FM and Soundfield Working Memory Teaching Practice in Kenya Responsible Social Networking

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British Association of Teachers of the Deaf

MAGAZINE • September 2011 • ISSN 1336-0799 • www.BATOD.org.uk

FM and Soundfield Working memory Teaching practice in Kenya Responsible social networking

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Contents From your editor FM and Soundfield This edition of the Magazine Managing noise 4 looks at FM and Soundfield Listening lessons 8 systems. Unusually we have Donaldson’s assistive devices 10 asked some manufacturers to write a piece about their Scottish accounts 13 systems and then we have Early listening opportunities 14 approached a user of that In the front row 16 system to give their opinion of it. I hope you will Soundfield for all – well almost! 18 agree that this approach leads to some interesting Do Soundfields work? 20 articles. There is also an article giving an overview My Amigo 22 of different systems from the professionals’ point of An effective piece of kit 23 view, and others about acoustic treatment, using FM systems with very young children, assistive Using the IR Swift 24 devices in general and the use of these systems A complete solution 26 in a special school. Easy listening 28 Phonak trials 30 4 As usual we have some other articles that are not Raising Soundfield awareness 32 related to the main theme, including the first part of a two-part feature about working memory. General features We always welcome unsolicited articles and, while On teaching practice in Kenya 34 we cannot guarantee to publish them in every All about working memory 36 case, it is rare that we do not do so; so please If you can’t beat them, join them! 38 send us your article if you would like it to be Through the looking glass 40 considered. We are particularly keen to receive Plans for phonics 42 anything stimulated by something you have read Exploring the Scottish Sensory Centre 44 in the Magazine. Getting ahead 45 34 Forthcoming topics Standards for CSWs 46 November 2011 Units and resource bases January 2012 Hearing aids Regulars March 2012 Communication This and that 52 May 2012 Conference edition – ICT news 54 Shaping sensory support for Reviews 56 the future Abbreviations and acronyms 58 September 2012 Deaf education around the world Calendar – meetings and training 60 52 Association business Stronger together 3 Does the website work for you? 47

Magazine editor BATOD was there representing you… 48 A letter to the editor 49 Save your voice – let them hear! 50 What went on at NEC on 25 June 2011 51 Change of address notification form 53 Subscription rates 2011/12 59 Officers of Nations and Regions inside back cover 3

Need to contact BATOD Cover about other matters? Teacher Emily Bayne of Broadfield School Talk to Executive Officer Paul Simpson email: [email protected] answerphone/fax 0845 6435181 For information on advertising rates see www.BATOD.org.uk sep_batod_2.qxp 21/7/11 19:32 Page 1 sep_batod_3.qxp 24/7/11 18:46 Page 41

Association business Stronger together Gary Anderson reflects on the essential priorities for BATOD highlighted at the latest NEC meeting

would like to begin by thanking once again Ann BATOD is to hold its own in the future. So please don’t Underwood and Mary Fortune and all those forget your homework – introduce to another teacher I supporting the planning and delivery of the annual you know the idea of becoming a Teacher of the Deaf. Conference in Gateshead, ‘Communicating Stronger Together’, which was very successful. International links ‘No man is an island’, even though we live on islands I was pleased to visit the East Region at its in the corner of Europe, and BATOD UK has a lot to conference and AGM in Cambridge in May. This was offer as well as much to learn from other member very well attended, with over 100 delegates, due to a states in Europe and across the world. We have stimulating range of speakers and a focus on cochlear started to explore further opportunities to be ‘stronger implants. The region is to be congratulated on the together’ as a worldwide community of Teachers of way it has formed and grown in strength. It is good the Deaf so that we capitalise on new technologies that younger Teachers of the Deaf are also coming and methods of communication on an international forward to join the new committee, as is the case in level. The Leonardo Project and FEAPDA offer us other regions. immediate points of contact in Europe, but we need to think bigger and wider still. At our June NEC meeting we welcomed newly co-opted members Alison Garside and Eleanor In underlining the presidential strapline of ‘stronger Hutchinson and newly elected East Region rep Jo together’, we welcomed to our June NEC meeting Walker, along with South Region Treasurer Meryl three representatives from partner organisations. In Hunt, who attended as an observer. Our meeting the afternoon Judy Sanderson, Co-President of VIEW, addressed the essential priorities for BATOD to Brian Gale from NDCS and Gary Webster from the maintain its momentum in shaping itself for a future in British Association of Educational Audiologists updated the new educational landscape. As is now the pattern us on their current priorities. This led to a very lively we had three discussion groups. discussion on ways in which BATOD can further develop our bonds of association. It was decided that SEN Green Paper response we would work more closely together where there was We refined and sharpened our comments and views a need to produce joint responses to the Government as an organisation so that the BATOD response met on common issues and we would make our joint the deadline of reaching the DfE by 30 June. As we meeting an annual event. have seen in the news, with reference to other areas such as the criminal justice system, the Government It was Bev McCracken’s last NEC meeting as is changing some of its original ideas. We know that BATOD’s Treasurer and as a member of NEC for over the ‘Call for views’ yielded about 2,000 responses and 20 years. This is a significant achievement and we that there were more for the Green Paper itself. This thanked him for his unstinting work and commitment is BATOD’s chance to influence government thinking. to BATOD over the years. His formal farewell will take Our views are carefully considered so that the place at the March 2012 AGM in London. needs of deaf children are an integral part of future legislation for children with SEN and disabilities. I hope you had a pleasant and relaxing summer holiday after the rigours of an academic year which Membership I know was difficult and stressful for many, not least At our extraordinary Steering Group (plus visitors) because of prevailing changes and uncertainties. meeting in January a lively discussion took place around ideas to attract, recruit and support our members. In June we started to formalise those ideas and put together an action plan to make them happen. Membership is everyone’s responsibility, as we are all ambassadors for BATOD. The signs across the country are good, as we see the average age of members of committees and NEC coming down. We need to have a strong drive on membership now if

FM and Soundfield Managing noise Stuart Whyte considers the nature of reverberation and noise in learning settings and provides some practical suggestions for improving conditions for children and staff affected by noise

everberation and noise combine to make it and Soundfield section of the Audiology Refresher difficult for children to understand speech. Deaf publication on the BATOD website for further Rchildren, or children with language difficulties or information on RT and SNR.) other special needs such as auditory neuropathy or autism, may find speech discrimination particularly The effects of noise challenging. There are many children whose needs The quality and intelligibility of speech depends on can be met with a little adaptation by mainstream staff. the acoustic conditions of the room, ie the amount of However, there are others whose needs are highly reflected sound and the level of noise. Listening in complex and their learning settings may require advice conditions of competing noise is challenging because from a Teacher of the Deaf or an educational of the greater information load on the brain. Noise can audiologist. come from a variety of external and internal sources; for example, from weather, transportation or industrial The challenge of listening noise, the playground, stairs, corridors or other Hearing is a complex process that involves the classrooms, heating, lighting, ventilation and plumbing functions of the ear and the brain. The brain interprets systems and the people and equipment present in the what we hear – we call this listening, or auditory room itself. processing. Listening skills develop with time and experience; sound associations are built up and our A poor acoustic environment makes it difficult to brain learns to use different levels of attention. Active communicate and can lead to staff suffering voice listening uses the ability to focus on one sound to the problems because of the increased vocal effort. exclusion of others. This ‘tuned in’ analytical listening Research studies have also looked at children’s views may be associated with the left brain, the side used in of their acoustic environment and the effects of noise language processing. We also use an intermediate or and reverberation within the classroom. The London background kind of listening – the brain is ready to South Bank University and the Institute of Education receive information and evaluate its significance, considered the effects of school classroom design on but our attention is probably directed elsewhere. learning so as to develop better acoustic guidelines Background listening is an important part of the and teaching strategies. Their studies in primary listening process, but noise levels compete against schools have shown the negative relationship between this skill. Key Stage 2 test performance and noise levels.

Reverberation time (RT) is an Improving conditions Since 2003 new school buildings and refurbished important way to describe the rooms in schools have to comply with Approved acoustic character of a space Document E, Section 4 of the Building Regulations, revised in 2004. This document, known as BB93, The nature of noise defines performance standards for various teaching Sound waves travel through the air until they meet spaces in terms of the ambient noise level, the a surface; the sound is then partly absorbed by reverberation time and the noise transfer from other the surface and partly reflected back into the room spaces into the room. BB93 allows for alternative (reverberation). When we listen to sound we hear not performance standards, provided these derogations only an original direct sound source, but also its many can be justified for educational, environmental or complex reflections. Reverberation time (RT) is an health and safety reasons. important way to describe the acoustic character of a space. Early reflections support speech intelligibility My initial experience of providing acoustical advice on but late reflections (long RT) increase the reverberant refurbishment was for a large mainstream secondary noise levels and degrade speech. The level of the school with a special support centre for deaf children. desired speech signal compared to everything else Using a Norsonic 118 sound level meter supplied by (noise) is described as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). the local authority, I was able to provide information The brain is adept at sound pattern detection, but a on ambient noise and reverberation time across a minimum SNR is required so that speech can be representative sample of classrooms. This highlighted separated from competing noise. (See the Acoustics the need for some treatment to a drama studio. Using

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Wall and ceiling panels have reduced the RT in this primary classroom the properties of the room and a helpful spreadsheet, changing the acoustic environment to provide short I was able to model different interventions and reverberation times. It found the costs of refurbishing provide a cost-effective solution using a sound- rooms to be small in comparison to the benefits, such absorbing wall treatment. as reduced out-of-county placements.

Appendices to BB93 and the NDCS Acoustic Toolkit Acoustic intervention helps reduce stress, reduces (www.ndcs.org.uk) provide helpful guidance on the risk of hearing damage and benefits communication calculating, modelling, and reducing RT with and learning. Noise treatments take into consideration sound-absorbing materials. Noise treatments vary the users of a learning space, its shape and size and and information about a wealth of materials (for the activities that will take place there. Reverberation example, spray on, stick on, screw on) can be found times of 0.4 seconds are possible in pre-school with the Royal Institute of British Architects’ search settings too, and support communication and facility at www.ribaproductselector.com/ Consideration language development. should be given to practical requirements and ‘wear and tear’ factors such as ease of cleaning, dirt Help with existing classrooms repellence and impact resistance. No funds for refurbishment? Improving the acoustic environment can be achieved with reasonable For some teaching spaces, acoustic intervention is adjustments. Different age groups and activities highly specialised. For example, an initial acoustic generate different levels of noise, but children are survey of a primary school with a resource base for aware of and annoyed by noise that distracts them. children with a hearing impairment was passed to the Age-appropriate strategies should be employed to Local Authority Capital Planning Team. Architects and support children in being more self-aware of noise. acousticians were then employed to specify remedial • Pupil talk is important but teach children and young work. ‘Before’ and ‘after’ pictures (on page 6) show people the meaning of different working noise the lowered ceiling and wall panels with the original levels. Use recorded sound samples or role-play aesthetic wall tiles still in place. Significant changes to model what you mean – for younger children in reverberation times were effected in these discuss stories such as The Quiet Woman and the classrooms, improving accessibility for all children Noisy Dog by Sue Eves (Andersen, 2009) or and especially those with hearing aids and cochlear Hannibal’s Noisy Day by Anne Adeney (Sea to Sea implants. Publications, 2008). • Define acceptable limits; for example, use ‘mute’, Acoustic intervention helps ‘whisper voices’, ‘partner voices’ and ‘group voices’ reduce stress, reduces the risk for working noise ranging from no talking through to conversational level; use ‘playground/breaktime of hearing damage and benefits voices’ for levels unacceptable in the classroom. communication and learning • Use visual indicators of noise levels such as a ‘noiseometer’ to represent the range. These can be In March 2010 BATOD published David Canning’s paper, card or whiteboard versions of ‘classroom interim report on a study into the process of management aids’ (see www.primaryresources.co.uk), classroom refurbishment for Essex County Council. or there is even an ‘AudioTools’ sound-level meter The study considered an evidence-based approach to traffic light app for the iPod Touch and the iPhone.

FM and Soundfield

Before refurbishment… and after • Support your spoken instructions with accessible school staff and the RNID have shown the impact on visual cues so that pupils can see the steps to health. Some sound advice is available from your completing tasks within the lesson. Have clear union’s health and safety representative and some systems for pupils to show their understanding and top tips for vocal health can be found at ask for help. www.voicecare.org.uk/vcn/voice-tips/ • Distance is critical; deliver spoken instructions near • Avoid shouting over background noise – gain to a deaf child. Provide good access to lip patterns attention with a visual signal like a hand in the air for and facial expressions; don’t ‘walk and talk’! pupils to copy, or use a sound signal like a clapping • Co-ordinate your learning activities if teaching in rhythm. open-plan areas – don’t start your music lesson if • If voice hoarseness persists for longer than three the neighbouring class is reading! weeks, consult your GP. • Turn off the digital projector or computer(s) when not in use to avoid fan noise and to save energy. Classroom acoustics should be • Close doors or windows as far as possible. Carpets, curtains, soft furnishing, soft covers on tables, fabric considered a critical variable in on walls, soft-fibre display boards, and mobiles or the educational achievement of materials hung from the ceiling can help. However, if children suspending items, ensure that materials are not a fire hazard and are not likely to activate the motion Standards and services under threat? sensor of the school alarm system at night! Children do not have the same auditory perception • Interference by noise affects working memory. A abilities as adults. Children develop their sensitivity poor acoustic environment affects pupils in different to the small differences in speech sounds (acoustic ways; be aware that verbal tasks like reading and cues) as their attending and listening skills mature. spelling are affected by speech noise (classroom Speech perception abilities within conditions of noise babble), while non-verbal tasks may be more and reverberation may not reach adult-like levels of affected by environmental noise. performance until the mid-to-late teenage years. • Share good practice with colleagues and talk about noise awareness across the school. Consider Along with the rise of academies and free schools, establishing ‘Quiet Zones’ in the building. The NDCS the Coalition Government is considering further DVD Here to Learn includes a section that shows review of BB93. Following the James Review into how some simple steps can reduce noise in a school capital spending there is a concern that the classroom. regulations that govern acoustic standards in schools • Some children will benefit from personal FM radio could be weakened. Classroom acoustics should aid systems or Soundfield amplification within the be considered a critical variable in the educational classroom. Personal FM systems will provide the achievement of children. We know that staff and best signal-to-noise ratio. However, careful thought children experience difficulties in learning settings should be given to the provision and maintenance with excessive noise and reverberation levels, so of such systems. They need to be set up for the essential services for deaf children and measures to amplification needs of individual deaf children reduce the risks to health and achievement should be and access to a qualified Teacher of the Deaf maintained. or educational audiologist is essential. Stuart Whyte is a qualified Teacher of the Deaf and Worried about your voice? educational audiologist who currently works for West Teachers make up a disproportionate part of the case Sussex County Council as an advisory teacher for list of voice clinics. Surveys by the unions serving hearing impairment.

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FM and Soundfield Listening lessons When attempting to improve listening experiences for her students, Jacqui Gardiner doesn’t always have the answers immediately but she knows that where there’s a headphone socket, there’s a way

s Teachers of the Deaf we know assistive a preferable devices can enhance the listening experience for experience, both A deaf students in the educational setting – the in terms of quality hardest part is convincing them that this is the case! and comfort levels. These In Somerset, we have reconsidered the approach leads can be we take to introducing students to any equipment used to plug into that may be used to improve access to sound. any headphone We begin by asking them how they cope when using socket, be it their iPod, MP3 player, PlayStation, Xbox and so on. computer, laptop, Not only does this up our ‘street cred’ (especially if TV or iPod. Many you can discuss the finer manoeuvres in Call of Duty!) of the students but often targets those listening experiences which to with radio them are the most important. systems take them home. Students are, we have found, far more forthcoming about discussing the poor quality transmission of Some of our students have long taxi journeys to and music and mobile phone calls than any difficulties from school, so the ability to plug into their iPod or they may be experiencing in school. This provides mobile phone to listen to music has made the journey a starting point, some common ground. It tells the more bearable! students that although you have ‘teacher’ in your title, you are interested in supporting them and their On some occasions, introducing the radio system at deafness in all areas of their life. Ironically, you are home first means that students begin to appreciate ‘listening’ to what is important for them to access, as the versatility and flexibility for their personal use. one student put it, in their ‘me time’. This can make it easier to transfer the devices into the educational setting. One advantage of this is that the There are several options now available to help student is fully confident in managing the system and, improve access to good quality listening. A good wherever possible, we let them take the lead in starting point is looking at personal stereo direct input training the teaching and support staff. leads for hearing aid wearers. Their versatility is an added advantage. The key factors to remember There is no doubt that supporting the use of assistive include checking which audio shoe is required and devices with deaf pupils in the primary school setting whether the hearing aid needs to be programmed in to is relatively straightforward. Generally the key areas accept an audio connection – most models nowadays of consideration are links to the interactive whiteboard are just ‘plug in and go’! via a laptop or desktop, as well as looking at alternative connections in the ICT suites, as opposed to wearing Students who have discarded their hearing aids headphones over aids and implants. As pupils generally and are just using the standard headphones with remain within one key area it is easier to make sure maximum volume levels have found the stereo leads that the appropriate leads are in place and stay there.

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In the secondary schools, things become far more the portability means that all teachers can use it in of a problem. A classroom can have a range of a variety of different situations. As a consequence, equipment and a variety of devices, which are many schools have gone on to purchase fixed or connected often through some intricate web of leads portable systems. to the interactive whiteboard. Remove a lead at your peril! With the help of technical support staff at the Finally, we have also looked at the development school, our team would put the appropriate leads or of what we locally call a ‘mini-Soundfield system’. connections in place. This was both costly in terms of This is used with children and young people where time and money, and not effective in the long term. consistent hearing aid wearing is problematical or Leads went missing and, most importantly, the where the loss fluctuates and is difficult to aid student was not involved in the process. consistently. The system consists of a body-worn receiver connected to a mini-speaker, which is placed on the table or desk where the pupil is seated, and the teacher wears a corresponding transmitter. This simple device has worked well, especially with students with more complex profiles. We are currently looking to adapt the headrest of a wheelchair to see if it can accommodate a mini-speaker – this is with the intention of helping one student who has difficulty tolerating hearing aids to access an improved auditory environment.

We now work with students to show the teaching staff how the radio aid or other assistive device can be connected correctly to systems within the classrooms. The students then carry leads with them, which are connected as and when it is necessary. Of course, this requires commitment from both the teacher and student to make sure that the devices are connected. It is this independence that we need to instil in the students if they are going to become confident in handling equipment and resolving situations where As a team we have learnt that with perseverance auditory access is compromised. there often is a way of overcoming barriers to access effective and pleasurable learning experiences. For As part of our audiological competencies the many of the more ‘mature’ members it has meant a students, from an early age, work through a series of steep learning curve in getting to grips with the new skill levels, which, once achieved, are awarded with technology on the market in order to keep up with the certificates or house points dependent on the age and students. One of my most recent experiences, which educational setting. The targets are often included in I had been dreading, was enabling Bluetooth on the student’s individual education plan. a radio transmitter which allowed it to ‘talk’ to a student’s mobile phone. My fears were unfounded – Within our team we also work with devices that have the young person could see that I was clearly a more generic application in assisting listening, such struggling and simply removed the equipment from as Soundfield systems – whether they be fixed or my sweaty palms, touched a few buttons and then portable. Introducing this equipment is done on the as she commented, ‘we were cooking’. So now I basis that they are invaluable tools that benefit all am no longer fazed when students ask if it is possible who use them, teachers and pupils alike. Where to connect to a…. I will admit that I’m not sure and necessary we make sure that the appropriate lead is together we will see if it is possible. I always ask the available to link into the radio system if this is also question ‘Does it have a headphone socket?’ used within the class. As a team we are lucky to have two portable Soundfield systems, which we are able Jacqui Gardiner is Team Leader and Senior to loan out to schools for half a term. This gives them Educational Audiologist with Somerset Hearing an opportunity to experience Soundfield technology – Support Team.

