Knowing how to teach physics to deaf students is a big challenge for many teachers today.

And much of this problem is due to the fact that most schools, especially public schools, do not have the necessary resources to guarantee an efficient practical teaching of this discipline.

According to studies, at least 5% of the population is deaf or has low hearing. Even so, accessibility within classrooms remains a challenge.

With the advancement of visual media and the popularization of content, especially subtitled video-lessons, it is possible to completely overcome the hearing loss barrier and enable equivalent learning for these students.

Experimental physics itself, which by being practical and allowing the visualization of phenomena, becomes a great teaching tool for deaf students.

Continue reading this post to the end and see more about the challenges of physics teaching to deaf students and how to overcome these obstacles in a practical and efficient way.

The challenges of physics teaching to deaf students

Physics teaching has always been challenging for many teachers. The challenge becomes considerably greater when it comes to teaching students with hearing impairments. This is because teachers do not master communication in Pounds and there is a low availability of interpreters for this purpose.

It is also necessary to mention that, in general, the interpreters of Sign language do not have knowledge in all the disciplines, therefore the explanation can become more difficult. The concepts of physics have very specific terms, which do not exist in the language of Sign language. In these situations the interpreter would have to spell everything, which would make the class very tiring.

The problem is also found in the specific meaning of common words, such as “rest”, which in physics means without movement and in general vocabulary means to rest. Another example is the correct differentiation between the concepts of “mass” and “weight”.

Some scholars in the area of communication, didactics and teaching of the deaf are already proposing the creation of specific signals to communicate the concepts of physics, facilitating the progress of classes.

Tips on how to teach physics for deaf students

Some authors have addressed this issue and the vast majority agree that the methodology focused on practical classes, supported by adequate visual resources, and the training of teachers and interpreters is extremely effective in teaching students with hearing impairment.

Visual resources

The exploitation of visual resources greatly improves the learning of deaf students, especially if images, videos or animations are accompanied by explanatory captions. An equation or function properly presented with the legend of its variables is decisive for the understanding.

Teacher training, interpreters and language adaptation of SIGN LANGUAGE

Teachers and interpreters need adequate training to be in tune with each other and with deaf students.

The well-oriented teacher feels safe in the preparation of his classes and also to make the necessary adjustments in the way of passing the content, as he observes the performance of the deaf students.

The interpreter can propose new signs in the language, aided by the teacher. This facilitates a correct understanding of the concepts and makes the classes well focused and agile, eliminating the need for the interpreter to spell out all the specific terms.

Physics experiments

Without doubt the realization of experiments of physics is determinant in the learning of the physical, because it allows the visualization of the phenomenon. In the case of deaf students, it is necessary to add very explanatory itineraries to the step-by-step of the experiments and what the student should observe while he or she excures it. The teacher should also be careful in cases where the sound is fundamental in the realization of the experiment.

In the case of acoustic experiments using tuning forks, the resonance phenomenon is usually observed only by sound observation. For the experiment to be observed by deaf students, it will be necessary to use some accessories, such as microphone and oscilloscope. The microphone to pick up the sound and the oscilloscope to read the sound waves in a display, allowing visual observation of the phenomenon.

Inclusion in education

With these efforts it is possible for deaf students to learn at the same pace as other students, eliminating the barrier of disability.

Inclusion in education is certainly evolving with technological innovations in communication and media. The popularization of knowledge on the Internet, coupled with these technologies, has enabled a great advance in the learning of students with disabilities, reducing the additional difficulties they face.

Like this post? Keep following our contents!