t until we were learning about the education options and the legislation that my perspective really began to change. Learning about how important it is to be an advocate for Deaf education really motivated me even further to become an educator of the Deaf when I finish my master’s program.
ReplyDelete