FM and Soundfield Donaldson’s assistive devices

Joe O’Donnell provides an overview of the variety of assistive technology used at Donaldson’s School

‘If speech is being used as the means of The use of infra-red signals, as opposed to radio communication, instruction, or intervention, there signals, ensures that there is no interference is no instance where hearing does not matter. between systems in neighbouring classes. It also Unless the instructor is able to serve as the amplifier allows for two transmitters to be used in the class by speaking in a full, clear voice into the ear of at the same time. The handheld transmitter or the child at all times, some form of amplification microphone is a particularly useful addition, as it technology will be necessary. No hearing impairment can be passed around by the pupils, allowing good is insignificant, no age is too young, and no disability access by all pupils to each other’s speech. It has is too severe not to consider the use of amplification.’ (Facilitating Hearing and Listening in Young Children The extra 10dB of amplification by Carol Ann Flexer, Singular Publishing Group, 1980) provided by a Soundfield system ensures a more suitable SNR t Donaldson’s, Scotland’s national school for within the classroom children who are deaf or have speech and Alanguage difficulties, we are continually also proved helpful for children wearing personal attempting to address the sentiments in Carol radio aids attached to their hearing aids or cochlear Flexer’s quote. Due to the diversity and complexity implants. For these children, the handheld of need within our school population we strive to microphone provides them with better access to make available many different assistive listening their own speech. This is because the microphone, devices in order to address more effectively the held in front of the mouth, picks up more of their hearing and listening needs of our children. The speech than the microphones sitting on their ears. children exhibit a wide range of hearing needs, This has proved particularly useful when working from children with normal hearing, to children with with children on their speech production skills. differing degrees of hearing loss, through to children with little or no access to acoustic stimulation. Personal radio aid systems However, we believe that all our children can benefit Classroom Soundfield systems are not intended from a range of assistive listening devices that can for children with moderate or more severe hearing be used to help them acquire more information losses for whom a personal radio aid system is about the important speech signals in their more appropriate. Research has shown that in the environment. average classroom the teacher’s voice usually arrives at the children at a level only 6dB or so The Soundfield system above the background sounds. Young children have Infra-red Soundfield systems are used in all our been shown to need a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) classrooms. The main purpose of these is to of up to +16dB. The extra 10dB of amplification enhance the teacher’s voice for children with normal provided by a Soundfield system ensures a more hearing, those with mild hearing losses and those suitable SNR within the classroom. For children with cochlear implants who have difficulty using a who have a hearing loss and wear a personal radio aid. The systems have also been shown to hearing aid device, a personal radio aid system help children with central auditory processing is more appropriate as they require a higher SNR problems, attention deficit and learning disorders, (+20–30dB) than the Soundfield system can deliver. and second language learners. One major point to note is that the Soundfield system works best in In order to provide for these children in the classroom, rooms with high levels of acoustical treatment. If a radio aid transmitter is attached to the base the system is used in rooms with high reverberation unit of the Soundfield system and the signal is levels it may cause more listening problems than re-transmitted by radio signal to the children it solves. wearing radio aid receivers (see Figure 1). With

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Figure 1: How an infra-red Soundfield system can be set up to address the needs of a range of listeners

so many classrooms using radio frequencies there managed appropriately by all involved, and this is a danger of radio signals crossing between must include, increasingly, the children who are classrooms and causing interference. With Phonak’s using the equipment. help, radio frequencies have been allocated to each class in such a way that there is no interference In school we use two multi-frequency radio aid between classes. systems: the Solaris body-worn system and the Phonak MLxS/MicroMLxS ear level system. The Figure 1 shows how each classroom Soundfield Solaris system is often the system of choice when system is set up. Note how sound from computers, working with very young children, particularly when smartboards and other electronic sources can also they are very active and playing in sand and water. be sent through the system. One advantage of this type of receiver is that it is robust and not so easily lost if it falls off when the Phonak’s multi-frequency MLxS or MicroMLxS child is running around. Body-worn systems also receivers are used in school. In order for the provide some additional visual information on how appropriate frequency to be chosen, a WallPilot is the equipment is performing and this is particularly placed at the entrance to each class. This sends out helpful when working with children who cannot tell a signal to the receiver as the child enters the class you if there is a problem with the system. I have and changes the frequency within the receiver to also used the system with an older child when the one allocated to that class. The child is then horse riding. He uses the ear level system in class ready to receive spoken communication from the but feels that the body-worn system provides a teacher through the Soundfield/radio aid system. As better signal over distance when used outside horse the child wearing the radio aid receiver passes the riding. This shows the importance of providing WallPilot, a series of beeps is heard. The beeps children with access to a range of assistive indicate that the frequency has been changed to the technologies so that appropriate choices can be appropriate one for that classroom and it is very made, ensuring optimum access at all times. important for the child to indicate if he or she has heard the beeps. There are many reasons why a A body-worn radio aid receiver attached to radio aid receiver attached to a hearing aid fails to headphones may be used to provide appropriate deliver the speech signal to the child. Expecting a amplification when hearing aids cannot or will not response from the child is a regular and efficient be worn. This system has the advantage of allowing way of checking that all is well with the equipment easy access to a volume control, which can provide and of involving the child in the checking procedure. the child with some degree of amplification. This This is a good example of the fact that technology can be used independently by the child if he or is of little use if it is not checked regularly and she is able to do so. The new iSense and iSense

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Classic are also very useful for children who have used to deliver some of the salient aspects of the mild to moderate losses and find it difficult to wear words to her skin. Through a process of pattern hearing aids. recognition and modelling she was able to make closer approximations to the speech input and over At the moment I am using the iSense Classic with a time was able to achieve more closely her goals. child who finds it difficult to wear her hearing aids for extended periods. In classroom situations the Auditory training units are large desktop hearing Soundfield system can be used. However, when aids with headphones and a boom microphone working out of the classroom with the speech and attached. The size of the device ensures that it can language therapist in one-to-one or small group deliver sound across a very wide frequency range situations, the iSense can be used if hearing aids and to very high intensity levels. This means that it are not available. can be used with some of our deafest children to allow increased access to the speech of others and, The iSense can also be used by children with due to the attached boom microphone, to their own unilateral loss, as these children have particular speech as well. In the past this was the assistive difficulties listening in normal classroom listening device of choice in most oral schools for environments. Key to successful fitting are pre- the deaf. The units can be connected together to and post-fitting assessments which measure and make a group aid, which allows all the children in track benefits from the use of the equipment. This the group to hear each other as well as gain direct information is critical in making mainstream staff access to the speech of the teacher. These are the aware of the difficulties the child is experiencing in two main listening goals for deaf children within the class and around school and in making them aware education system, but until quite recently it was of how to use the equipment appropriately with the almost impossible to achieve them without using child. Other groups that can benefit from this type the old group aid. of radio aid system are children on the autistic spectrum and those exhibiting particular difficulties The effectiveness of any piece of listening in noise and processing spoken language. Again, well-documented pre- and post-fitting technology is determined by the assessment is vital in order to ensure that this very awareness and attitudes of the expensive piece of kit is of benefit to the child. The people who use it NDCS radio aid loan service can provide a child with a device for a trial period. If the trial proves The classroom Soundfield/radio aid system successful then the local authority can be provided described above is one attempt to meet these goals with evidence from the assessments to back up a with modern technology. Another is the new Inspiro request for the equipment to be bought for the child. transmitter technology, available from Phonak, One added benefit of this approach is that parents which will allow several transmitters, on the same and carers are fully involved in the process from the frequency, to be used in class at the same time. start as they are the ones who make the request for The handheld DynaMic transmitters are particularly the loan system. This makes it more likely that the useful and can be used in groups for discussion devices can be used at appropriate times at home and reading and will allow the deaf child greater as well as at school. access to the speech of others at these times.

Tactile aids and auditory training systems The effectiveness of any piece of technology is For those children who have very limited or no determined by the awareness and attitudes of the access to spoken language there are devices which people who use it. All technologies have limitations can assist them in accessing some aspects of but we have to choose the one that best meets the speech. Spoken language is often not the main needs of the individual at a particular point in time mode of communication for these children; and in a particular context. This demands that we therefore, the purpose of the device is to make have as much knowledge as possible of the range of some aspects of speech more accessible so that a technologies available. In addition, regular checking specific functional use of speech can be improved. and monitoring are essential. Working to these For example, one of our older pupils, who has no principles will ensure that the most appropriate auditory access to speech due to damage to her technology is used by the child at all times. If this is auditory nerves, was keen to improve some of the our approach then we are more likely to achieve Carol speech she uses at home such as ‘mum’, ‘dad’, Flexer’s wish for the children we work with – ‘that ‘thank you’, ‘please’ and the names of her siblings there is no instance where hearing does not matter’. and hearing friends. She was aware that her attempts at these words were not as good as she Joe O’Donnell is an educational audiologist at would like them to be. A two-channel tactile aid was Donaldson’s School.

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FM and Soundfield Scottish accounts Elaine Harris highlights some of the varied experiences with FM and Soundfield in North Lanarkshire s a visiting teacher of the hearing-impaired (VTHI) receivers if they have moderate or severe losses. Some for the primary and nursery stages in North teenagers have self-esteem issues and they need to be A Lanarkshire, Margaret Freel doesn’t see that FM confident pupils to maintain the use of their FM systems, is necessary at the nursery stage as the children are as invariably they will get comments from their peers rushing around for much of the time. Currently the about the equipment. Usually, if they can ride out the service has pupils using Inspiros and Oticon Amigo initial interest, their peers do accept the FM systems T10s and T20s in the primary years. The Inspiros are and in some classes make excellent use of the causing some problems with blank screens, which transmitter, passing it around as pupils give responses. Margaret puts down to teething problems with the new Other pupils sadly don’t have a positive experience and systems. They are returning to using SmartLinks until the system has to be removed. I have experienced they can get some technical support to get rid of the a problem with a SmartLink transmitter: I was unable glitches in the new systems. to get it to connect to a CD player successfully for a cochlear-implanted pupil and, after contacting A request was recently made to the Phonak the scientists for advice, I was still not able to get a representative for support, and arrangements are in satisfactory connection, so consequently I have had hand as the ToDs like what the Inspiro system has to give up and take the pupil out of music listening to offer their pupils. The deaf pupils being taught in activities where really low scores were being achieved. mainstream make use of FM systems, and Margaret I am determined to solve this issue if possible, and finds that mainstream teachers take the view that at the Audiology Liaison Group meeting I asked for ‘anything that’s going to help me, I am willing to try’. technical support to see if we can get cochlear- Pupils’ opinions, Margaret finds, are a mixed bag – implanted pupils in my area to access music. I live in those who see a definite benefit tend to have a positive hope! Any suggestions would be gratefully received. view and make good use of their FM systems. One of Margaret’s colleagues is trialling the new Phonak Elaine Harris is a visiting teacher of the hearing- Soundfield system with a pupil with a mild hearing loss. impaired in North Lanarkshire. While finding it useful, the feeling is that it is not justified on cost. In North Lanarkshire HI services, we do not have department budgets – we have to request, from the Authority, the FM or Soundfield resources that we need and keep our fingers crossed. Thankfully we are seldom disappointed.

The secondary school experiences of FM and Soundfield in North Lanarkshire are currently split into two areas: FM is used with the peripatetic pupils in mainstream high schools and an infra-red Soundfield system is used at Dalziel High School where around 30 severely or profoundly deaf pupils are taught alongside their hearing peers, receiving support within the HI department from trained ToDs. Almost all classes have Soundfield installed. The system has been in operation for over ten years and while pupils – hearing and deaf – have positive comments to make about it, the feeling is that some money needs to be allocated to deal with ongoing maintenance issues. FM, alongside the Soundfield system, was introduced to the first-year pupils two years ago but this was discontinued as pupils didn’t really take to it. A hearing-impaired pupil asked to comment on the Soundfield system said that he was ‘cool with it’ but ‘sometimes it is hard to hear as it picks up the noise from pupils, but it is better to have it than not’.

The peripatetic pupils come within my caseload and are using Phonak SmartLinks, which they either love or hate. They are offered the use of SmartLinks and

FM and Soundfield Early listening opportunities

Enabling pre-school deaf children to take advantage of the latest ear level FM receivers was the focus of a project in Berkshire. Catherine Statham and Hannah Cooper have the details

n 2007 we began a project at the Royal Berkshire In the first two phases of the study we highlighted NHS Foundation Trust in conjunction with the seven issues that impacted on the acceptance of the IBerkshire Sensory Consortium Service to evaluate FM systems: the management issues and practical considerations • Equipment management when fitting FM systems to very young children. • Cosmetics We have since fitted 25 children who have bilateral • Emotions hearing losses ranging from mild to profound with ear • Setting up level FM receivers and have integrated this service • Receivers – faulty and lost into our routine practice. • Compatibility problems • Higher priorities, such as waiting for cochlear Inspiration implant assessment, and other health difficulties. In order to support the families of pre-school deaf children and review their progress we run joint clinics All of the above meant that the professionals and at the Royal Berkshire Hospital with input from health the families had to invest a huge amount of time to and education services. It became apparent during ensure that the equipment was working optimally. This these clinics that some of the children we were jeopardised the success of the project, although the supporting would benefit from an FM system as feedback from parents using the system justified the parents highlighted difficult listening situations. Historically, in Berkshire, these were supplied by the time. local authority education service and children were Integrated phase given a body-worn system. The size of these systems We are grateful to Phonak for providing us with ten generally outweighed the benefits before nursery integrated FM systems (each system comprising two age, and rejection of body-worn FM systems has Naida hearing aids, two MLxi-integrated receivers and been documented. For this reason, Teachers of the one Campus transmitter) and we have been able to fit Deaf often delayed recommending these systems. ten children aged between two months and three Publications from the USA have shown the benefits of using FM systems in non-educational settings for years with these systems. children from the age of one. Our objective was to investigate whether the management issues and The systems were set up in the clinic prior to outcomes would be different if we used ear level the child’s appointment. There was high parental receivers for FM systems with this age group. acceptance of the integrated systems due to their ease of use and cosmetic appeal. The integrated Initiation systems solved the compatibility and connection For the first phase of the project, equipment was problems we had seen previously and there has provided by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation been a reduction in loss and damage as, for example, Trust and comprised the child’s current hearing aids, equipment does not need to be dismantled to change direct audio input shoes and ear level receivers and the battery. a compatible FM transmitter. Five children were provided with systems, which were given to their Some parents were keen for their children to try Teachers of the Deaf to fit at home. Parents were integrated systems after seeing other children using asked to fill in a daily log for the first four weeks of them at our pre-school group. We have found this using the equipment. There were several difficulties, group to be useful for encouraging parents to use outlined here, but comments from the families new equipment as they are able to exchange ideas encouraged us to find solutions and the project was and support each other. Most of the children are on expanded to include 12 more children. This time the same channel, which works well for group the systems were offered to parents as a possible sessions at the pre-school group but needs to be solution to situations where they had perceived that managed during free play time. The pre-school group their child was having difficulties hearing and listening. has also meant that parental reaction to their child They were set up in clinic and the educational receiving new equipment has improved as they have audiologist fitted them at home. We used the FM already seen other children with the same equipment, Working Group Quality Standards to inform and guide have observed the advantages and therefore are not our practice. daunted by it.

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FM and Soundfield

her where I was. I could talk to her in the buggy and she responded well.’ • ‘She is speaking very clearly and is now able to vocalise many difficult sounds that she has been unable to do before wearing the new aids.’

In conclusion FM systems give young children the opportunity to engage fully in family and nursery life and give parents and carers confidence when interacting with children in challenging listening situations. This in turn facilitates speech and language development, mimicking as closely as possible the experiences of hearing peers. Training and information sharing are crucial to ensuring that systems are used effectively and are functioning correctly. We have found that managing the impact of introducing new equipment is greatly assisted by enabling parents to view the equipment as a solution to a difficulty they have highlighted, having an efficient set-up of the system, We have refined our system for introducing and effective support and troubleshooting by professionals programming radio aids, which has resulted in high and peer support from other families. We hope to look family satisfaction with the technology. Some at whether introducing an early intervention package comments from parents include: that includes an FM system will further improve the • ‘Amazing! Able to talk to E while driving without acceptance, use and management of the equipment. turning round.’ • At baby ballet class, ‘Teacher remarked that G is We continue to offer FM systems to young children really concentrating on what she is saying – a big through the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust improvement.’ as part of a comprehensive package of habilitation. • ‘She was able to hear me in the supermarket and while scooting (which I wouldn’t let her do before Hannah Cooper is a clinical scientist (audiology) with because I was afraid she couldn’t hear me tell her to Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust. Catherine stop).’ Statham is an educational audiologist with Berkshire • ‘C was calmer when I was out of sight as I could tell Sensory Consortium Service.

Phase 1 Strengths Challenges • Small equipment size • Time spent by ToDs • Some parents were able to identify • Difficulties with compatibility of equipment – specific situations where the FM system transmitters and shoes had transformed their communication • Emotional reactions from both children and with their child: ‘The equipment parents transformed my life because I knew he • Higher priorities – three out of the five children could hear me even when he was in the subsequently received a cochlear implant – two pushchair and couldn’t see me’ of these families found this all-consuming

Phase 2 • FM was given to solve a perceived • Connection problems – shoes problem and this made a difference to • Parental reaction to new equipment acceptance • Experience from phase one enabled us to give more specific ideas to parents about when equipment would be useful

Phase 3 • None lost • Future funding • Parental support of each other • Repairs • Parental enthusiasm for equipment, • Transmitters – not all DynaMic particularly reduced size • Training parents to manage equipment • Connection/compatibility issues solved • Training parents to manage equipment

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FM and Soundfield In the front row Ricky Dummer takes a look at PC Werth’s Soundfield solutions

s many of you will know, PC Werth has been at the forefront of supplying voice amplification A systems or Soundfield systems for over ten years. Over that time, as with most technologies, there have been many advances but some things have remained the same. First, the number of speakers that are recommended: we still strongly believe that to have a true Soundfield within a classroom, there needs to be a number of speakers placed strategically around the room. Ease of use also remains one of our main concerns when designing products. The Pro Digital system is easy to use, with its one-touch operation. the same time as the teacher’s microphone for class discussions. The biggest breakthroughs in our Soundfield technology have been improved infra-red coverage PC Werth offers a range of systems to suit all rooms, and the ability to have an integrated throat microphone including large halls and open-plan learning spaces. without the need for a separate transmitter pack. This For more information or if you would like a free school makes for comfortable teaching, without the need for a assessment or trial, do not hesitate to contact us. head-worn boom mic or the voice dropout associated with using lapel microphones. The FrontRow Pro Ricky Dummer is a regional manager for PC Werth. Digital (pictured here) takes many of its sound processing features from digital hearing aids, which helps with optimising speech clarity while delivering seamless sound distribution.

All FrontRow systems come with a control called Opti-Voice, with its patented technology that allows the teacher simply to control the clarity of the consonants, which provide most of the speech intelligibility enabling all children to understand better what is being said. The Pro Digital system also benefits from Energy Smart technology that uses 63% less energy than other systems on the market. Not only is this good for the environment, it also saves the school money as the system will automatically power down when not in use. The final feature that I would like to mention is Adapto, a feedback management system designed to stop the problems associated with some Soundfield systems feeding back when the teacher gets too close to one of the speakers.

The Pro Digital system is supplied and installed with everything that is needed to get up and running straightaway – the only decision that you need to make is whether to use the optional student mic, helping to increase student participation and reinforcing the values of listening. Most teachers find that even shy students are keen to participate when using the student mic, which can be used at

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FM and Soundfield Soundfield for all – well almost!

