Crossing the Communication Barrier: Facilitating Communication in Mixed Groups of Deaf and Hearing Students

Abstract

Teachers of introductory technical courses such as statistics face numerous challenges in the classroom, including student motivation and mathematical background, and difficulties in interpreting numerical results in context. Cooperative learning through small groups addresses many such challenges, but students for whom spoken English is not their primary language – which may include international, first generation Americans, and deaf or hard of hearing students – are less likely to benefit from group work. This paper examines two possible approaches to improve communication in groups where there is a mix of deaf or hard of hearing students and hearing students for whom English is their native language.