Deaf Scientist Corner: A Website and a Wiki © Texas Woman’s University Photo courtesy of the NobelPrize.org Photo Courtesy of the Hulton ArchivesPhoto Courtesy of the Library of Congress Chad E. Smith Ph.D. Director of Deaf Education, Texas Woman’s University Jennifer Borgman Graduate Student, Deaf Education

Content Area Reading Kelly, Albertini, and Shannon (2001) found that content area reading lead to better comprehension and retention of science and mathematics information. Yore (2000) cited the importance of embedding reading instruction within science material. Easterbrooks and Stephenson (2006) found reading in the content areas to be a best practice.

Active Learning Easterbrooks and Stephenson (2006) found that students develop critical thinking skills by doing experiments because they must think beyond Bloom’s levels of recall and comprehension. Quinsland (1986) found that students who were taught using experiential practices remembered the information longer than students who were lectured.

Use of Technology Lang and Steely (2003) found that when a science text was accompanied by multimedia deaf students learned more than when traditional methods were used.

Reading Leveling Diebold & Waldron (1988) found that when text was simplified and pictures were added students learned more than when the English structures were complex and there were less pictures.

The Website What is it? A collection of interactive biographies of famous Deaf scientists Why was it created? Teach multiple content areas Emphasize that Deaf people can obtain careers in science Motivational tool

Reading Level Accessible for Deaf students Provide depth of research and knowledge Multimedia to help lower reading level Robert Aitken: Example textExample text

Visual Support: Pictures Schools for the Deaf Higher Education Institutions Frederick Barnard Example PhotosExample Photos Science concepts that can be visually representedScience concepts that can be visually represented Charles Bonnet Example ConceptsExample Concepts Awards Topical Icons to identify sciences

Visual Support: Sign Videos Define difficult words –Coronary thrombosis = HEART ATTACKCoronary thrombosis Build science vocabulary –Astronomer = PERSON STUDY STARSAstronomer Build sign vocabulary –microscope, temperature, scholarshipmicroscopetemperaturescholarship

Visual Support: Links Teach students to cite and link other people’s electronic propertyelectronic property Elaborate on topicElaborate Help them relate the Deaf scientists’ educational experience educational experience

The Experience Deaf/Hard of hearing students will be able to actively experience the discoveries of the Deaf scientists found within the Web site. Gideon Moore:BrushiteBrushite Tilly Edinger:Dinosaurs & elements of her youthDinosaurs & elements of her youth Henrietta Swan Leavitt:Brightness of starsBrightness of stars Henri Nicolle:Lice & TyphusLice & Typhus Thomas Edison:One of his original light bulbsOne of his original light bulbs

The Wiki What is it? Collaboration tool Why was it created? Online resource for teachers of the deaf To share ideas, videos, lesson plansideas

How to Make a Wiki Video Keep it simple Identify the file type –Quicktime or Windows Media Player Can create videos without students’ faces Sign and/or caption videos

Wiki Tutorial

What Kinds of Things Should Be Posted… Resource Web sites Interactive Web sites Videos demonstrating experiments TEKS objectives that relate to the scientist Lesson Plans STEM content (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Cross curricular units that incorporate the scientists and the science

Guidelines for the Wiki Post links to Web resources under the appropriate category Use this format: Subject (in bold): brief description. Web address. Posted by (name) with an address if you don't mind other teachers contacting you (in bold italics). Make sure posts are educational in nature, and are appropriate for use in a K-12 classroom Reference images

Barnes-Svarney, Patricia L. (1995). The New York Public Library Science Desk Reference. New York, NY: Macmillan Diebold, T.J., & Waldron, M.B. (1988). Designing instructional formats: The effects of verbal and pictorial components on hearing-impaired students’ comprehension of science concepts. American Annals of the Deaf, 133(1), Easterbrooks, S.R., & Stephenson, B. (2006). An examination of twenty literacy, science, and mathematics practices used to educate students who are deaf or hard of hearing. American Annals of the Deaf, 151(4). Kelly, R.R., Albertini, J.A., & Shannon, N.B. (2001). Deaf college students’ reading comprehension and strategy use. American Annals of the Deaf, 146(5) Lang, H. (1994). Silence of the Spheres: The Deaf Experience in the History of Science. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey. Lang, H. G., & Meath-Lang, B. (1995). A Biographical Dictionary: Deaf Persons in the Arts and Sciences. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Lang, H.G., & Steely, D. (2003). Web-based science instruction for deaf students: What research says to the teacher. Instructional Science, 31, Quinsland, I.K. (1986). Experiential learning versus lecture learning with postsecondary hearing-impaired learners: A study of the potential need for change to occur in instructional methodology. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Walden University, Minneapolis, MN. Yore, I.D., (2000). Enhancing science literacy for all students with embedded reading instruction and writing-to-learn activities. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 5(1), References

For more information Chad E. Smith Ph.D. Jennifer Borgman