Julie Carter and Elizabeth Reed-Beadle discuss their experiences of supplying Soundfield systems to schools in Norfolk

here are 422 schools in Norfolk. Before 2008 and this is often followed up with school staff by the there were ten Soundfield systems (SFSs) in Teachers of the Deaf within the county. T use, and one school had a new building which had the systems fitted as standard. In 2008, Julie Our third year of fitting the systems is ongoing and Carter, then Team Leader for Deaf Children and by the end of the project we will have offered over Families with Children’s Services Sensory Support 250 portable SFSs to schools in Norfolk. During in Norfolk, asked if the Schools Access Initiative the three years we have been able to offer some committee would consider helping to improve schools more systems, particularly where there is access for deaf children in schools across the more than one student in a school. We realise county. The committee is responsible for improving that there is still much more to be done, but it is facilities for disabled children and has helped with a start. funding for items such as ramps, toilets, changing facilities and automatic doors. An SFS was We do encourage schools to purchase further demonstrated and the committee agreed to set systems as they experience the value of the aside £250,000 to be used over three years. technology. To date at least three schools have run fundraising projects to fit further systems in their The deal was for a portable SFS to be offered to a classrooms and halls. The teachers in these schools school for use in a particular class where there was have embraced the power of the technology for the a child (or children) with a known hearing loss. The deaf child and have valued the bonus of easier and SFS would follow the child through the school and clearer listening for all students, as well as the when the child moved to a new school the original conservation of their own voices. school could keep the SFS. One SFS would be provided for the classroom of a primary-aged child This is great – a win, win, win situation – but there and four for a secondary-aged student. We knew are issues, as described below. this was a ‘drop in the ocean’ for the high schools but, in consultation with the student and the staff, Microphones – encouraging some teachers to the Soundfield systems were placed in classes wear the microphone and keep it charged can be where the deaf students found the listening problematic. Comments such as, ‘I have taught most difficult. Each school was responsible for deaf children in my class for over 20 years and the maintenance of the SFS. The support of the I don’t need to amplify my voice. I’m not using it’, headteachers was of prime importance. and ‘I only use it when XXX is in school’ and ‘The microphone gives me a headache’ have been heard We looked at the SFS available in 2008 and but are not helpful. Sometimes one has to admit decided to use the PC Werth FrontRow to Go FM defeat, even after training and demonstrations SFS and the Connevans Swift portable infra-red have been given. These comments, however, are system. During the first year, 2008/09, we started in the minority and most of the teachers find the by fitting 44 Soundfield systems to 30 schools in technology useful. the county. In 2009 a new company offered SFS. A representative from Lightspeed demonstrated Re-broadcasting personal FM systems – this can its RedCat portable SFS and because of the cause difficulties. The companies provide initial competitive price we were advised to use some of training but this may not have been delivered these systems. During the academic year 2009/10 to the correct members of staff, especially if the 97 portable Soundfield systems were fitted, using systems are fitted during the school holidays, and all three companies. sometimes the sub-contractors are not as helpful as one might like, especially if they have a tight The project insists that the initial fitting of the schedule to meet. Teachers of the Deaf need systems is done by the companies but thereafter knowledge of the systems and to be confident in the systems are usually moved by the caretaker in using them so that they can offer support to the the school. Training is given at the time of fitting staff in schools.

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FM and Soundfield

In Norfolk, Matrix, the company which fits the whiteboards, also fits the RedCat systems and therefore its repair professionals are easier to reach when there is a problem. We have used a mixture of FM and infra-red technology and our experience indicates that infra-red is the way to go as there is less interference, especially when re-broadcasting personal FM systems.

The jury is still out on which of the three systems we have used is the ‘best’ as each has advantages and disadvantages. We have had some extremely positive comments from students, parents and teachers but we are still in the process of auditing and evaluating their effectiveness in a mainstream classroom setting.

Julie Carter is the retired Team Leader for Children and Families with Children’s Services Sensory Support in Norfolk. Elizabeth Reed-Beadle is the Educational Audiologist with Children’s Services Sensory Support in Norfolk.

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FM and Soundfield Do Soundfields work? Oliver Pont used the Room Acoustics Measurement Kit from Connevans to find out how a single speaker Soundfield system affected the signal-to-noise ratio and speech intelligibility in three typical classrooms of his secondary school

n 2008, as my main A2 level physics project I improve speech intelligibility or whether it would be undertook a study to find out how reverberation more appropriate to undertake physical acoustic Itime and ambient background noise in the treatment. classroom affect speech intelligibility and under what conditions the addition of a Soundfield system The measurements improves speech intelligibility. The ultimate aim of All measurements made were according to the this type of research is the generation of practical BB93 guidelines and the more specific British rules that will facilitate the most cost-effective Standard method references called up within BB93. acoustic treatment of classrooms in order to enable In all rooms, acoustic parameters were measured the best possible teaching, listening, and therefore at eight physical locations where students would learning conditions for the students and teacher. normally sit, especially positions where there were The concept of Soundfield systems is now well any sources of local noise. Due to time constraints, known throughout the ToD community but less so in the test sound source was only placed at the normal mainstream education. The idea is that the teacher teacher position for each classroom. The measured wears a wireless microphone that transmits the parameters were: voice to an amplifier, which then drives one or more • Reverberation time at 500Hz, 1kHz and 2kHz loudspeakers distributed appropriately around the (RT60), averaged to become RTmf room. The system does not operate at high volume • Background noise (N), A weighted and integrated like a public address system, but aims to produce over ten minutes (Leq(A), 10min) an even level of sound throughout the whole room, • Signal level from the ‘teacher’ (S) equivalent to or just above the teacher’s natural • Speech transmission index (STI) – an industry voice. This means that all students, wherever they accepted measure of speech intelligibility. are seated, should hear equally well and the teacher should not need to raise his or her voice The signal source was a powered loudspeaker significantly in order to be heard. facing the students and mounted at the height of a standing teacher (1.65m). The sounds used were: Many studies in the USA over the last 15 years • interrupted broadband noise for RT60 have shown that there are significant behavioural • actual recording of a teacher talking and academic improvements, and less teacher • complex modulated speech transmission index for sickness, in classes where Soundfield systems public address signal for STI. are used. However, there seems to be a dearth of UK-based studies, although there is an increasing The use of these signals meant that all tests were quantity of anecdotal evidence supporting the controlled and repeatable. The Soundfield microphone American findings. Few of the studies have was the standard IR Classmate collar-worn design specifically linked the effects of the teaching space positioned below the loudspeaker as if it were a reverberation and background noise to the student mouth. The mean level for the speech tests was 66dB signal-to-noise ratio and speech intelligibility in a SPL(A) as per the ANSI Raised Voice Effort @ 1m: quantified way. BS EN 60268-16 requirement. The three rooms tested were chosen to give a typical range of reverberation It should be recognised that as an A-level project, times. The hope was that I might be able to see a trend my study was relatively limited by time constraints, in the deterioration of STI scores with increasing RTmf. resulting in the thorough testing of only three classrooms. However, the results are clearly The measured parameters allowed the plotting of a indicative of the potential benefits of using these number of contour maps, which were overlaid on a plan assistive systems. of each room. This type of map is good for showing the variation of signal over an area, although it must be Reverberation time and background noise are recognised that the contours are a calculated estimate relatively quick and simple measurements to make. between the known values, and that I have chosen not A useful outcome would be to be able to predict to show contours outside the measured area since whether the fitting of a Soundfield system would there is no real data to the edges of the room.

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FM and Soundfield

Results Since only three rooms were measured, there is not enough data to show statistically reliable trends. However, it is clear that the addition of the Soundfield system has significantly improved the STI throughout each room. Bear in mind also that this study only used a single speaker Soundfield system located at the back of each classroom even though that may not be the optimum configuration for the individual rooms.

Conclusion Figures 1 and 2 show the unaided and aided STI maps for Room 20. Figure 3 shows the key to Figure 1: Room 20 STI unaided interpreting the maps. Areas of high (low) SNR show good (poor) STI. The worst unaided scores are furthest from the teacher or in the vicinity of local noise sources. The addition of the Soundfield speaker has clearly improved the intelligibility throughout the room but especially so at position 2, which is near to a particularly noisy fan heater.

An important point to note is that the STI scores are significantly reduced by local noise sources, as could be expected intuitively. This indicates that the levels of all local noise sources should be minimised, students (especially deaf students) should not be seated near to such noise sources, and/or Soundfield speakers should be placed in the vicinity of the noise sources Figure 2: Room 20 STI aided by IR Swift to minimise the adverse effect of the noise.

The STI and SNR (not shown) plots are quite similar to each other and indicate that good SNR should result in improved STI. Of course, it should be expected that the highest STI scores achievable would be lower Figure 3: STI plot key in a more reverberant room. Unfortunately, there is In the full report, plots were produced for signal insufficient data to show a clear trend in the reduction attenuation (reduction of teacher’s voice level with of STI scores with increasing reverberation time. This distance), noise level (a ‘noise map’) and STI. Plots may be due to the fact that the local ambient noise were also produced for the difference between the profiles are different in each of the tested rooms. signal and the noise, ie SNR. The results shown in Table 1, for the most reverberant Due to the length of this article, much of the study room tested (12), show a huge improvement to the detail has been omitted. STI contour plots are shown SNR and STI, especially at the locations near the only for one room (20) but the differences between back of the room. This is because the room is so Soundfield aided and unaided are dramatic for all long. This indicates that an increased number of three rooms. distributed speakers would provide a more spatially even speech intelligibility improvement, ie a multi- speaker Soundfield system would provide better Unaided Aided Improvement performance in a large or reverberant room. Positions Position SNR STI SNR STI SNR STI 1 and 2 are near the loudspeaker at the back of the 1 0.1 0.36 17.9 0.62 17.8 0.25 room, position 6 is near to the teacher and positions 2 0.4 0.33 17.3 0.63 16.9 0.3 7 and 8 are at the front sides. 3 9.9 0.42 22 0.53 12.1 0.11 4 10.4 0.42 22.3 0.51 11.9 0.09 Oliver Pont is currently studying for his MEng in Audio 5 14.2 0.5 19.1 0.51 4.9 0.01 Media Engineering at the University of Surrey. He can 6 14.6 0.52 20.4 0.54 5.8 0.03 be contacted at [email protected]. Alternatively 7 11.7 0.55 17.1 0.61 5.4 0.06 contact Gareth Pont, Design Director of Connevans 8 16.3 0.64 19.5 0.65 3.2 0.02 Limited, at [email protected]. The study was Table 1: Room 12 data undertaken at Howard of Effingham School in Surrey.

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FM and Soundfield My Amigo Lois Couch recounts her experiences of using Oticon’s Amigo FM system

first heard about Amigo a number of years ago The system is very flexible and is ideal for use in when a colleague returned from a presentation at a a classroom where there is a teacher and teaching IBATOD conference saying that he had some new assistant (TA) working with one or more deaf students. ideas for our service. After the initial disappointment We issue the teacher with a secondary transmitter of realising that Amigo was an FM system and not a and the TA with the Amigo T31. The pupils have R2 time-share opportunity in Spain, we contacted our receivers that are set up to receive both transmitter Oticon rep and requested a hands-on demonstration frequencies. The TA is then able to make adjustments of the Amigo system. We were particularly interested so that the pupil can hear: in the team-teach facility that this system offered. We • the teacher decided to purchase four sets of transmitters, together • the teacher and TA with ear level receivers, to trial with pupils who were • the TA but not the teacher reliable FM users in our secondary hearing support • neither. facility. The transmitters use one AA battery (rechargeable or In team-teach mode, the Amigo transmitter acts as non-rechargeable) and have a dedicated charging both a transmitter and receiver. It transmits a signal at lead (no need to take the battery out). Accessories, its own frequency and can also receive a signal from including lapel microphones, AV leads and so on, are a second transmitter. This second signal can also be easy to order and are delivered promptly. transmitted to the students’ receivers. The second transmitter does not have to be an Oticon, in fact we Lois Couch works for the East Sussex Service for have used the system with Genie transmitters. The Children with Sensory Needs and is a visiting teacher Amigo transmitter can be set to use two of the usual of the hearing-impaired with responsibility for audiology. range of frequencies. This is essential in a hearing support facility where several pupils use FM systems.

When we purchased the Amigos we were also given (for free!) a frequency checker. This device looks like a standard transmitter but is used to listen via headphones to the signal. It can also scan through frequencies and highlight those that will be susceptible to interference and those that will have a strong signal – a useful feature when selecting frequencies to use in particular locations.

The Amigo transmitter (T31) is a robust device that has the look of a slightly chunky music player. The menu is fairly intuitive and it did not take long to become confident in moving around the various menu options to adjust settings. The display screen is clear and you can see at a glance when it is set for team- teach mode. The R2 receivers are standard multi- channel receivers that have useful light indicators to let you know that they are receiving a signal (some students did not like having this light so we were pleased to discover we could switch it off!).

To programme the receivers you use the transmitter and ‘sync’ the information. To do this you have to hold the transmitter and receivers a certain distance apart and press the sync button. When you have the distance and angle between transmitter and receiver just right this works very well; however, getting this right is fairly tricky and can take several minutes! Apparently, newer versions of the transmitters and receivers have been adapted to make this easier.

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FM and Soundfield An effective piece of kit Matthew Heasman is full of praise for the Soundfield systems installed in his school

hen I joined Broadfield Junior School (later to has been marked. As a become Broadfield Primary School) in 2003 I partially deaf headteacher W soon became aware of an innovative piece of myself, I have found that classroom equipment that I had not seen elsewhere. the Soundfield system has had a profoundly positive The 'Soundfield system', as it was known by the staff effect on my work. and children, had been installed by my predecessor in one classroom in each year group to help a small The school's success with group of deaf children access the curriculum. I liked the the Soundfield system has system enormously and quickly recognised its benefits resulted in coverage in the to all children, not just those who were deaf. The local national and local media. authority (Hertfordshire County Council) was very We regularly host visits supportive of this technology and offered a grant that from organisations and would cover 50% of the costs. We took advantage individuals who want to of this grant and installed the Soundfield system in see the system in action. an additional 11 learning areas. This meant that all We are pleased to do so because the Soundfield classrooms, the two dining halls, ICT suite and main systems have made such a positive difference hall were kitted out with the system. The impact on throughout the school. It is probably the most effective children's learning has been immense. piece of kit that I have come across in 20 years in primary education and, were I to move school, the first Attitudes have improved in all children who, no matter thing I would do would be to install Soundfield systems where they are seated in the classroom, can hear the throughout the school. teacher's voice as though they were sitting at the front of the class. Matthew Heasman is Headteacher of Broadfield Primary School.

School inspectors have consistently praised the good quality of the children's attitude in school at Broadfield – and I am convinced that Soundfield has played a big part in this. The benefit has not just been to the children. Teachers have noticed a dramatic decline in voice- and throat-related problems. The amplification of their voice can be used to good effect in their teaching without the need to strain vocal cords. For me, a particular benefit has been in the two assembly halls. Gone are the days when a quietly spoken child reading a poem he or she had written, for example, was given polite praise by a packed hall of people who had in reality heard very little at all. The amplification of the children's voices in assembly means that everyone is heard. Again, the impact on behaviour and achievement

FM and Soundfield Using the IR Swift John Popplestone describes the history of Soundfield and the development of the Connevans IR Swift system

oundfield systems have been shown to improve The IR Swift is the most advanced yet simplest the listening environment for all pupils in the Soundfield system in the Connevans product range Sclassroom. The Soundfield concept was and consists of a single panel unit with the receiver, originally developed in the USA and introduced into amplifier and infra-red sensors all built in. The IR the UK about ten years ago. Initially Soundfield Swift uses a flat panel NXT™ speaker which has very systems were not particularly sophisticated. They wide dispersion characteristics so that the sound is usually consisted of four speakers, an amplifier plus a non-directional. Installation only consists of fixing the separate radio microphone transmitter and a receiver. supplied bracket to the rear wall of the classroom As they developed, the radio receiver and amplifier and then mounting the IR Swift onto the bracket. It is were integrated into a wall-mounted unit which made as easy as hanging a picture and takes about ten them easier to install. The early systems were minutes. All you then need to do is plug it into the radio-based which worked well but, due to the limited mains and it is ready to use. number of radio channels available, restricted the IR Swift installation – as easy as hanging a picture! number of systems that could be used in a particular 1 Fix bracket to wall 2 Slot IR Swift onto area. This restriction led manufacturers to change to classroom bracket! infra-red transmission, which stays within the confines of the room in which the system is fitted. Unlimited numbers of systems could now be installed in a school and a wider range of systems became available.

Our first infra-red classroom Soundfield was the IR Classmate, in a secure wall box, which was used with a belt pack transmitter and a collar-worn microphone. The multi-speaker IR Classmate is still an excellent system and now it can be used with the new SwiftTx Concealed screws (supplied) can be used to ‘lock’ microphone, which was developed for use with the the IR Swift to the wall bracket IR Swift. The original blue IR Classmate belt pack transmitter and collar microphone gave excellent performance but the feedback was that teachers did not always like using them and wanted something that was easier to wear. We therefore set about designing a pendant transmitter that was non-intrusive and very light, as well as pleasing to the eye. In essence, we designed our new transmitter from the point of view of the end user – the teacher! Several ideas and styles were tried with our colleagues and finally we developed the concept of the SwiftTx transmitter. We then went out and consulted a number of teachers to see what they thought of it. They gave the new design an enthusiastic seal of approval, as it was very comfortable to wear and made their voices sound natural. Teachers also really appreciated not having to wear a head or collar mic and having no trailing leads to get caught up in. A number of the female users commented that it was as simple as wearing a piece of jewellery.

Although very straightforward to use, the SwiftTx is The IR Swift unit fits neatly into any classroom highly sophisticated inside and has a specially

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FM and Soundfield

level, the person using it should only just be aware that it is turned on. This will ensure that everyone in the classroom will be able to hear clearly but the sound will not be intrusive. We quite often get comments that the class only notices that the system has been in operation when it is turned off! The latest version of the IR Swift now has remote volume control as standard. The teacher can adjust the output volume temporarily by using the plus and minus buttons on the SwiftTx, for example when he or she wants to attract attention after a period of class activity.

We are so confident in the reliability of all the Connevans IR Soundfield systems that we have increased the warranty period from one to three years.

In conclusion, the IR Swift lives up to its name – swift designed twin microphone system to ensure that as to install, simple to set up and easy to use. the user speaks and moves his or her head from side to side there is no change in the volume. The SwiftTx transmitter, with no trailing leads or head- worn microphone, leaves teachers free to get on with what they do best... teaching!

The frequency responses of the IR Swift and the SwiftTx transmitter have been specifically enhanced for speech clarity and therefore give exceptional sound quality in the classroom environment. The stylish design and low profile of the IR Swift make it very unobtrusive in the classroom, and architects certainly like it.

Is one speaker really enough? Yes! Although it is undeniable that a multi-speaker system, such as the For more information visit the Connevans website four or six speaker Connevans IR Classmate, gives www.connevans.com/soundfield and for product the best possible performance, the IR Swift provides a information visit www.connevans.co.uk and click on very effective Soundfield in the classroom and is far Soundfield. more affordable for most school budgets. There are in effect two speakers – one is the IR Swift at the back John Popplestone is a director of Connevans of the class and the other is the teacher. Limited in Merstham, Surrey. Connevans has been manufacturing radio aids and Soundfield systems for In our experience, Soundfield systems are often set many years and is proud to be celebrating its 50th too loud and this defeats the object. Set at the correct anniversary this year.

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FM and Soundfield A complete solution Looking for ways to enhance the listening experiences of all pupils, not just those who are deaf, St Stephen’s School tried both portable and fixed systems, as Jo Smith reports

t Stephen’s C of E Primary School in South Godstone currently has four Soundfield systems, Sincluding two portable systems – one in Year 5 and one in Year 6. The two fixed systems are in the school’s ICT suite and the assembly/lunch hall.

