Our mission is to make science a part of the journey as children with hearing impairments embrace the world of sound through cochlear implants. These young explorers, equipped with artificial cochlear devices, are on a path of rediscovery and empowerment. Their innate hearing challenges have spurred us to create a unique blend of auditory rehabilitation and scientific education, igniting curiosity and planting the seeds of knowledge.
We have teamed up with Shuyun Hearing and Language Rehabilitation Center, a leading institution in the field of auditory rehabilitation in the Beijing region.
Shuyun Hearing and Language Rehabilitation Center is a privately-owned nonprofit organization founded by Ms. Chen Shuyun and a team of experienced rehabilitation educators. With a focus on education, rehabilitation, and scientific research, this center boasts a well-organized structure, operates according to rigorous scientific standards, and is renowned for its distinctive educational philosophy and teaching methods in the field of hearing-impaired children's rehabilitation. The center has received high recognition and accolades for its contributions, being designated as an AAAAA-level social organization by the Civil Affairs Bureau of Changping District, Beijing, and having received numerous provincial and national awards.
Through our partnership, we aim to break down barriers, foster a love for science, and inspire these children to reach their full potential while embracing the fascinating world of sound and knowledge.
We had in-depth discussions with Ms. Chen Shuyun, the director of Shuyun Hearing Rehabilitation Center. She has a rich professional background, having served at the Central Party School Kindergarten before being transferred to the China Rehabilitation Research Center for Deaf Children, where she took on the role of Director of the Parent School. She also served as the Director of the Beijing Deaf Children Rehabilitation Center. With over 30 years of experience in the field of hearing-impaired children's rehabilitation education, she has consistently been at the forefront of rehabilitation teaching. She has authored numerous papers and introduced the concept of "Contextual Natural Language Grammar," which she has put into practical research.
1. Children with hearing impairments often have weaker cognitive and comprehension abilitiescompared to their peers of the same age. Therefore, when imparting knowledge, it's crucial to be straightforward, clear, and concise. Overloading them with information may blur their focus in learning.
2. A focal point in the rehabilitation process is to help children truly understand what others are saying. Since they often rely on lip-reading for assistance, Ms. Chen suggests that when a child understands a sentence, we can cover our mouths to see if they can discern the content solely based on the sound.
3. During communication with children in the process of hearing rehabilitation, enunciation should be as clear as possible, pronunciation should be deliberate and unhurried, and breath should be projected. Presenting a complete sentence at once helps minimize communication barriers.
By exchanging ideas with Ms. Chen Shuyun, we've gained valuable insights that will guide our approach in providing effective education and support for children with hearing impairments on their journey to recovery and scientific exploration.
Based on Mr. Chen's advice, we have made appropriate adjustments to the teaching content and methods to accommodate the specific needs of deaf and hard of hearing children.
At the beginning of the course, we arranged a session to teach the children how to draw bacteria. Using cartoon-like images of bacteria as references, they drew bacteria of various shapes, leading them into the microscopic world.
1. Recognizing the heightened visual sensitivity of hearing-impaired children, we decided to introduce teaching through drawing, allowing the children to personally sketch various types of bacteria. This approach helps them gain a more intuitive understanding of bacteria's shapes and characteristics.
2. Additionally, due to their limited hearing abilities, these children often struggle with effective verbal communication and expression. Through drawing, they can express themselves in their unique way. Furthermore, we can assess their level of comprehension by observing their artwork.
3. Furthermore, we learned from teachers that these children tend to be reserved when interacting with strangers. Therefore, we aim to bridge the gap between us and the students swiftly by initiating the course with a drawing session. This creates a warm teaching environment, fostering a sense of closeness.
After gaining an understanding of the basic forms of bacteria through drawing, we used nursery rhyme animations to assist in teaching them the "Seven Steps of Handwashing," nurturing their hygiene habits from an early age.
1. We employed nursery rhyme animations as a teaching aid because of their strong rhythm, making them more accessible to our target group. Additionally, nursery rhymes employ vivid metaphors. In the "Handwashing Song," the term "two crabs" is used as a metaphor for our hands, and their interaction mirrors the steps of handwashing, making it relatable and engaging. When all the children joined us in singing the handwashing song and following the handwashing steps, we genuinely felt that this teaching method was well-suited for hearing-impaired children.
2. After learning the nursery rhyme, to reinforce the children's memory of the "Seven Steps of Handwashing," we allocated time for them to practice handwashing according to the steps taught in the song. We divided the children into three groups, with each group led by our team members. They reviewed the content of the nursery rhyme while demonstrating the corresponding handwashing actions. To our delight, the children not only memorized the nursery rhyme but also accurately performed the handwashing steps. This experience affirmed our belief that combining nursery rhymes with hands-on practice helps children absorb knowledge more effectively.
3. Recognizing the challenges hearing-impaired children face in comprehension, communication, and expression, our educational approach involves both group teaching and one-on-one instruction. A team member serves as the main teacher for group instruction, while multiple members act as one-on-one teachers for the children, providing additional education tailored to their specific learning needs. Group teaching ensures consistent progress for all children and allows positive role models within the group to inspire and motivate others, creating an orderly and efficient classroom environment. One-on-one instruction, on the other hand, enables personalized educational planning, addressing the unique characteristics overlooked in group instruction. It provides timely assistance when hearing-impaired children have difficulty understanding the teacher's instructions or the content being taught.
We spent a delightful morning together with the participating hearing-impaired children. After the activity concluded, the hearing-impaired children who took part now have a preliminary understanding of bacteria and viruses. They can make simple distinctions between bacteria and viruses and, through hands-on drawing, have gained a more vivid perception of their shapes and structures. To our joy, after the event, they all shared with their parents: "This was a fun activity!" We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to open the door to synthetic biology for this group of hearing-impaired children in such an enjoyable manner.
In this event, we deeply realized the numerous challenges that hearing impairment presents to these children. They need to invest more effort and time than their peers to achieve the same level of comprehension and expression of knowledge. However, we also witnessed a spark in their eyes – a strong interest when learning about biological concepts. Thus, breaking down the barriers for hearing-impaired children to learn science is an urgent task. Simultaneously, conducting science outreach for hearing-impaired children holds significant importance.
The successful execution of this event owes much to our prior consultations with relevant experts. The advice they provided helped us avoid many potential pitfalls and offered solutions to challenges that might arise during the event. We reflect that effective communication with those engaged in similar activities is essential before embarking on future educational and inclusive initiatives. Their insights can provide invaluable assistance to our endeavors beyond our expectations.
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