A while back, we talked about how school teachers can teach pupils about deafness. One possibility is to try an “immersion” tactic in the classroom.
This tactic works best with students from age 8 upwards: here’s how to do it.
Set up a TV with subtitles in the classroom, ready to use.
Brief the students on what to do and expect before switching on the TV. Hand out disposable earplugs to each student, to wear in class as instructed.
The TV Experience
Once the class have their earplugs in, play the TV in 5 minute bursts with:
- Sound off -> no subtitles
- Sound off -> with subtitles
- Sound on -> no subtitles
- Sound on -> with subtitles
This 20-minute “immersion” gives the audience a taste of how a deaf person experiences TV without assistance (test 1), the difference subtitles make in understanding TV (test 2), how difficult it is to understand TV with limited hearing (test 3) and the accessibility of TV with subtitles (test 4).
For schoolchildren aged 8 & over, the lesson can include questions:
- What did you all think?
- How many of you could keep up with the subtitles?
- Is the video clip as fun to watch when you can’t hear the words?
- How many of you followed the video clip and read the words together?
- Is the video clip harder to watch with subtitles, or without?