The Swift Single Panel Soundfield system used in Year 5 was installed primarily for the benefit of a deaf child who wears hearing aids, and the one in Year 6 is used by a mainstream class, adjacent to Year 5, and helps to reduce any supplementary noise that interferes with the Year 5 classroom.

The system was originally used with a Phonak SmartLink transmitter, which was then replaced by two Inspiro transmitters used in conjunction with MLxi FM receivers, plugged into the ‘audio boots’ of the Evaluation of the Soundfield system concludes that deaf child’s hearing aids. the system enables the deaf child to have direct access to the class teacher’s input and to class The Inspiro transmitters are used on a multitalker discussions involving her peers. The system allows network and connected to the portable Soundfield her to hear the teacher, teaching assistant and other system via a phono plug to the output socket. pupils even with a high volume of background noise such as grass cutting and aeroplanes. The class teacher uses a ‘pebble’ microphone, while the deaf child’s teaching assistant (TA) uses the We feel that the Soundfield systems used in master iboom transmitter to override the class teacher conjunction with the Inspiro transmitters and MLxi if necessary (if one-to-one teaching is required). A receivers have enabled the deaf child to integrate handheld microphone transmitter can be used in much better in class and have also promoted addition to the other transmitters, therefore allowing independence in class. Mainstream pupils have also class discussions to be transmitted through the benefited from the Soundfield systems as everyone Soundfield class speaker for the benefit of all pupils can hear the teacher clearly; in fact, feedback from in the class. Additional DynaMics can be used in teachers and teaching assistants who have used conjunction with the class Soundfield system, the pebble microphone suggests that the systems enabling the deaf child to access her peers’ improve class behaviour and attentiveness, allowing conversations during group/table work; when using the class teacher to use a quieter speaking voice. these, sound is transmitted directly to her hearing aids Including the school’s headteacher, class teachers not the class speaker. and teaching assistants who have used the system, the general consensus seems to be that it reduces vocal tiredness, which they welcome.

The Soundfield system used in the school’s ICT suite greatly reduces class noise and helps to avoid teaching repetition.

The fixed Soundfield system in the school’s hall is currently used with a Phonak SmartLink transmitter and MLxi receivers in the deaf child’s hearing aids, with a view to introducing the Inspiro transmitters in the near future. The system has again enabled total inclusion for the deaf child in school assemblies and

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FM and Soundfield

productions, as the leader of the assembly wears into audio shoes attached to hearing aids was then the Soundfield collar microphone and any children trialled by our pupil and is currently used on a regular speaking use the two handheld microphones with or basis in small group situations. Two transmitters without the microphone stands. Visitors are always are used; the dominant speaker uses an iboom encouraged to use the equipment and seem happy microphone and the ilapel is used as an additional to do so; the equipment is also used for all parent- microphone. teacher association meetings and functions. DynaMics, the Inspiro passaround microphones, are Before the system was introduced, the deaf child in used alongside the other equipment in the multitalker question would need continuous one-to-one support network, and used by other children in the group to from a teaching assistant to access information from allow the deaf hearing aid user full access to the the speaker; now when using the complete system lesson being taught. the child’s independence is assured, to the extent that in assembly she regularly puts her hand up and The Inspiro transmitters and DynaMic passaround answers questions correctly. microphones are also used in classroom settings where there is no Soundfield system. The ilapel is Everyone benefits from the magnification of the worn by the class teacher, with the iboom (being speaker’s voice, background noises are less intrusive the master) worn by the child’s teaching assistant, and distracting to all and the system seems to allowing the TA to be the dominant speaker and improve children’s listening skills. According to the override the class teacher if necessary. When the headteacher, who leads whole-school assemblies iboom is not in use the microphone is muted so that every morning, the system is highly rated, encouraging any surplus noise by the wearer does not interfere good listening skills from all children and enabling with the deaf child’s ability to hear the class teacher. much-improved volume and clarity of the speaker’s voice, especially when the school’s kitchen is in use The Inspiro system was assessed in the summer term adjacent to the hall. 2010 and then again in the autumn. An evaluation of the whole system concluded that the child’s General feedback for all the Soundfield systems is concentration improved due to less audio distraction that the school highly recommends their use, not only and the magnification of the speaker’s voice. The for deaf children but also for mainstream pupils. In system also helped to promote inclusion in group and conclusion, these resources, when combined in our class work and whole-class discussions; previously school have provided a complete solution for the the deaf hearing aid user was reliant on adult access of a deaf child in our Visual Impairment intervention to relay the teacher’s input or class Resource Base. discussions. The Inspiro system has also eliminated the need to close windows and doors as the speaker’s voice can be heard clearly above any background noise.

In evaluating the Inspiro and DynaMic system used in conjunction with the MLxi FM receivers, we found the system invaluable. It has been used in a variety of settings, including classrooms, group teaching rooms, the school library, school corridors, physiotherapy sessions, PE sessions in the playground and even award ceremonies held outside – all situations which can normally be very noisy and distracting for a deaf child. In all these scenarios the deaf child confirmed that she was happy to use the equipment and that it allowed greater participation in all situations.

In conclusion, we found the system perfect in group and one-to-one settings to promote the deaf child’s Inspiro system auditory skills and concentration on a given task. We At St Stephen’s we had been looking for a solution are confident that the system will have a long-term for a visually impaired and hearing-impaired pupil positive effect on the child’s learning and we would to access small group work outside the classroom. highly recommend it. Nothing had worked well enough to solve our problem. An Inspiro/MLxi radio system used in Jo Smith is a qualified Deaf Blind Intervenor and SEN conjunction with MLxi FM receivers which are plugged teaching assistant.

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FM and Soundfield Easy listening The Dynamic SoundField system from Phonak heralds a new era in classroom amplification, as Gareth Jones reveals

or the best possible learning experience, children and understand commands without the system creating must be able to hear the teacher’s voice clearly in distracting feedback or echo. F class. Unfortunately this is not always possible. Factors such as classroom noise, distance between Dynamic SoundField overcomes all the teacher and students and challenging acoustics the issues associated with traditional can make understanding the teacher difficult, even for systems, such as feedback, in-class children with normal hearing. echo, complex settings and incompatibility with wireless FM In noisy classes teachers may also have to raise hearing systems, to bring schools their voices to be heard clearly. This can lead to an easy-to-use, high performance deterioration in their vocal health and can also system. influence their class management. The system comprises Phonak’s These reasons are why Soundfield technology was DigiMaster 5000 loudspeaker unit born. A Soundfield system consists of a wireless (pictured right) and its Inspiro microphone and one or more loudspeakers which teacher transmitter microphone. amplify the teacher’s voice around the class. As a • Inspiro – this transmitter result, students hear and understand the teacher’s microphone is already used in directions more easily, which in turn leads to improved thousands of schools around the student performance and a happier, stronger voiced world and is supplied with the teacher. durable EasyBoom face-worn microphone, which accurately picks Phonak’s Dynamic SoundField offers intelligent up the teacher’s speech without automated settings and a transmission mode to suit also amplifying the surrounding every student listener. Developed over several years by noise, or an iLapel which is a ilapel Phonak’s team of wireless connectivity, acoustics and -worn microphone. Existing Phonak software engineers, Dynamic SoundField amplifies the Inspiro users can upgrade their teacher’s voice throughout the class without increasing transmitters to full Dynamic the overall noise level, allowing students to hear clearly SoundField functionality for free.

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FM and Soundfield

• DigiMaster 5000 – this innovative new speaker unit channel, pairing is easy and there is usually no limit features 12 individual high-quality loudspeakers to the number of Dynamic SoundField systems that housed in a sleek and robust aluminium frame. The can be installed in one school building. signal-to-noise ratio benefits greatly from this type of • Integrates with other classroom equipment – ‘line source’ loudspeaker design, especially when the system can also be used with interactive children are seated further away from the teacher whiteboards and other classroom multimedia (when they need high sound quality the most). The devices, making other loudspeakers unnecessary DigiMaster 5000 is available with a sturdy floor and the system even more cost effective. stand or can be wall-mounted. This mobile and future-proof system offers great The Dynamic SoundField difference sound performance, fully automated and optimised The system offers an array of benefits: settings and hassle-free integration with Phonak’s FM • Ease of use – simply switch on and teach. systems for hearing-impaired children. Just plug in, • Fully automated settings – teachers do not need turn on and teach! to monitor or adjust frequency setting and volumes. The system automatically measures the room’s For more information visit: www.PhonakPro.co.uk or actual noise levels and optimises its own settings www.DynamicSoundField.com/ to provide optimal signal-to-noise ratios. • Exclusive built-in FM compatability – the Inspiro Gareth Jones is the UK Business Development teacher transmitter can be used to broadcast in one Manager at Phonak Dynamic SoundField. of three modes: Dynamic SoundField mode, Dynamic FM mode or Phonak’s exclusive combined Dynamic SoundField and Dynamic FM mode. This In May 2011 the DigiMaster means no more technical in-class patchworking is 5000 loudspeaker by required to combine existing Soundfield and FM Phonak was awarded a systems; Dynamic SoundField seamlessly combines red dot 2011 Product both signals. Design award. The red dot • Portable – the system can be moved between awards (www.red-dot.de) classrooms as required when in freestanding mode. is an international design • 100% future proof – both the Inspiro transmitter competition, and this year a jury of 36 distinguished and the loudspeaker unit feature USB connectors, design experts examined 4,433 entries from more through which firmware updates can be downloaded than 60 nations around the world. via an internet-connected PC. This ensures that users benefit from new features as soon as they are The DigiMaster’s red dot award means both key released. components of the Dynamic SoundField classroom • Unlimited use – an ingenious new way of automatic amplification system are now red dot recognised, hopping frequencies eliminates interference issues, after the system’s Inspiro teacher transmitter was allowing Dynamic SoundField to co-exist happily awarded a similar product design award following alongside a school’s wi-fi and Bluetooth networks. its launch in 2007. Classrooms do not need a particular allocated

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FM and Soundfield Phonak trials Richard Edwards reports on successful trials of Soundfield systems at Farnham Primary School

n May 2010 Farnham Primary School was approached by Bradford Local Authority Special INeeds Team to trial a new digital Soundfield system. We were selected because, with a dedicated unit for deaf children, we had the largest number of deaf children in any primary school in Bradford. Furthermore, because all our children are learning English as a second language, it was thought that the new technology could improve the listening skills of all pupils.

We initially placed the equipment in classes where deaf children worked. However, the mobile, lightweight nature of the equipment meant that we could easily move it to ‘I really like the way I can mute my microphone when other teaching areas. We also realised the advantages working with a group then switch it straight back on for of using the system for French lessons. whole class talk.’ Year 5 class teacher

Our deaf children all reported an improvement in their ability to hear the teacher clearly. Their hearing aids are easily tuned to the new technology, offering as it does both FM and digital frequencies. Children in the classes felt generally that it was easier to hear the teacher – particularly as the teacher moved around the room. Wherever the teacher stood – even out of sight – it was easy to hear instructions.

Teachers reported that they got used to talking normally, not needing to project or raise their voice so much. They also noticed that the attention span of the children was improved.

‘Listening skills have certainly improved as a result of using the Phonak equipment.’ Year 6 teacher The introduction of radio microphones to pass around the class has meant that all children have the opportunity to be heard. Using the microphones helps them to speak clearly, hear their own voices through the system and be heard by their peers.

It is particularly important to be able to hear people speak clearly when learning a new language, and we ‘With the microphone I can hear loads more!’ Hamza, Year 4 believe that the Phonak Soundfield improves our children’s ability to listen and to speak clearly. We are looking to continue our successful relationship with Phonak and hope to purchase further units so that all year groups can experience the benefits of this new, robust and effective technology.

We have been impressed by the company’s determination constantly to upgrade and improve its products as a result of our feedback.

Richard Edwards is the Headteacher of Farnham ‘It helps me to hear.’ Danish, Year 2 Primary School in Bradford.

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FM and Soundfield Raising Soundfield awareness Given today’s advanced technology, all children should be able to benefit from a Soundfield system in the modern classroom, according to Graham Breakenridge

Soundfield, or classroom audio distribution The my-voice-is-loud-enough teacher system (CADS) is one of the easiest and most Many teachers believe that if they raise their voice A effective ways a teacher can communicate well then every child will hear them. That is probably true, with the whole classroom. It is used to transmit the most will. However, there is a critical distinction teacher’s voice from a microphone to a speaker between speech being heard as audible versus system, and also to re-broadcast directly into a deaf speech being heard as intelligible. child’s personal FM system. Audiologist Carol Flexer describes this phenomenon The result is that the Soundfield system will specifically in a fantastically simple manner. She relates how help deaf children, as well as improving audibility for audibility is carried by vowels – high energy, low all other children. Because the teacher is using the frequency speech sounds. Most of the power of equipment for the benefit of the whole class, it sends a speech is held in the low frequencies, but very little clear message that all children are equal, regardless of of the intelligibility. their needs. Intelligibility means that the listener is heard clearly There is now a huge body of clear worldwide research enough to identify critical word/sound distinctions. The proving that if you can maintain a signal-to-noise problem is that intelligibility is carried by consonants ratio of 15 decibels, ie if the teacher’s voice is kept – low energy, high frequency speech sounds. The 15 decibels above the background noise of the intelligibility of speech is held in the high frequencies, classroom, then you will have created an ideal but very little of the power. To demonstrate this learning environment for children. quickly, one could ask a teacher to project the vowel sound of the letter ‘a’ across a classroom. Great. Now So why is there not a CADS in every classroom? ask them to project the consonant sounds of ‘th’, or Teachers have an enormous amount of visual tools the ‘tih’ sound at the end of ‘cat’, or the ‘wih’ sound at at their disposal – laptops, visualisers, interactive the start of ‘walk’. It’s impossible! whiteboards, videoconferencing and more. And yet in the vast majority of classrooms hearing has been The acoustics assumption ignored. Even in new, open-plan, large classrooms. There seems to be an assumption that if a classroom Why? There seems to be a number of key reasons, has good acoustics then that’s all that’s needed. But all of which need to be addressed by teachers, school acoustics is only the starting point. Of course there designers and architects. should be good acoustics in every classroom and a low background noise level achieved, but the teacher’s voice The invisible problem still needs to be 15dB above whatever background Teachers can’t see poor hearing. We wouldn’t design noise exists. Even the best acoustically treated a room with no light switch then assume that all the classroom cannot defeat the laws of physics, which children can see, and yet we design classrooms say that the volume of the voice will drop over distance. without hearing support and assume that all children can hear. The volume misconception Very often we come across teachers who are averse to The adult hearing paradigm using a CADS because they don’t want a loud, noisy Schools are designed and run by adults. An adult classroom. Or perhaps they tried a system, or knew will have enough life experience, vocabulary and someone who tried a system, and it was too loud, hurt background knowledge to hear and understand their ears or disturbed their teaching. The truth is that perfectly well with a signal-to-noise ratio of 6dB. the CADS should actually make the classroom quieter. If the teacher has experienced any of the above issues We hear with the brain, not the ears, and most of the then he or she either was not shown properly how to things an adult hears have been heard before. If the set up and use the system, or has forgotten! ears pass a poor signal to the brain, the brain just fills in the gaps and carries on processing the information. A properly set up CADS should evenly and gently This is impossible for children to do, especially if they distribute the teacher’s voice around the room – not are hearing-impaired. Children require a signal-to-noise blast the voice from wall to wall like a full-blown rock ratio of 15dB in order to receive a clear signal, and concert PA system! The paradox is that a properly yet the adult paradigm reigns. set-up system will make the classroom quieter as the

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teacher no longer needs to raise his or her voice or of years have been spent gradually introducing UK shout in order to be heard. teachers, audiologists and Teachers of the Deaf to the equipment, running trials and pilot studies and Installation cost and time generally raising awareness of the benefits of Often a Soundfield system is introduced to a school via Soundfield equipment in the UK. the hearing-impairment team. Traditionally this meant that a classroom needed to be wired with speakers, Lightspeed offers a comprehensive range from the sensors and amplifier, with the resulting cost and time ‘plug and play’ RedCat all-in-one solution through to implications. When a deaf child progresses through four-, six- or even zoned 12-speaker Soundfield the school, the system is often removed from the class systems. All are backed by a unique five-year and re-installed somewhere else, which can be more comprehensive ‘swap out’ warranty offering peace expensive than the original installation. of mind, as well as a leasing option to assist in these difficult financial times. Additionally, all Lightspeed Lightspeed first addressed this issue around five Soundfield systems are guaranteed not to suffer from years ago with the invention of the all-in-one flat audio or infra-red blackspots or drop out. panel CADS. A Soundfield system can be set up and running in as little as five minutes and can be moved In order to help spread the use and uptake of proper from class to class if required. CADS we ensure that any school can trial the equipment and experience first hand just what a There is no excuse now for any deaf child to be left difference it makes. behind in the classroom. Today’s technology ensures that, assuming an early enough intervention, all Please ask us for a no-obligation trial of RedCat children should be able to hear. A Soundfield, or (www.classroomcomms.co.uk). We are even happy to CADS, is one tool of many that should be available loan two units to enable more teachers and children to all children in the modern classroom. to experience the Soundfield advantage.

Lightspeed has spent the last 20 years developing Graham Breakenridge is the Director of Classroom Soundfield equipment in the United States, striving to Communications, the UK distributor of Lightspeed provide the best possible solutions. The last couple Audio Products.

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Feature On teaching practice in Kenya Training as a teacher of deafblind children in Kenya proved a rich and rewarding experience for Malawian teacher Joseph Kuphazi, as he reveals

stablished in 1985, the Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE) is a government-owned E institution that offers courses in various types of special needs programmes, such as visual impairment, mental handicaps, hearing impairment, autism, physical disabilities, deafblindness and gifted and talented.

Teaching practice occupies a key position in the programme of teacher education. It is the culminating experience in teacher preparation and provides an opportunity for beginning teachers to become socialised into the profession. Therefore, teaching practice should provide the student teacher with the opportunity to integrate theory and practice at work.

KISE offers a two-year diploma course in special educational needs. Last year, teaching practice was scheduled from 9 May to 16 July 2010. I did my practical teaching at Kabarnet School for the deafblind place in an organised, pleasant and secure in the Baringo district in the Rift Valley Province of environment. Arrangement of the physical environment Kenya. Erick Muriuri was my learner. I gained a lot of is especially important for children who are deafblind. knowledge, skills, expertise and experience in teaching I made sure that the environment was conducive to learners who are deafblind. learning. • Established the present level of performance. Since Deafblindness every child is different from each other intellectually, I Deafblindness is a unique disability. It is a condition in made test tools in order to gauge Erick’s present level which there is a combination of visual and hearing of performance. The information I got was used to plan impairments that causes severe communication and learning activities for him. other developmental and learning needs so that a • Developed an individualised education programme person cannot be educated appropriately in special (IEP) – a written plan developed by a team of education programmes solely for children with hearing professionals, including the specialist teacher and impairments or visual impairments or severe disabilities parents, to plan academic goals and come up with without supplementary assistance to address their methods of teaching in order to meet the intended educational needs due to these dual disabilities. goals. It contains the following information: description of the learning disability, the learner’s current skill Children who are deafblind are singled out educationally levels based on formal assessment, measurable and because of their impairments of sight and hearing observable goals for improvement in each area of (distance senses). They require thoughtful and unique educational need, measurable and observable approaches to ensure that they have the opportunity to objectives describing specific skills needed to reach reach their full potential. IEP goals, and type of instructional materials to be provided. Before developing and commencing my individually • Formulated short- and long-term objectives and designed teaching of Erick, I did the following: developed schemes of work based on these. • Assessed the learner’s ability. This is the starting point • Prepared a progress record for the learner to help me in teaching and helped me to find out what Erick was monitor his progress. able to do and what he wasn’t able to do. • Prepared the learner’s IEP timetable, showing the • Took the historical background of the learner, subjects to be taught for each day and the duration of including information such as birth history, onset of each subject. deafblindness, and number of children in the family • Made the seating arrangement. The classroom must who are disabled. be structured in a such a way that a child can move • Assessed the learning environment. Learning takes around freely without bumping into furniture.

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Feature

How a deafblind child learns Pre-vocational Deafblind children need to receive undistorted • Sweeping the floor information about the environment. They need to be • Mopping the floor taught how people communicate and they need a • Cleaning the table communication system that can enable them to interact • Washing kitchen utensils with others. They need to anticipate events in life and • Gardening should be given opportunities to make choices. When • Feeding animals. teaching Erick, I made sure that I did the following: • Introduced my sign name to the child in order to let Adapted physical education him know me and understand that I was a teacher. • Kicking a ball • Developed a trusting relationship with the child. • Passing a ball forward • Remembered that the child was the best teacher – I • Jumping was supposed to learn more from him. • Running in a straight line • Created opportunities for responses, like rhythm • Rolling forward games, finger plays and songs. • Swinging arms in the air • Created opportunities for turn-taking. • Doing sit-ups • Allowed the child to observe with his hands and use • Frog jumping his hands as his ears and eyes. • See-sawing • Did activities with the child and not for the child. • Sliding • Used calendar boxes/schedules to allow Erick to • Climbing stairs organise time, develop anticipation and understand • Walking on four limbs that one thing has to be completed before going on to • Star jumping the next one. • Wheelbarrow walking • Used team planning to overcome challenges. • Taking part in a tug of war • Broke work into smaller, manageable units (task • Lying on the back analysis). • Caterpillar walking. • Varied teaching methods and the pace of teaching according to Erick’s ability. Orientation and mobility • Enhanced teaching materials so that they were easily • Using a white cane when walking. seen, heard or interpreted tactually. • Used prompts to let the child start and complete the The importance of teaching practice task. Teaching practice encourages interaction between the • Made sure that I was enthusiastic, determined, student teacher and the learner so that teaching and flexible, creative and positive all the time. learning take place. Interaction is the vehicle for communication, and good communication leads to Subjects and work covered learning. By the end of my teaching practice (tenth week), Erick was able to perform activities in various subjects as Teaching practice also helps to encourage interaction follows: and collaboration between student teachers. Learning is enhanced when it is done as a team and experiences Activities of daily living are shared by working together. • Eating food using a spoon • Chewing food Student teachers learn to use active learning • Washing hands before and after meals techniques. Learning is not only done in classes • Scooping food/water listening to the teacher. The children must talk about • Washing the face, legs and the head what is learnt and apply it to their daily lives. Feedback • Combing hair can then be given to the student teachers, helping them • Applying toothpaste on the toothbrush and brushing to understand what they know and don’t know. In this teeth case the student teachers are forced to seek more • Toileting knowledge. This is a learning process. • Dressing and undressing. Time management is important in teaching for effective Pre-academics learning, and teaching practice helps student teachers • Sorting objects according to size, shape and texture to manage their time well. • Building with blocks • Fixing pegs Teaching practice requires self-discipline. A student • Folding paper teacher has to maintain discipline all the time. It also • Threading a needle helps the practising teacher to manage strange • Signing numbers 1–3 tactually. behaviours of the child.

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Challenges faced during teaching practice Braille. In addition, tactual signing was done only Apart from knowledge gained, there were challenges for a short time; therefore, it was a problem to many that I encountered in the process of teaching. students. If funds were available I would need to go to • Language barrier – tactual signing was supposed to another institution for tactual signing for at least three be accompanied by the learner’s own local language, months in order to meet the international standard. Kikuyu, which I did not know. Most of my teaching was done in English. For the first three weeks it was My teaching practice was made possible because difficult to communicate with Erick in English. of financial assistance from the Malawi Ministry of • Teaching and learning resources – there were Education and various charities, including Kentalis inadequate resources and that made teaching difficult (St Michielsgestel), Sense Scotland, the Woodford at times, although I did use locally available resources. Foundation UK and the Woodford Foundation Scotland. • Physical education was not taught by the regular I really appreciate the moral and financial support given classroom teacher – Erick resisted and cried when to me. The knowledge and skills gained during teaching it was time for physical education, but with practice will be used to teach deafblind children in encouragement and reinforcement he was able to Malawi who are still being marginalised. The main perform. challenge is that I will be the only teacher trained in • The regular classroom teacher went for an in-service this programme in Malawi. There is a real need for course at KISE during my teaching practice – this the Malawi Government and donors to work together made it difficult for me to get information about Erick to support training for more teachers in deafblind from other teachers programmes so that all deafblind Malawian children have access to basic education, just like other children. Shortfalls of the Kenya Institute of Special Education At the time of writing Joseph Kuphazi was a second- KISE conducted teaching practice in the second term of year student teacher at Kenya Institute of Special the second year. This meant that the syllabus was not Education. He is currently a teacher for deafblind fully covered and the students had not yet been taught children at the Malawi Education Centre for the Blind. All about working memory Terezinha Nunes explains how working memory is assessed and explores deaf children’s performance in working memory tasks

orking memory is the ability to keep is also true of deaf children who have a cochlear information in mind and use it to guide implant. WM is also related to deaf students’ W behaviour in the absence of external cues. In geometry learning, so WM plays an important role reading, for example, we need to remember what we in deaf children’s school learning. read earlier on as we continue to read a paragraph in order to understand its meaning. In arithmetic, How is WM assessed? we often have to implement several steps as we WM tasks require manipulation and recall of the remember intermediary results in a calculation. For information. Recall is different from recognition. In example, when we calculate 12 x 18, we compute 8 x recognition tasks, people are presented with materials 2, write down 6, carry the one, then go on to compute and have to say whether they have seen the material 8 x 1, and we have to remember that we carried 1. before, but in recall tasks they have to come up with Tasks that require storage and manipulation of the information themselves, not just recognise it. information at the same time involve the central executive component of working memory. This article In a widely used working memory task, called will use the abbreviation WM to refer to the central backward digit recall, children are presented with executive component; there are other aspects of digits and asked to say them in the opposite order of working memory not discussed here. presentation. They need to manipulate and recall the digits. For example, if I said 7 4 6 2, what would you According to various studies, deaf students’ have to say to get the answer right? Backward digit performance in WM tasks is significantly related to recall is a task that appears in different standardised their performance in reading comprehension and this assessments of WM.

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Another characteristic of WM tasks is to start with Figure 1: Each pair of fewer items and then increase the number of items pictures appears on a to make the task progressively more difficult. In the computer screen and the backward digit recall tasks, the first set of items has child names each one. Then one picture is circled two digits, the next set has three, the next four, and and the pair disappears. so on until the person can no longer cope with the The next pair appears number of digits. The measure of children’s WM can and the same process is be expressed either by the number of items that followed. After the three they get correct or the maximum number of digits pairs have been presented, with which they can cope. WM develops until the child is asked to recall mid-adolescence. the names of the circled pictures in their order of WM assessments vary in the way the information is appearance presented, the type of processing people are asked to do, and the way they are asked to recall the information. In some tasks, such as the backward As a group, the deaf children did significantly less digit recall task, the information is presented in oral well than the hearing children, but the difference was form and the answers are given orally. statistically significant only for the profoundly deaf children. Figure 2 shows these results. It is noticeable In another task from the Working Memory Battery for that there was a huge variation among children with Children (by Susan Pickering and Susan Gathercole, mild loss, some doing well and some poorly in the WM 2001), called counting recall, the children see dots tasks. on a page – so the information is presented visually. Their task is to count and recall the number of dots, once the page has been turned, so the children must use some form of language to encode the information. The number of pages increases progressively: the children have to count the dots on one, two, three pages and so on, and then recall each number in the order of appearance. We adapted this task so that the instructions can be presented to deaf children in their preferred language, English or BSL, and they can answer in the same language.

Deaf children’s performance in WM tasks In a recent study with children aged 5–12 years, we used three WM measures with a group of 60 hearing children and 233 deaf children: • The counting recall task from the Working Memory Figure 2: The mean score for each of the groups Battery for Children, adapted for presentation to defined by hearing loss. The bars show the variation deaf children. for each group • A backward digit recall task, in which the digits are presented to the children both in language and in What do these results mean? print, and the children recall the digits in their We know that WM is important for learning. We also preferred language. know that some, but not all, deaf children do not do • A picture recall task, in which the children name two well on WM tasks. It is important to try to help them pictures that appear simultaneously on a computer improve their WM. In the past, some researchers screen, and then have to recall the picture that was believed that WM could not be improved but recent circled after they had named them. Figure 1 shows studies have shown that it is possible to improve an example of an item with three pictures to be children’s and adults’ WM through interventions. recalled. In the next issue of BATOD Magazine, we shall We presented all the tasks in the language that the describe a teaching programme that has been tried children used in school – English or BSL. In order with deaf children and proved to have positive results to compare the children in the different groups, we in improving their WM. obtained a combined score based on the three tasks, as they were very strongly related to each other. In Terezinha Nunes is the Chair of Educational Studies this comparison, the children’s age is controlled for, at the Department of Educational Studies, University because WM improves with age. of Oxford.

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Feature If you can’t beat them, join them! As the popularity of social networking sites soars, Eleanor Hutchinson suggests that we can only help deaf young people use them responsibly by learning to use them ourselves

dam Watson: Last prelim today! \o/ – a typical doing, social networking sites can open up new Facebook post from the teenage brother of avenues for young deaf people to express A one of my friends. Admittedly, he is the only themselves. teenager I am friends with on FB (nobody writes out the whole name, you know), so may not Visiting Teachers of the Deaf may have a number represent the majority, but a survey carried out of deaf teenagers on their caseload who are the in 2007 found surprisingly that most teenagers in only deaf children in a school, which in itself can the UK used social networking sites to learn new cause identity issues. We can do our best to things, to chat with friends about their homework promote deaf awareness and help the schools and to play games. Not quite the hotbed of sexual we work in to tackle bullying, but how many of us activity, bullying and underage drinking that some would know what to do if a pupil came to us with people seem to believe. Regardless of what problems they had encountered on Facebook? If a teenagers do or do not use Facebook (MySpace, deaf teenager wants our help to contact other deaf Bebo or any other social networking site) for, it is people of their age, social networking sites are an important for us as Teachers of the Deaf to keep excellent place to do it, but how many Teachers of up with modern technology. (If you’re wondering, the Deaf would know how to facilitate this? Is the \o/ is a little figure with their arms in the air in information we think we know really accurate? celebration!) Without actually using and exploring a website it is I have used Facebook since 2005/06 when I was not always possible to understand it. There seem training to be a teacher and I use it to keep up to be many myths floating around about Facebook with friends around the UK and further afield. I’m and the access that other people have to your of a generation that used the internet and mobile personal information, when really you control phones as teenagers, so these sorts of things exactly who sees it and exactly what appears on come naturally. A vast number of Teachers of the the site. Many teenagers, of course, don’t make Deaf, however, are of earlier generations whose use of the authority that is granted to them when main question regarding social networking seems they sign up and don’t bother to use all of the to be ‘But why do I need it?’ My answer is simple – settings designed to protect their information – this you don’t need it, but you do need to know how it is why we need to know about it and educate them. works. Internet safety courses can only tell you so much, so if you want to be able to support teenagers and Social networking sites often get a bad press from understand at least a small part of what they’re those who have never used or felt the desire to use talking about, get yourself a profile. them, due to reports of bullying and heightened peer pressure. These issues existed for young Now I’m not saying you need to use Facebook. All people long before the internet was even thought I’m suggesting is that you create a page and look of and cannot be blamed on this technology. at the features. You control what information goes Rather than ignore these websites, we should be on there, and a lot of the time you can leave fields embracing the wealth of possibilities they can offer blank or just lie – no, this doesn’t constitute fraud, for young deaf people. The groups and fan pages it’s a good way of protecting your identity online. enable them to contact other people with similar Teenagers need to be told this, to help them interests, both deaf and hearing, on message understand that there are some situations where boards that are regulated for appropriate content. it might be better to lie or decline to answer. After The nature of online communication means that all, they’ve been brought up being told not to lie. problems with listening are not relevant, enabling a range of social interactions that might not have The first priority should be security settings. Many been accessible to young deaf people before the teenagers will just leave these at the default advent of this technology. If the teenagers and settings, which usually allow all and sundry to see those who work with them know what they are most parts of your profile. All it takes is a few

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minutes to ensure that the only people who can location which could reveal which shops, youth see your profile are those you have approved as clubs or parks they go to. friends. In fact, if you were to search for me on Facebook you wouldn’t find me, unless we happen Teenagers have the right to use these sites in their to have a mutual friend. Even then the only thing own way, but they also need to be educated. They you could see would be my name and my profile need to be told what the implications are of leaving picture. their page public and that they don’t need to include all their information just because the site This brings me onto another important point – you asks for it, but they want this information from don’t need to use your real name or photo. Even someone who isn’t going to patronise them. What if you found me on Facebook through a mutual they don’t want is someone who has never seen friend, I use a nickname and my profile photo is not a Facebook page in their life, and who doesn’t of my face, but of an animal. Anyone whom I am know the difference between tagging and poking, genuinely friends with knows it is me, because I’ve lecturing them on the safest way to use it. They told them that’s what my picture is before they add need concrete information that will help them to me. I know many people who do not use an actual make informed decisions about their own online photo of themselves on their profile, intentionally activity, and, in order to provide this, we need to use an alternative spelling of their name or use a approach it from their level of knowledge. There middle name as a surname, as they work in areas are a lot of resources available to educate young such as social care, the prison service or teaching. people about internet safety but the best way Nobody wants a pupil to send them a friend to inform them about social networking sites is, request! funnily enough, by using social networking sites. Technology is developing faster every year, so we Teenagers are most likely to have their full name need to keep up and, most importantly, we need to on there, partly because Facebook tells you to know what we’re talking about. use it, plus a photo that clearly identifies them. It probably wouldn’t cross their minds to change this, Eleanor Hutchinson is a Teacher of the Deaf at but the simple act of changing their profile picture Windsor Park School in Falkirk. could help to protect their identity and, more importantly, protect them from anyone unsavoury. They can still have photos of themselves on their profile because these will only be visible to the people they have accepted as friends.

Friend requests are the area where most teenagers will do what they want and unfortunately we can’t stop them from adding everyone who requests it, whether they know them or not. Many young people just don’t understand the implications of this though – try asking them if they would invite a stranger into their house, to read their text messages and to sit and listen while they gossiped with their friends, because this is tantamount to what they’re doing when they accept friend requests from strangers. Without having it explained to them in this way, a lot of young people might not be able to see the consequences of making so much information public.

Many of the reported problems with social networking sites come from the general belief of teenagers that they are invincible. They know they are not stupid enough to give out their email address to strangers – yet many have their email address on their profile page and accept friend requests from people they don’t know. They know not to give out their home address on the internet – yet many will post photos that make it obvious which school they attend, or ‘check in’ at a specific

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Feature Through the looking glass Ruth Swanwick and Ruth Kitchen elaborate on a research project exploring critical thinking and reflective practice for deaf education practitioners

teachers needs to develop the skills of critical thinking and reflective practice. This implies teachers’ willingness and ability to reflect on their work in classrooms and to develop the academic assertiveness required to: • question thinking and approaches in deaf education • challenge established views • innovate.

ToDs need these skills to be equipped appropriately to meet the challenges of working within the field of deaf education where they have to: • engage with and address both the social and medical models of deafness • adapt to the fast pace of changing audiological technology and the subsequent changing communication needs of deaf pupils • navigate critically the often polarised deaf education research from allied fields (psychology, linguistics, audiology) and apply this to the educational context.

The project objectives here are five institutions that provide Teacher The project has two key outcomes: first, to produce an of the Deaf training in England (Birmingham, agreed set of skills and experiences that ToDs require to T Hertfordshire, Leeds, Manchester and Oxford be reflective practitioners and critical thinkers; second, Brookes) and they are currently working together on a to identify, trial and evaluate a set of learning and research project, funded by the British Academy, that teaching activities to promote these skills across the seeks to promote the development of teachers’ critical different provisions. The project therefore envisages a thinking and reflective practice to enhance their work career path for ToDs that includes research and/or in both theory and practice. further study and leadership potential. The research context This project has come about because we recognise that Teachers of the Deaf (ToDs) are often lone specialists in multidisciplinary settings. They need to be able to analyse and develop educational practices that draw on the unique learning resources of deaf children to enhance their educational achievement. Our challenge, as ToD trainers, is to combine the development of teacher ‘know how’ and expertise with reflective and critical skills that can be applied to current theory, models of practice and the teachers’ own practice accordingly. This has engaged us in critical reflection of our own training practices and has The project timeline subsequently given genesis to the current project. The project was launched in September 2010 with a review of the concepts of critical thinking and reflective As a group of providers we have identified that although practice both in terms of their broader usage when we work to the same Training and Development Agency applied to other disciplines and in their specific competencies we also share a much broader training application to deaf education and ToD training. The agenda: to enhance the abilities of our teachers in findings of this review were delivered and debated at training to engage in reflective practice and critical the March 2011 BATOD conference workshop and as thinking. It is accepted that any Master’s level course for a result a list of definitions was agreed by all course

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yourself, raise questions yourself, find relevant information yourself, etc. rather than learning in a largely passive way from someone else.’ Inspired by Bolton’s ‘through the mirror’ metaphor, we have drawn on images and the stories of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass to illustrate the challenges to self- and world-perception, the uncertainties, creativity and imagination involved in reflective practice and critical thinking.

The activities Together with our teachers at the University of Leeds, we have already trialled some materials and activities that facilitate reflective practice and critical thinking. At the World Café day in January 2011, we set up a café with buffet lunch and wine and asked the teachers to discuss two questions over lunch relating to an article they had read. We asked them to write down their responses on the tablecloths. Afterwards, we asked the students for feedback on what they thought of the day and the style of teaching and learning it promoted. providers. This has informed the selection of a variety Some of their responses include: of activity-based teaching and learning materials that • Communication is the key. support the facilitation of critical thinking and reflective • Really interesting – not quite the relaxing coffee I practice. These are currently being trialled by all UK expected – very informal relaxed day that made me providers. After each trial session, teachers are asked realise ‘we’ are the best resource. to fill in an evaluation form to rate the success of the • A relaxed and informal way to gain and share activity in facilitating the various subsets of skills knowledge. involved in reflective practice and critical thinking. The next review workshop will take place in October 2011, • Interesting and thought provoking. where the course providers will evaluate the activities • Yes! and materials trialled thus far and identify the most • Great way of encouraging reflective thinking while successful models which will be taken forward by all enjoying lovely food. providers to trial through the subsequent academic • It’s good to talk! year (2011–12). The project aims to promote the wider • Relaxed way to discuss issues. dissemination of its training goals, strategies and • It’s a great place to come and share your ideas and outcomes with heads of schools and services for help sort your own out! deaf pupils and also with colleagues involved in the leadership of parallel training provision beyond the UK. We are looking forward to the further activities we have planned at Leeds and to hearing about what activities The concepts the other courses have been trialling when we meet There are lots of ways of thinking about reflective again to evaluate and select a number of materials and practice and critical thinking. Gilly Bolton (Reflective methods to roll out nationally in October 2011. We will Practice: Writing & Professional Development, third keep you posted! edition, SAGE, 2010) explains that reflective practice is a ‘through the mirror’ experience that shifts our Further directions perceptions, allowing us to see things from different Alongside this ongoing nationwide collaborative project, viewpoints. It begins with the paradoxical notion of the team at the University of Leeds is looking specifically ‘certain uncertainty’: ‘Openness to not knowing when at pathways for ToDs beyond the end of their training. elements previously assumed to be true or essential This initiative issues from the problematic gap that are proved worthless, unnecessary or faulty is the only exists between research and practice in deaf education appropriate attitude (…) even the meaning of language highlighted in the recent Marschark and Swanwick slips about offering no safe hold in an unsafe world.’ paper (‘Enhancing Education for Deaf Children: Alec Fisher (Critical Thinking: An Introduction, Research into Practice and Back Again’ in Deafness Cambridge University Press, 2001) observes that and Education International, issue 12, pages 217–35). willingness, independence, creativity and imagination are necessary to critical thinking, which is a process Ruth Swanwick is a senior lecturer in deaf education that engages people in thinking about how they think at the University of Leeds. Ruth Kitchen is a research (metacognition): ‘Critical thinking is essentially an active associate and project officer in deaf education, also at process – one in which you think things through for the University of Leeds.

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Feature Plans for phonics The new phonics check for six year olds has now been piloted in schools, but back in February Babs Day was asked to air her views on the proposals at the Department for Education

cold Sunday in February in a nursing home on OK, bring it on, we’ll have a go… but maybe I’m a the outskirts of Northampton. lone voice? Perhaps it’s easy for us – if they don’t A pass, people will say ‘it’s because they can’t hear it, ‘Yes, Mum, imagine that… me a government adviser!’ never mind’, but we say we want them to try and pass and really get it. No, I don’t think I am a lone voice ‘Well, I can’t imagine why you’d want to be doing that here. It’s what we do and why we do it… and why we (heavy Irish brogue) and what can you advise them still go on about it in the pub and at dinner parties on anyway?’ (according to my long-suffering husband).

‘About phonics and deaf children’ (long explanation When phonics became popular again in the ‘word about phonics follows… wish I hadn’t started…). level’ aspect of the new National Literacy Strategy, over ten years ago, I set out to develop Visual ‘Well anyway, I hope you told that nice Nick Cameron Phonics by Hand, out of necessity and because I what he needed to know… now… did you bring my wasn’t clever enough, or had time enough, to learn liquorice allsorts and the tin of talc?’ Cued Speech. I wasn’t looking at a whole language substitute – we already had a perfectly good first ************************************************************** language here in BSL. I didn’t want to have to cue all I’m now firmly back to earth after my exciting trip to my English language. I just wanted to create a more the Department for Education at Sanctuary Buildings even playing field and give deaf children fairer access (thanks Mum). I still can’t imagine what all those to phonemes based on what they were brilliant at – people were doing in rows behind computers… the fingerspelling. I wanted my overstretched teachers lovely young man (looked about 19 and in dress-down and parents to have a simple system to help them to Friday jeans) couldn’t tell me either. Thanks BATOD read that takes 15 minutes to learn. and NDCS for inviting me to join a group consulting about the plans for a phonics check and to discuss So for us at Longwill and all the many hundreds of some of the big issues about these plans that will teachers using it now all over the country (much to my need to be considered for deaf children. constant surprise!) it is, can and should only be one small aspect of language development work, albeit It’s ‘phonics phonics phonics’ everywhere these days important to many, but not all, deaf pupils. and it’s causing quite a bit of noise. There’s a plan to introduce a synthetic phonics check of children’s The NAHT thinks that the proposals raise phonics to abilities to read single words at the end of Year 1. The ‘an unjustified pinnacle of orthodoxy’. I would agree DfE published information on its consultation on the that it should not replace a proper reading test but my check for six year olds and then it was piloted in 300 fear about the aim of the check was put to rest by the schools to approximately 10,000 pupils in June 2011. Man at the Ministry. He reassured me that it really According to the Times Educational Supplement, was the intention of the Government to seek out during the consultation period all of England’s major problems at a screening with the genuine aim to teaching unions officially came out against the check. rectify them, to sort out a potential problem of later poor literacy and not to end up giving schools another Russell Hobby, General Secretary of the NAHT, said, set of judgements to contend with. There did seem to ‘Our members are deeply suspicious of the phonics be a genuine openness to dialogue. screen. They wonder what the data will be used for. They fear that it will encourage segregation and My understanding is that the phonics check would discriminate against some pupils.’ be about 40 words, some real words and some non-words. So what are the main implications for As Teachers of the Deaf, we have become so used us? At Longwill, our deaf children can now access to being handed or taking on educational challenges the phonemes with Visual Phonics handcues and – the National Curriculum, the National Literacy synthesise the words, but it is quite another thing if Strategy, SATs and simply the fact of educating they have the vocabulary to know what the word is. children to learn the English language without full It sounds simplistic, but they only know it if they know access to its sounds – and we just get on with it and it! Our children are famously good at having a full ‘deafify’ it (as we say at Longwill), so it didn’t occur to knowledge of the concept of a word but if they’ve me to say a resounding NO to this. Phonics check? never actually come across the word in English

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they’re no better off with the sign and concept. handed B shape. And if they’ve ever seen the word Anyone who’s heard my Visual Phonics talk will have ‘crab’ it will spark a circular memory from the physical heard my Sean and the Crab story. When doing a way their mouths go into the right shapes (magically it reading test of single words with a variety of spelling happens when they do a vis phon) and they have a choices and a picture of a crab, Sean, a Year 1 boy, slightly better chance of getting it. when asked ‘which is the word for one of these, a CRAB?, he signed ‘crab’ and then told me where he The National Literacy Strategy was right though. saw one, what it looked like, how it walked up the Word level work is simply a third of what language is. beach. He talked all about ‘crabness’ with great There are text level, sentence level and other aspects authority and understanding, but still couldn’t tell of word level – reading running text and the opportunity me whether it was BARC-CARB-RABC or CRAB, for guessing and getting the gap filled with however clearly I was enunciating CRAB! comprehension. It is far more important to have a really wide vocabulary, a great love of reading and a Anyone working with profoundly deaf children knows mountain of stories in your head than too much focus that /c/ could lip-read the same as /g/. And the final on the tiny bottom-up skill of synthesing phonemes. phoneme /b/ could also lip-read the same as /m/ or /p/ especially to a developing and unsophisticated Yes, Mum, I do get it in perspective, it’s only phonics speechreader. I could have been saying GRAP, – and one tool in the bottomless ToD toolkit – but we CRAM, CRAP. It made me think and presented a light users couldn’t imagine life without it! I did tell that to bulb moment about the big gap in word attack skills in the Man at the Ministry… and he’d better tell that nice deaf children’s literacy learning. Nick Cameron.

And that’s why I sought out a method that resulted in Babs Day is Headteacher of Longwill Primary Visual Phonics by Hand. Now my six year olds can School for Deaf Children in Birmingham do crab, that is, they see the /cuh/ sound played on (www.longwill.bham.sch.uk). The training film the place it is made (a C shape on the neck under the of Visual Phonics by Hand is available from chin). They also see the /b/ from the lips with a one- www.visualphonicsbyhand.com/

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Feature Exploring the Scottish Sensory Centre Following its stay of execution, the Scottish Sensory Centre is going from strength to strength, as Janis Sugden reports

he Scottish Sensory Centre (SSC) is a national The SSC aims to improve links between teachers organisation promoting innovation and good who are involved in the education of children who are T practice in the education of deaf, visually impaired, deaf or who are visually impaired. We have set up and deafblind pupils. It has an excellent track record curriculum support groups which meet in person and in delivering high quality continuing professional online to discuss important issues for them. Our main development (CPD) to teachers of children with visual focus for these groups recently has been to explore impairments and children who are deaf. early years provision. The Early Years Curriculum Support Group (Hearing Impairment) is currently We are a small team of people who are indebted to engaged in the production of a DVD entitled Positive those who supported us during our recent funding crisis Play for Every Day: supporting language development and it is mainly due to this support that the SSC is able for Scottish deaf children. In collaboration with many to continue its work for another year. Under the new professionals, including Rachel O’Neill (SSC), Brian arrangement, the Scottish Government will provide Shannan (educational audiologist, Fife Council), Kim 75% of core funding and the University of Edinburgh, Davidson-Kelly (speech and language therapist, where we are based, has agreed to provide the Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS) and Jan Savage remainder of the core funding. Longer-term funding will (Director, NDCS Scotland), we have developed be considered as part of the Doran Review, a strategic Scottish Standards for Deaf Children 0–3 to promote review of learning provision for children and young partnership working and better outcomes for deaf people with complex additional support needs, which children by putting the family at the centre of the is currently under way. process.

The SSC offers an annual programme of CPD Our lending library supports the learning of our CPD seminars and workshops on a range of issues related clients but is also used by a variety of other people. to deaf education (and visual impairment). This Any member of the public is very welcome to use the is currently arranged by our CPD Co-ordinator collection, and Sheila Mackenzie, the SSC librarian, Carole Torrance, a former President of BATOD, in regularly welcomes visitors from all over the world. The collaboration with others involved in the education of two largest groups of members are teachers of deaf sensory impaired children, including teachers, parents children (and visually impaired children) and people and other professionals from Scotland and further learning British Sign Language, as we have a wide afield. Recent courses have included: Psychosocial selection of video material on the subject. Families Issues for Deaf Teenagers, Supporting Deaf Pupils with also contact us with information requests to expand on Additional Learning Needs and an update on working what they are being told by medical and educational with the new Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. staff and to explore all the options available to them. The collection is highly regarded nationally and One of our current projects is to develop web-based internationally and has to be one of the most complete glossaries of curriculum subjects for learners whose collections of materials on deaf and visual impairment main language is British Sign Language (BSL). Initially education. Our catalogue is available to browse on our there was a pilot project to produce a database of website. mathematics terms and then funding was secured for a larger project to develop a database of science terms Our extensive website – www.ssc.education.ed.ac.uk – (chemistry, biology and physics). The glossary contains holds a great deal of original material on the subjects definitions and examples of the terms in BSL to ensure of the education of deaf children, the education of that the context is understood. This work is also being visually impaired or blind children, and other specialist used to develop work in BSL-translated exam papers education and related areas of interest. All our in Scotland. The Scottish Qualifications Authority has publications have been published on our website, been very pleased with work we have undertaken along with details of our projects (including the full to include video clips of BSL translations of exam BSL glossaries) and course materials. questions as part of its drive to create accessible exam papers in PDF format (digital papers). A feasibility Janis Sugden is the Co-ordinator of the Scottish project is under way at present. Sensory Centre.

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Feature Getting ahead Communication barriers can make growing up even more of a daunting experience for many deaf young people. Michael Johnston introduces a national programme giving deaf young people the vital skills they need for further education and employment

ife can be hard for deaf young people during the opportunity to share their experiences with their teenage years – it is easy for self- other deaf young people and adults and work L confidence to weaken in the face of all the together to find solutions to the problems they new challenges. Without the right support many face in everyday life. deaf young people are vulnerable to isolation, abuse, bullying, poor self-esteem and low levels During the programme deaf young people are of achievement. given a workbook packed with practical exercises, a pathways section and an information and Government figures (Office for National Statistics, guidance section, which they can take home with 16 February 2011) show that 65% of deaf young them as a record of their journey during the training people in England are failing to achieve five and use as a source of reference. GCSEs (including English and maths) at grades A* to C. In addition to academic underachievement, Our success so far deaf young people face barriers to entering NDCS has delivered Getting Ahead training employment. Government figures show that youth through a mixture of residential weekends and employment is currently at record highs, further in-school training, both full-length training, and damaging the prospects for deaf people, who are three-hour taster sessions. The feedback we have four times more likely to be unemployed than received from both students and teachers has been other people. However, deafness in itself should very positive. Interactive and teambuilding sessions not stop young people achieving their true potential ‘Mapping my Community’ and ‘Getting a Helping in school and in life. With the right support deaf Hand’ have proved particularly successful in young people can do anything other young people helping deaf young people to develop confidence can do. and improve their interpersonal skills.

Vital life skills Grace Goodman, aged 14, who attended a NDCS has designed the Getting Ahead programme programme pilot weekend in Malvern, Worcestershire, to equip deaf young people aged 13–19 with the says, ‘The Getting Ahead weekend was a great confidence and communication skills they need to experience – we did role-play and talked about help them in areas such as further education and our rights and what we wanted to do when we are employment. older. The weekend helped me to learn a lot about myself and the world around me.’ The programme is the first of its kind in the UK and offers free taster training sessions to hearing- With the majority (90%) of deaf young people now impaired units in schools, schools for the deaf and attending mainstream schools, it is vitally important deaf youth groups. The sessions are delivered by that they are given the same opportunities as other dedicated trainers who work with groups of 6–15 young people to play a meaningful role in society. young people, and consist of a range of interactive Programmes such as Getting Ahead are therefore and teambuilding activities. Participants also have key in supporting many deaf young people to overcome barriers they are facing in everyday life and prepare them for the challenges ahead. Programme aims The Getting Ahead programme is tailor-made to NDCS will be running free two-hour taster sessions help deaf young people: across the UK and is encouraging secondary • think about themselves and their future schools to sign up for the programme. More • build self-esteem information, including the training request form, can • improve levels of confidence be found at: www.ndcs.org.uk/gettingahead or by • challenge themselves to communicate more emailing [email protected] or calling the NDCS • understand how to work as part of a team freephone helpline on 0808 800 8880. • have an appreciation of their rights and responsibilities. Michael Johnston is the Youth Training and Development Manager at NDCS.

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Feature Standards for CSWs Maria Bailey has the latest on the new National Occupational Standards for communication support workers

s part of the process of developing the new support practitioners working with D/deaf learners Signature qualification for communication • identify and disseminate effective practice in the A support workers (CSWs), National Occupational delivery of learning support for D/deaf learners Standards (NOS) were produced. The NOS, in the • enable the development of learning support form of an application guide, are now available from practitioner job descriptions the Signature website: www.signature.org.uk/ • motivate and assist learning support practitioners to documents/deaf_learners_guide.pdf/ develop a range of specialist skills for supporting D/deaf learners The application guide defines the skills, knowledge • map current provision and performance against the and understanding that any communication support standards to improve the quality of learning support worker will need to support D/deaf learners. provision • inform appraisal objectives and peer reviews The guide is an application of the NOS for learning • ensure that all staff have the skills to make a full support staff which have been adapted for CSWs. The contribution to the success of their organisation in a NOS for learning support staff were approved in 2008 demand-led and changing environment. and describe, in generic terms, the skills, knowledge and attributes required of those who perform the wide Learning support practitioner educators and awarding variety of learning support roles undertaken with organisations may use the guidance to: learners and employers. The standards are context- • develop new qualifications free and level-free and have been adapted to relate • develop guidance on qualifications to CSWs working in the further education sector. • map current provision against the standards • support curriculum development, delivery and The application guide was produced by Signature assessment. through consultation with stakeholders, including the National Association for Tertiary Education for Deaf Please download a copy of the application guide People (NATED), the Association of Communication and circulate it as appropriate. Now that it has been Support Workers (ACSW) and Lifelong Learning UK produced, we need to make everyone involved in the (LLUK), in response to the government-funded I-Sign education and support of D/deaf students aware of Project. Particular thanks must go to Andy Owen the standards for CSWs. (ACSW and NATED) and Jill Bussien (NATED and BATOD) who worked tirelessly to develop the NOS For further information about the Level 3 qualification within a very tight timescale. for communication support workers or the National Occupational Standards, visit the Signature website. Now that the application guide is available, it needs to be made widely available to CSWs, employers and Maria Bailey is a freelance trainer and development learning provider organisations. consultant and a NATED Committee member.

Communication support workers may use the guidance to: • identify professional development needs in relation to supporting D/deaf learners • develop new skills • develop existing skills to meet the specific needs of D/deaf learners.

Learning provider organisations/employers may use the guidance to: • illustrate how the NOS, for the role of learning support practitioner in the lifelong learning sector, apply to the delivery of learning support to D/deaf learners • develop and offer a framework for training and continuing professional development for learning

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Does the website work for you? Ann Underwood continues her series of articles about the BATOD website

ith about two-thirds of the estimated total number (approx 2,300) of ToDs in the UK W holding BATOD membership, the NEC believes that the reports of the work it carries out reach the majority of the most important people in the field of deaf education – you – our members. But to quote an old saying, ‘You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink’, and that is exactly what we have discovered. Although some information is available openly on the BATOD website, the ‘meaty stuff’ in the members’ area is only accessed by a possible 445 registered BATOD members.

In recent chats with some BATOD members it appeared that of those 445, their visits are more likely to be monthly rather than weekly. My unofficial poll suggested that although members found the content valuable they were not using the search facility to find related items quickly and because they updated (2009) ‘Role of the ToD’ is a downloadable visited infrequently they didn’t have the time to follow leaflet that provides an overview of the role. This the links to ‘new’ pages. Quite a few said they hadn’t document is written to inform children’s services, realised that there is a ‘What’s new?’ page accessible teachers and their line managers and potential from the Home page at the front of the website. Teachers of the Deaf of the range of tasks and skills Why? Because they don’t often visit the Home page! that are part of the competencies required by the Most said they looked at the Situations Vacant page Government to meet the specialist qualification as a first (marked as their favourite, so that is probably ToD. This is not an exhaustive list and NEC would why they don’t often go to the Home page!) – not welcome any suggestions for additions to it. particularly looking for a new job but just out of curiosity to see where people were moving from/to! There are many requests for information about training as a ToD, and the fact sheet published jointly by In the last website article (May 2011 page 50) I NDCS and BATOD is available as a web page explained about the members’ area where Paul and a downloadable document. To support this, Simpson, our Executive Officer, keeps the Noticeboard the competencies document for the mandatory with the latest information and requests for comments qualification and Annex A are also available. When and responses as well as the special items that are you are encouraging mainstream teachers to consider available to members only. Please take time to register training as a ToD the information is ready to hand. on the website and then check it regularly. Your comments are important – in fact vital – so that we can The folder also has information about awards and prizes – from BATOD (Eichholz Prize, Peter Preston evidence our claim to represent ToDs in the UK, so do Audiology Award, Mary Grace Wilkins Travelling take a few minutes to send Paul an email. Scholarship) and also from government sources. For many years BATOD has made representations One of the largest sections of the website is vaguely to the School Teachers’ Review Body and offered called ‘Articles’. It contains sections about: audiology, advice and information to members about pay and CPD, reasonable adjustments, international issues, conditions. The documentation appears on the early support, resources, awards and scholarships, website as soon as it is available so that you know learning support, guidelines, literacy, numeracy, being what BATOD is saying on your behalf. The situation a Teacher of the Deaf, behaviour, further and higher seems to change regularly and we are working on education, inclusion, mental health and self-esteem bringing this area up to date. and current research. These sections hold Magazine articles, papers and materials that have been Following the successful workshop ‘What resources? gathered from professionals in deaf education. Developing materials and equipment sharing’ at the 2011 Conference, this folder has expanded. Items that One of the most popular folders for non-ToDs is the have been published in the BATOD Magazine or on ‘Being a Teacher of the Deaf’ folder. The recently the website have been collected in one place, which

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will be useful to those working with deaf children and access to the curriculum and take a full part in school young people – they may also appear in other folders activities. Following on from the successful Blue Skies for easy reference. There is now a collection of ICT Project with the Deaf Children’s Communication Aids News pages so that reference can be easily made Provision, Paul Bonsor continued the theme within to various topics and it is hoped that a collection of Oxfordshire to develop an e-resource The role of ICT reviews of books and materials will be available before as a teaching and learning tool to support colleagues the end of 2011. Some of the threads from the ToD across the curriculum. This PowerPoint provides links email forum have also been collected together, and ideas using information technology. Many thanks providing practical advice. to Oxfordshire for sharing this resource.

Thanks to Oticon for providing funding for the Tried and tested resources, or those created by Audiology Refreshers that were published in colleagues, can be a valuable help when easily Magazines as far back as the 1990s. These have referenced and shared with colleagues – the power been updated where appropriate and made available of networking! If you have any recommendations, an for download. Members have the advantage of being item that is copyright-free or a sample that you can able to download the complete set of Refreshers if make available for others to try out and then follow they are logged into the members’ area – otherwise up, please send them to [email protected] this can be done on a page-by-page system. It is and we can include them in the ‘Resources’ folder. intended that some new pages may be added as Remember that while we are facilitating sharing these technology advances. The booklet Guidelines for resources, BATOD is not necessarily endorsing them Hearing Assessment of Children with Complex Needs – that is up to your professional judgement. is out of print, but an electronic version has been added to the Refreshers (T14). It is hoped that by Meanwhile, do go and explore the BATOD website early 2012 an updated version will be available and let us know what you find useful, what you would electronically. like to see and what we can do to make it more easily accessible for you. As specialist advisory Teachers of the Deaf we are often in a position to offer mainstream teachers and Ann Underwood is the BATOD manager for support staff advice and information about the best publications and the website and was President of way to help deaf children and young people achieve BATOD 2008–10. BATOD was there representing you... Between the NEC meetings, members of BATOD attend various meetings that are of particular interest to Teachers of the Deaf. This list is not exhaustive. Your representatives at the meetings listed included: Gary Anderson, David Couch, Mary Fortune, Derek Heppenstall, Maureen Jefferson, Bev McCracken, Kathy Owston, Paul Simpson, Karen Taylor, Ann Underwood

Date External participants Purpose of meeting Venue

May

6 nasen Annual meeting Mint Hotel, Birmingham 13 JCQ Modification of the language of examinations JCQ, London

June

9–10 Ear Foundation International Conference National College, Nottingham 14 NatSIP Green Paper submission meeting RNIB, London 15 Equality Challenge Unit Book launch Institute of Education, London 17 HOSS conference Annual conference University of Birmingham 18 Anefore Leonardo project presentation Luxembourg 27 NatSIP Reference group London 27 Ofqual Regular meeting Coventry

July

1–2 Leonardo project – FEAPDA Ninth partnership meeting Malta and conference 5 NatSIP Working day London 6 Ofqual External Advisory Group on Equality Coventry 7 GTC(E) Disabled Teachers’ Task Force GTC(E), London – final meeting

Association business A letter to the Editor Prompted by an earlier article that appeared in the Magazine, Ian, one of our readers, poses an interesting question about the effect of drugs on cognitive function

I read with interest Peter Annear’s article about the FEAPDA Council meeting in the January 2011 BATOD Magazine, particularly the reference to Thomas Müller’s report from Switzerland. I’ve recently finished a course of oral steroids that had an impact on my cognitive ability – working memory, speed of recall and also fine motor function. Happily for me, these symptoms have disappeared as the medicine is now no longer required. It occurred to me that as a ToD, many of my pupils have similar cognitive difficulties on a daily basis without the drug I had to take, so I’ve started to look a little more into neuropathy and cognitive function to develop my understanding of how some medicines relate to cognitive function and to see if this can be related to my pupils.

I’d be interested in finding out more about Thomas’s suggestion of taking medicine to aid concentration and wonder whether you could point me in the direction of any more information.

Ian sent this letter to Thomas Müller who was keen to learn more from Ian:

I have taught deaf pupils for four years (although just qualified as a Teacher of the Deaf) and design and technology for 15 years. I have a long-standing interest in how people think, and how they can be taught to think and solve problems creatively and efficiently. I’m now fortunate to enjoy the challenges of teaching these skills to hearing-impaired children at Mary Hare School, in a brilliant job that has completely captured my imagination.

I’ve recently started to research cognitive function, which I plan to relate to the deaf pupils I teach. Peter’s article referred to an idea you shared at a conference about medication and concentration. I found this interesting in light of a recent personal illness and the drug I was prescribed. Happily, the drug worked, but it had some interesting side-effects. It is a hormonal steroid that is prescribed to reduce inflammation. It can be prescribed for people who suffer from asthma, arthritis and epilepsy, although in my case it was a lung problem that seems to have vanished as mysteriously as it appeared. Not every patient will experience the same side-effects as I did, but I noticed several effects on my cognitive function. My head just didn’t work! I found that my speed of cognitive processing was slower; my ability to sequence tasks was reduced; my working memory capability was reduced; my long-term memory retrieval was severely impaired or failed completely; and sensory input (sounds or moving pictures or other people’s conversations) needed to be reduced to allow a focus on one particular task. Where this was not possible, mental shutdown would take place. I could only concentrate for short periods of time and needed extended rest periods of several hours.

I found this frustrating, so I started to research a little neuroscience and cognitive psychology to help me understand what was taking place. Interestingly, my ability to read papers on these topics was not impaired at all, although they did take longer to read. I found I could take notes successfully, (in bad hand writing because my fine motor control and hand-to-eye co-ordination was also reduced), which helped an understanding of the subject. I feel my experience will make me a more empathetic teacher, with direct experience of similar cognitive difficulties as some of my deaf pupils. What I find most interesting is that all these problems improved at the same time, as the drug I was taking reduced. As the drug was an adrenal hormone, this suggests to me that adrenal function is important to several cognitive functions, and I may continue to look into this.

So, can you tell me where to find out more about drugs that aid concentration? Is this in the present, or for the future? Would these be prescribed for educational reasons, or is the increased concentration a side-effect from a drug prescribed for another medical purpose? And if concentration is improved, would other cognitive functions like working memory, speed of processing, long-term memory and fine motor control also improve at the same time? I think this would lead to an interesting debate in any area of education!

Unfortunately Thomas has not yet supplied an answer to these questions. Ian therefore asks BATOD Magazine readers: At the moment, this is a hobby-level enquiry for my own personal interest. Can other readers can point me in a direction that will take me a little further?

Association business Save your voice – let them hear! Ann Underwood highlights a forthcoming BATOD event and urges you to get involved with the BATOD Foundation

uring the March 2010 National Conference the Meanwhile, so that the Foundation can continue its BATOD Foundation took up the brief to set up a work it needs to raise funds and make its presence Dproject considering classroom acoustics. The known. A volunteer who can help with the development trustees and a group of interested professionals looked of the Foundation website is sought. The basic at the current research. Stuart Whyte (BATOD NEC presence is set up at www.batodfoundation.org.uk but member with a strong interest in audiology) produced there is much to do in making links visible to fundraising a summary of research into Soundfield published options. Fundraising requires someone with experience on both the BATOD Foundation and the BATOD in this area so that meaningful sums of money can be websites (Articles >> Audiology >> Soundfield >> made available to meet the aims of the Foundation and sfs-research.htm). Anne Wilson and Peter Grayson expand the dwindling seed funding. There are external (Sheffield Service) presented a workshop at the March sources of funding for projects and these need detailed 2011 Conference looking at measuring what pupils are applications. actually hearing using the BKB test (BATOD May 2011 ‘Acoustically good?’ page 25). It is not essential that trustees and volunteers are BATOD members or indeed ToDs, but obviously they The Hello campaign which Jean Gross spoke about at must have some appreciation and understanding of the BATOD Conference is dedicated to improving the issues related to deafness which come within the communication skills of all young people – and Teachers realms of the brief. What is important is that those with of the Deaf can be key people in ensuring that fellow the skills and inclination come forward so that the professionals know about the advantages of a good Foundation can build on the firm beginning of the listening environment in school. The campaign itself may acoustics project. Can you help – will you offer to help help to generate funding leading to increasing the use of us? Please contact [email protected]. Soundfield systems in most schools, as is reported to be the case in schools in Canada, for example. Ann Underwood is a trustee of the BATOD Foundation.

One issue for the Foundation is how to disseminate the information to as many people as possible who could benefit – providing evidence or a way of collecting the evidence showing that while improving classroom acoustics is important, the benefits of Soundfield systems can ameliorate the situation. Four key Soundfield providers (Connevans, Lightspeed, Phonak and PC Werth) have agreed to support a free conference on Friday 25 November 2011 at Knightsfield/Monk’s Walk School. Visit the BATOD website calendar for more details.

The BATOD Foundation is managed by a board of trustees and the small group is looking for people interested in the work of the Foundation. Primarily this is to advance the education of all deaf babies, children, young people and adults, and includes the support and training of Teachers of the Deaf and members of allied professions. This widens to advance public education, including raising awareness of issues related to all aspects of deafness through the publication of any useful research and through the association of experts, government and voluntary bodies. If you are interested please contact the trustees via Lucy Leith at Knightsfield School (01707 376874) for more information.

Association business What went on at NEC on 25 June 2011 A productive day of BATOD business saw lively discussion on the Green Paper, membership issues and international links as well as a focus on the progress of the workstreams. Andrea Baker reports

he meeting was held at a new and very much from three guest speakers. Judy Sanderson appreciated venue, the Mint Hotel, Westminster. represented VIEW. She pointed out the extensive T New members were welcomed and it was good to crossover of interest and issues between teachers see some less ‘mature’ members around the table! of the hearing-impaired and teachers of the visually This was the last official NEC meeting for Bev impaired and stressed the importance of working McCracken, who was to hand over the role of together in times such as the present. The future Treasurer to Mary Fortune in July 2011. He was looks positive as there is already joint working very warmly thanked for his extensive work and emerging through NatSIP and there are plans to commitment to the organisation. include a visual impairment focus in some of the workshops at a future BATOD conference. Members were reminded that election papers are available in the September Magazine. Nominations The second speaker was Brian Gale from the NDCS, are welcome from any full member of BATOD for the who gave a brief resume of the current campaigns, eight existing vacancies. the professional support sponsored by the organisation and plans for direct services to families. The NDCS has The majority of the morning was spent in three been working hard to establish links and relationships working groups. One group focused on finalising the with appropriate Ministers in the new administration in BATOD response to the Green Paper, an essential order to influence reforms in health, social care and piece of work to ensure that the profile of deaf education. Most Teachers of the Deaf will be aware children is raised with the Government. A second of NDCS’s focus this year on safeguarding hearing group worked on membership issues. There is always support services in the light of financial cuts in England. a need to recruit new members and alert existing This will be rolled out to Wales and Scotland over the members to the invaluable work that BATOD does coming year following their recent elections. Brian on their behalf. The services that BATOD members stressed the need for evidence of outcomes and receive cost £100 per member per year but the successes to back up the campaigning, and members Association only receives £70 per member in fees. are encouraged to contact the NDCS with their stories. The shortfall at present is largely made up from Again, the need to work together was stressed, advertising revenue. Discussion focused on strategies particularly with regard to collecting robust comparative to raise awareness and encourage new membership. data. The £10 ‘Introduce a New Member’ incentive still exists and application forms can be accessed from The final speaker was Gary Webster from the British the BATOD website. There are certainly some positive Association of Educational Audiologists (BAEA). signs, including a noticeable increase in younger Once more Gary stressed the importance of working members on committees. together with BATOD on areas of common interest. This could include joint responses to the Government A third group discussed international links – an on acoustics, the Equality Act and funding streams for emerging theme within BATOD, particularly as an auxiliary equipment. It was suggested that the BAEA increasing number of deaf young people are coming could write an article to highlight the importance of from abroad. The group looked at the benefits of educational audiologists for deaf children, which could having international links, the barriers that exist at lead to a regular slot in the Magazine. At present the present and possible routes for development. BAEA is campaigning to get an educational audiologist presence within the National Institution for Health and At each NEC meeting time is dedicated to Clinical Excellence. workstreams to ensure that policies, guidance and advice are produced and updated on a regular basis. The final session was the business part of the There are three themes to the workstreams: working meeting in which officers and regional and national within BATOD, working with others and working with representatives reported on their current activities. the Government. All participants agreed that it had been a worthwhile and productive day. ‘Working with others’ was the theme at the start of the afternoon session, which began with presentations Andrea Baker is the BATOD Midland Rep on the NEC.

Regulars This and that… Email news to [email protected]

PAK for hospital Signs to a A UK charity that supports people with hearing loss has launched a toolkit of visual aids to make healthier communication easier while in hospital. Hearing Link developed the kit following extensive consultation heart with deaf people and medical professionals. A new set of videos in British Sign Language The kit, known as PAK (Personal Awareness Kit), from the British Heart comprises stickers, badges, cards and notices that Foundation (BHF) aims to give people who are deaf can be worn, displayed on beds and inserted into or hard of hearing vital information about their heart notes instructing hospital staff to speak clearly and health. Entitled Practical Steps to a Healthy Heart, maintain eye contact. the series consists of seven videos, each including helpful, easy-to-understand tips on what you can Dr Lorraine Gailey, do to reduce your risk of heart disease. At only two Chief Executive of minutes long, each video explains a risk factor Hearing Link, says, which can have a negative effect on your heart, ‘Going into hospital such as smoking, high blood pressure and can be unnerving for diabetes. most of us but if you can’t understand Stephen Dering, 34, is featured in the videos. what is being said Stephen uses British Sign Language and is the and done to you co-director of a social firm that employs deaf and then the experience is all the more distressing. disabled people to deliver services to commercial We asked a range of patients and professionals clients. He says, ‘There isn’t enough information about what they thought would help to improve out there for deaf people about how to reduce communication on both sides in a hospital situation their heart disease risk. A few months ago my and the results were quite straightforward – visual doctor explained to me that I was at risk of having reminders that people with hearing impairments lip- a heart attack if I didn’t reduce my cholesterol read, so the speaker needs to look at the person and levels. Hopefully these videos will help to get the articulate words without shouting.’ message across to others, and help to stop problems before they start.’ The charity expects that the pack’s usefulness will extend beyond hospital visits and help users to The videos are available on the BHF website – communicate in many other places and situations, www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/your-heart-health-in- such as railway stations, airports, hotels and bsl.aspxand – and are also subtitled. meetings – anywhere a person with a hearing loss needs to converse. Visitors beware The PAK is available to buy from the Hearing Link The Merlin Group, which owns Alton Towers and website www.hearinglink.org with prices ranging from LEGOLAND, has recently changed its policy 75p for a badge to £7 for a complete pack. regarding visitors with a disability. Previously, if you had a disability you were entitled to have a wristband so that you could get on and off rides Obituary notices without queuing. This has now been restricted to We are sorry to inform readers that two former just those who have a physical disability. Those with members of the National Executive Council, a sensory impairment now need to have a letter Angie Rees and Arnold Bates (one-time from their GP or consultant stating that they have Treasurer), have recently died. Obituaries can problems with queuing, such as light sensitivity, be found on our website at The Association >> albinoism and the risk of getting sunburnt, or having News of members >> Obituaries submitted by no or low vision or hearing meaning that large colleagues. crowds are disorientating or more time is needed to get in and out of the ride.

Regulars

Lessons from geese Geese fly in a very special V formation. This everything! Leaders need to learn to let go at times reduces the amount of effort that each goose will and others must step forward and do their best. need to lift them in the air and fly in the right direction. It gives them a 71% better flying range When a goose becomes tired or ill, it drops out than if they flew alone. of the V formation and immediately starts to lose height. Other geese in the formation will notice its First lesson problem and a few will follow it down, helping it People who recognise that we all need to work with in its flight. They will stay with it, making a small others, as a team, will achieve more than those formation until the bird is better or dies. Then they who struggle to do things alone. fly out together or rejoin the formation of their flock.

When a goose falls out of formation, it immediately Fourth lesson feels the drag and quickly tries to get back with the If we have as much sense as geese, we too will flock. It has recognised the lifting power of the bird stand together in difficult times as well as when we immediately in front. are strong. Second lesson Geese in formation ‘honk’ from behind to If we have as much sense as a goose we will stay encourage their leaders up front to lead on. This in formation with those who are heading where we spurs on those at the front in the knowledge that want to go and be willing to accept their help, just they have the support of their flock to do well. It as we must give our help to others who need our gives them courage. support. And so the fifth and final lesson from geese When the lead goose gets tired it rotates back into Remember to encourage all your team to do well the formation and another goose flies to the point and together you will meet your goals. You can position. encourage others with a few cheers, or if you prefer, ‘honks’, but remember – another way you Third lesson can do this is by saying ‘well done’ and ‘thank you’. It pays to take turns with others. We cannot always be the leader and others need to have ‘Lessons from geese’ was transcribed from a the opportunity to move to the front. We all have speech given by Angeles Arrien at the 1991 things that we can do well and these things will Organisational Development Network and was be very different. No one person can be good at based on the work of Milton Olson.

Regulars ICT news Trying a little ‘internet stalking’, Sharon Pointeer discovered how easy it was to track herself down online. She stresses the importance of teaching children to think responsibly about e-safety when posting pictures on the web

number! However, it was a small step from finding out my school name to visiting the school website for contact details. Now, I have unusual maiden and married names, so the searching was easier than if my name had been Smith or Jones, but I did feel slightly as if I had been stalked.

This made me think about how we need to be protecting ourselves and our pupils in our online presence – my concerns were further heightened by the recent press coverage about GPS (global positioning system) phones and geotagging of pictures. Many of us now use smartphones such as iPhones and Blackberrys to take photographs; modern digital cameras may also have GPS built few weeks ago I received a phone call out of in. These sophisticated gadgets store a variety of the blue at work from someone I had been at information about your photograph, as you save it. Aprimary school with. Now you probably think For example, the type of camera, the resolution of the that, while it is not really appropriate to have personal picture and the date and time are all recorded in the calls at work, this is not particularly strange. However, metadata. With geotagging, the location of where the I have had no contact with this person for over 30 photograph was taken is also stored, through use of years, they did not know my married name, nor where GPS. This is the same system as our SatNav devices I lived or worked. So how did they manage to get in use and can be extremely useful. It is great to import touch? Yes, you’ve guessed it – the internet. Probably your holiday photographs when you get home into now you are thinking that I should be more careful photo library software such as iPhoto and have a about what I put on social networking sites, but what map of your journey instantly displayed. However, if I tell you that I do not belong to Facebook, having this information on a photograph we post MySpace or Friends Reunited? I do not tweet, blog or on the internet means that our privacy flies out of use instant messaging. If you had asked me I would the window. Software to decode GPS information have said that my presence on the internet was fairly is readily available to download at no cost. minimal and probably only related to my work. A photograph posted on the internet can be interrogated and the location identified. The So how was I tracked down? I decided to try it myself. implications of this are very significant, particularly I googled my maiden name: 1,540,000 results for pupils who use social networking sites. Even if popped up, many in America, although I was amused they are careful and post no personal information to see the first hit was my name and photograph on a online, a photograph can give away their exact university alumni site. However, there was no link to location. In a recent experiment in America, photos my married name, so I pressed on. I restricted my of a child were taken and posted online which then search to pages from the UK only. Several more of allowed the researcher to identify the house and road the university pages appeared, but about halfway the child lived in, his daycare centre, his local fast- down was a page from one of my previous schools, food restaurant and his local park. Scary! People who showing my maiden name and my married name, go on holiday and post photographs of their trip while as I had got married while in post. Having got that they are away on their blog are advertising that they information, googling my married name quickly are away from home and they may also have other brought up a mere 164 results, all me, with my photos online which give away the location of their RateMyTeacher profile as the first entry, clearly empty house. displaying my school name. Other entries included 192.com giving information from the electoral roll and The potential of exploitation of this system by the ‘bad a number of references to my BATOD pages. The guys’ is huge, so it is important that we make our sites linking me to my place of work included the pupils aware, as part of their e-safety education, that Charity Commission and my local authority grid for by posting photographs they could be revealing more learning, which helpfully even included the phone about themselves than they intend.

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I am not suggesting that you and your pupils do not www.wikihow.com/Avoid-the-Potential-Risks-of- put photos online – that would be silly and anyway it Geotagging – interesting article on geotagging. This isn’t going to happen – but how do you ensure that website is worth browsing anyway as it has numerous the photos you and your pupils put online are safe? articles on just about everything. It is like a huge version of the ‘How to do just about everything’ books. Turn geotagging/GPS off in the photo settings; by I particularly enjoy the hobbies and crafts section and default it is most likely to be enabled. It should be have used the ‘How to make a zoetrope’ as part of possible to do this without turning off the whole GPS the animation work I do with my pupils. system, but if you are not sure how to do this, look it up – there are sites on the internet which can Press releases on a similar theme help you. Only turn on the geotagging when you Facebook has been mentioned in some of our specifically want it – that way you are in control. recently received press releases. It has introduced a new facial recognition feature that detects a user’s Download software that will search for geotagging face in an image. Once the person’s face is detected, information and delete it before sending. There is the website then encourages Facebook friends to tag software available for most phones and computers. them. Facebook introduced this feature last year for Be aware and educate yourself and your pupils, and its North American users and is now rolling it out make sure that parents are also aware of the issue. globally. Tag suggestions are then made to people Ensure that children understand that once they have when they add new photos to the site that include posted something on the internet it is there forever. images of their friends. While it is possible to disable Even if they delete it later, there may be a copy on the feature, it is likely that facial recognition will be someone else’s computer. Make ICT treat you with automatically enabled by default. Another one for the the respect you deserve. e-safety lessons!

Websites worth a visit Children under 13 are not legally allowed on www.icanstalku.com Facebook because the site collects user data. – aims to raise 27 year-old billionaire inventor of Facebook, Mark awareness Zuckerberg, wants this to change and recently about inadvertent discussed the benefits of children using Facebook information sharing. for education. Read the whole article by going to Has a section http://tech.fortune.cnn.com and putting ‘facebook showing how to kids under 13’ into the search box. disable geotagging on a range of If you would like to contribute anything to these smartphones. pages, please contact Sharon Pointeer at [email protected]. www.youtube.com – search for ‘geotagging dangers’ to find news footage and other videos on the subject.

http://keepyourfamilysafeonline.com/geotag – excellent video about the dangers of geotagging, showing exactly how easy it is to find and track people. Headline text makes the video reasonably accessible to our pupils. The video is also on YouTube.

www.geotagsecurity.com – information about the dangers of geotagging and free downloadable software for Windows to strip the geotag data from existing photographs. This software gets a four-star review for ease of use.

www.cocoawithchurros.com – photo privacy software for Mac to strip the geotag data from existing photographs. At the time of writing this software had not been reviewed, but currently appears to be the only Mac software available for this purpose that will work on batches of photos rather than doing it one at a time.

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Title Deaf Education; Changed by The book is divided into five chapters and each Cochlear Implantation? chapter includes some of the papers Sue has written Author Sue Archbold in collaboration with other professionals in the field. Publisher The Ear Foundation Chapter one begins with personal reflection and Price £10 continues to set the scene for the development of Reviewer Elizabeth Reed-Beadle, Educational cochlear implantation in the UK. An initial set of Audiologist, Children’s Services questions are asked: Sensory Support Norfolk • Has cochlear implantation changed deaf education? • Has it brought about changes in communication, ‘An awful lot of people are educational choices and attainments, following the giving a lot of time to this – provision of useful hearing? wonder whether anything • What are the perspectives of parents and young will become of it?’ were deaf people on cochlear implantation? the words Sue wrote in her diary in 1987 about cochlear Chapter two looks at evaluating the outcomes from implantation for children. this new medical intervention. The Nottingham Early She did not know then that Assessment Package is discussed and the chapter 24 years later she would be ends with information from papers that investigated celebrating the conferral of the amount of time the children used their cochlear her PhD by publishing a implants. book about the subject. Chapter three considers the impact of cochlear Sue trained as a teacher in the 1970s and as a implantation on educational outcomes, looking at Teacher of the Deaf in 1977. She has taught in changes in placement and communication and mainstream schools, in a residential school for the reading abilities. deaf and an oral day school for the deaf. She has managed a resource base for deaf children attached Chapter four looks at the educational issues of deaf to a mainstream primary school and was a founder children with a cochlear implant from the perspective member of The Ear Foundation. Sue was the first of parents. Together with a research colleague, Sue Co-ordinator and Director of Rehabilitation of the developed a questionnaire for use by the parents Nottingham Paediatric Cochlear Implant Programme, three years after their child received a cochlear a role she held for 15 years. She moved to become implant. The same chapter also considers the Education Co-ordinator at The Ear Foundation in perspectives of the children and young people 2004, became the Development Manager there in themselves. All these questionnaires are available for 2007 and is currently the Chief Executive Officer, individuals to use in their own evaluation of cochlear based in Nottingham. implantation and its value to children.

After the defence of her thesis Deaf Education: In the final discussion and summary, the author Changed by Cochlear Implantation? at the University suggests that there are now more questions which of Nijmegen, Sue was awarded her PhD ‘cum laude’ need to be asked about outcomes after cochlear by the Faculty of Medical Sciences. For a Teacher of implantation and more research is needed on ‘real the Deaf to be awarded this was highly unusual and world’ issues. her promoters, Prof Cor Cremers from the University Medical Centre of St Radboud and Prof Gerry The book is very readable and accessible to O’Donoghue from the University of Nottingham, were educators who work with deaf children. It provides delighted. a good historical overview of the development of cochlear implantation in the UK and highlights the The introduction to the thesis is a personal reflection need for continual monitoring and support for children of over 30 years spent working with deaf children and and young people with a cochlear implant. other teachers. Sue took as her professional byline the fact that deaf children are children first and deaf To answer the question in the title of the book – has second, but also that educational attainments, social cochlear implantation changed the education of deaf and emotional development and employment children? Were the questions posed in chapter one opportunities are grounded in the early development answered? Buy the book, read it and make your own of communication and language skills. decision!

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Title A sample of eBooks/CDs in British There are four eBooks in the DeafEducate Reading Sign Language/English Tree series. The first eBook Sid and His Family Set of four from the DeafEducate introduces Sid and his sister Dot and their parents. Reading Tree series: Sid is deaf, the rest of his family, hearing. The second • Sid and His Family eBook Rex and Pip introduces the family pets, Rex (ISBN 1 905272 54 5) the dog and Pip the cat. The Park is a family visit to • Rex and Pip the park with Rex and The Fancy Dress is about Sid (ISBN 1 905272 55 3) and Dot preparing for and going to a fancy dress • The Park party. (ISBN 1 905272 56 1) • The Fancy Dress These eBooks are suitable for deaf children, their (ISBN 1 905272 57 X) families and friends and for use within school. They Author Written by Emma Gibson, signed by are a helpful resource for the school curriculum topic Trishy Gibson ‘My family’, as a simple example of family life and as Publication 2010 an enabling tool to elicit information from any child Publisher DeafEducate about their own family life. There is a BSL video clip Price £12 each for each sentence throughout each eBook, which is easily accessed by clicking on the relevant blue Title One of three from the William square. Shakespeare Series – Romeo and Juliet (ISBN 1 905272 53 7) The other eBook reviewed here is Romeo and Author William Shakespeare (adapted by Juliet, which is one of a set of three from the William Betty Seal, signed by Janice Shakespeare Series. This is ‘A Shakespearian Connolly) tragedy play. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet Publication 2010 are teenagers who fall deeply in love but their families Publisher DeafEducate are bitter enemies. They marry in secret and they Price £14 make every effort to conceal their actions but their Reviewer Anne Willett, early years Teacher of love ends in tragedy when Romeo and Juliet both the Deaf die together.’

‘DeafEducate is committed to publishing a wide range The characters from the play are named and listed of eBooks for people who use British Sign Language at the beginning and there is an introduction which and English. Our eBooks are not just electronic is divided into sections – Act 1, Scenes 1–4; Act 2, copies of paper books, but contain video BSL for Scenes 1–6; Act 3, Scenes 1–5; Act 4, Scenes 1–5; all the written language content. Act 5, Scenes 1–2.

‘For people who use British Sign Language as their This book is suitable for deaf teenagers, their first language, eBooks will enable them to acquire families and friends and is an ideal school curriculum confidence in reading and understanding English, and resource for supporting their learning about William likewise for people who use English and want to learn Shakespeare. There is one or more BSL video clip British Sign Language. for each paragraph throughout each eBook which is easily accessed by clicking on the relevant blue ‘Each eBook is a proper book and has a CD inserted square. at the back. The CD is loaded into the computer and the eBook comes up on the screen.’ A demonstration of each of the above eBooks, and all other eBooks by DeafEducate, can be viewed on the All eBooks reviewed here meet the expectations as website www.deafeducate.co.uk which is a great way described above by DeafEducate. I have thoroughly to sample their contents and before actually buying enjoyed reading through them, being excited by the them. fact that they are brought to life via videoed BSL. They are an extremely useful resource for children, Overall I give these eBooks ten out of ten for their teenagers and adults alike, making reading interesting immense value in providing greater accessibility and fun. Romeo and Juliet is made very accessible to to reading for everyone who uses BSL and for anyone who struggles with the original playscript, those learning BSL. Many, many thanks to including me! DeafEducate.

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Abbreviations and acronyms used in this Magazine

AA Battery size MP3 Digital audio encoding system A-level Advanced Level N Noise ACSW Association of Communication Support Workers NAHT National Association of Headteachers AGM Annual General Meeting nasen National Association for Special Educational ANSI American National Standards Institute Needs ATU Auditory Training Unit NATED National Association for Tertiary Education for AV Audio Visual Deaf People BAEA British Association of Educational Audiologists NatSIP National Sensory Impairment Partnership BAHA Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid NDCS National Deaf Children’s Society BATOD British Association of Teachers of the Deaf NEAP Nottingham Early Assessment Package BB93 Building Bulletin 93 NEC National Executive Council BKB Bamford Kowal Bench (speech tests of hearing) NHS National Health Service BS EN British Standard European Norm NOS National Occupational Standards BSL British Sign Language Ofqual Office of the Qualifications and Examinations C of E Church of England Regulator CADS Classroom Audio Distribution System PC Personal Computer CD Compact Disk pdf Portable Document Format; type of electronic file CI Cochlear Implant PhD Doctor of Philosophy (degree) CPD Continuing Professional Development RCSLT Royal College of Speech and Language CRIDE Consortium for Research in Deaf Education Therapists CSW Communication Support Worker RNIB Royal National Institute of Blind People dB Decibel RNID Royal National Institute for Deaf People DCCAP Deaf Children’s Communication Aids Provision RT Reverberation Time DESF Deaf Education Support Forum S Signal DfE Department for Education SatNav Satellite Navigation DVD Digital Versatile Disk Sense National charity for people with deafblindness FB Facebook SFS Soundfield System FEAPDA Fédération Européenne d’Associations de Professeurs de SNR Signal-to-Noise Ratio Déficients Auditifs (European Federation of Associations SPL(A) Sound Pressure Level (Ambient) of Teachers of the Deaf) SSC Scottish Sensory Centre FM Frequency Modulation (radio) STI Speech Transmission Index GCSE General Certificate of Secondary Education STRB School Teachers’ Review Body GP General Practitioner TA Teaching Assistant GPS Global Positioning System TBA To Be Advised GTC(E) General Teaching Council (England) ToD Teacher of the Deaf HI Hearing-Impaired TV Television HOSS Heads of Schools and Services UK United Kingdom ICT Information and Communications Technology USA United States of America IEP Individualised Education Programme USB Universal Serial Bus (flash drive) iPod Internet Pod – device to play digital files VIEW Visual Impairment: Education and Welfare: IR Infra-Red professional association for teachers of visually ISBN International Standard Book Number impaired children JCQ Joint Council for Qualifications VTHI Visiting Teacher of Hearing-Impaired Children LLUK Lifelong Learning UK Wi-Fi Wireless Fidelity – wireless broadband LSA Learning Support Assistant WM Working Memory Mac Macintosh (computer) MEng Master of Engineering If you have found an acronym in the Magazine that isn’t explained in MLxS Radio receiver (also MicroMLxS) this list, then use www.acronymfinder.com to help you to work it out.

Association business

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Meetings and training Calendar

This page is an extract from the Calendar to be found on the BATOD website. Please note that it is not exhaustive. Items noted on this Calendar may have been advertised within the Magazine or the information reported by telephone. BATOD is not necessarily the organising body. Please contact the organising body (column 2) for details of conferences, not the Editor of this Magazine.

Date Organisation Meeting topic Venue September 24 BATOD NEC Association business TBA 27 The Ear Foundation Sharpening your Non-professional Counselling Skills The Ear Foundation, NG7 2FB 29–1 Oct down syndrome education Down Syndrome Education Conference The Met, Leeds LS1 2HQ 30 City Lit Level 3 certificate in learning support City Lit, Keeley Street, Covent (communication support work) Garden, London WC2B 4BA

October 1 The Ear Foundation BAHA Information Day for Families The Ear Foundation, NG7 2FB 3 The Ear Foundation Speech Acoustics: What is the Deaf Child Hearing? The Ear Foundation, NG7 2FB 4 The Ear Foundation Assessment and Monitoring: Primary Years The Ear Foundation, NG7 2FB 7 Yorkshire Cochlear Implant Learning to listen: first steps for classteachers, The Listening for Life Centre, Service teaching assistants and other support workers Bradford Royal Infirmary, Duckworth Lane, Bradford BD9 6RJ 11 The Ear Foundation Working with Deaf Children with CI in the Early Years The Ear Foundation, NG7 2FB 12 BATOD Midland Overcoming Barriers CPAS, Athena Drive, Tachbrook Park, Warwick CV34 6NG 14 Emmeline Centre for Hearing Second Moving On conference for teenagers Cambridge Professional Implants Development Centre,Trumpington, Cambridge CB2 9NL 14 Yorkshire Cochlear Implant Learning to listen: moving on for classteachers, The Listening for Life Centre, Service teaching assistants and other support workers Bradford Royal Infirmary, Duckworth Lane, Bradford BD9 6RJ 17 The Ear Foundation Working with Deaf Children with CI who make Slow Progress The Ear Foundation, NG7 2FB 18 The Ear Foundation NEAP The Ear Foundation, NG7 2FB 19 The Ear Foundation Troubleshooting CI including FM Systems The Ear Foundation, NG7 2FB 21 BAEA BAEA Annual Conference The Institution of Engineering & Technology, 80 Cambridge Street, Birmingham B1 2NP

November 2 The Ear Foundation Supporting Children at Secondary School for LSAs The Ear Foundation NG7 2FB 7 The Ear Foundation BAHA Information Day for Professionals The Ear Foundation NG7 2FB 9 BATOD South Audiology update and Get Together Connevans RH1 3EB 9 Yorkshire Cochlear Implant Listening matters, for all Teachers of the Deaf The Listening for Life Centre, Service Bradford Royal Infirmary, Duckworth Lane, Bradford BD9 6RJ 11–12 BATOD Steering Group Association business Mint Hotel, Birmingham 14 Deafax Support with Sex Education Delivery – a training workshop Holiday Inn Hotel, Birmingham for teachers called 'Carrots and Condoms' City Centre 16 The Ear Foundation Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Deaf Children The Ear Foundation, NG7 2FB 21 The Ear Foundation Behaviour Management: Pre School Deaf Children The Ear Foundation, NG7 2FB 22 The Ear Foundation Behaviour Management: Deaf Teenagers The Ear Foundation, NG7 2FB 23 Cued Speech Association UK Introductory one-day workshop The Ear Foundation, NG7 2FB (RCSLT Quality Assured Course) 24–26 down syndrome education Down Syndrome Education Conference The Met, Leeds LS1 2HQ 25 BATOD Foundation Save your voice – let them hear! (free conference) Monks Walk School/Knightsfield School, Welwyn Garden City AL8 7LW 25 The Ear Foundation Implantable Devices 2011: The State of the Art The Ear Foundation, NG7 2FB The Calendar on the BATOD website is edited as soon as we know about meetings. Additional information about courses and registration forms may also be linked to the calendar entries.

Association business Officers of Nations and Regions BATOD contacts and Magazine Distribution

Northern Ireland Chairperson: Janice McKillop, 6 Kingsfort Lodge, Old Kilmore Road. Moira, Craigavon BT67 0QG Secretary: Joanna McAloran, 6 Liscorran Road, Lurgan, Craigavon BT67 9JR Treasurer: Antonette Burns, 39 Wynchurch Avenue, Rosetta, Belfast BT6 0JP Scotland Chairperson: Jean McAllister, 26 Willowdale Crescent, Glasgow G69 7NL Secretary: Eleanor Hutchinson, Flat 1, Royal Exchange House, Newmarket Street, Falkirk FK1 1JY Treasurer: Anne Pack, 63 High Beveridgewell, Dunfermline, Fife KY12 9ER Wales Chairperson: Revolving post (contact Sally Davies, 23 Turberville Place, Cardiff CF11 9NX) Secretary: Lisa Whitney, Queen Elizabeth High School, Llansteffan Road, Johnstown, Carmarthen SA31 3NL Treasurer: Rhian Gibbins, Rhianfa, 24c Forest Hill, Aberdulais, Neath SA10 8HD East Chairperson: Kathryn Cutmore, 29 Chapel Road, Tolleshunt D’Arcy, Maldon, Essex CM9 9TL Secretary: Sara Brierton, 16 College Road, Impington, Cambridge CB24 9TD Treasurer: Karen Taylor, CSSS, Woodside Road, Norwich NR7 9QL Midland Chairperson: Cate Latchford, Buxton House,The Row, All Stretton, Shropshire SY6 6JS Secretary: Angie Wootten, 21 Lugtrout Lane, Solihull, West Midlands B91 2SB Treasurer: Robert Miller, 13 Derby Close, Broughton Astley, Leicestershire LE9 6BE North Chairperson: Elaine Rayner, 25 Frosterley Drive, Great Lumley, Chester-le-Street, County Durham DH3 4SJ Secretary: Trish Cope, 23 North Drive, High Legh, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6LX Treasurer: Sandy Goler, 9 Hill House, Cartworth Moor, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire HD7 1RL South Chairperson: Seonaid Ryan, Overton Grange School, Stanley Road, Sutton SM2 6QT Secretary: Joyce Sewell-Rutter, The Ewing Foundation, 40 Bernard Street, London WC1N 1LG Treasurer: Meryl Hunt, Auriol Junior School, Vale Road, Stoneleigh, Surrey KT19 0PJ South West Chairperson: Post vacant Joint Secretary: Hazel Sutherland, 8 Osney Crescent, Paignton, Devon TQ4 5EY; Denise Tudor, Cliff Court, Cliff Road,Torquay TQ2 6RE Treasurer: Beverley George, 8 Forder Heights, Plymouth PL6 5PZ

Articles, information and contributions for the Full guidelines for submissions and abstracts of Association Magazine should be sent to: papers published in the Journal ‘Deafness and Education International’ are to be found at BATOD Executive Officer www.maney.co.uk/instructions_for_authors/dei Mr Paul Simpson tel/fax 0845 6435181 Enquiries related to the Journal to: email [email protected] Dr Linda Watson email [email protected] ...as should Association information and general queries. Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.editorialmanager.com/dei Advertisements for the Association Magazine should be sent to: Mr Arnold Underwood DISCLAIMER BATOD Publishing and The Editors and the Association do not necessarily endorse Advertising items or the contents of advertisements 41 The Orchard published in the Magazine and cannot accept responsibility for any inaccuracies. Leven, Beverley Please note that items from this Magazine may not be East Yorkshire reproduced without the consent of BATOD and the source HU17 5QA must be acknowledged. tel/fax 01964 544243 Photocopying items may breach copyright. email [email protected]

BATOD Magazine distribution from: The Seashell Trust, Stanley Road, Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire SK8 6RQ Association Magazine ISSN 1366-0799 Published by The British Association of Teachers of the Deaf, 41 The Orchard, Leven, Beverley HU17 5QA Printed by: Information Press Ltd, Southfield Road, Eynsham, Oxford OX29 4JB Magazine Project Manager: Kath Mackrill sep_batod_obc.qxp 21/7/11 19:41 Page 1