Rousing interest in science among secondary school deaf students

Abstract

The present work describes our experience in teaching science to severe-to-profound deaf school students in Brazil, who have Brazilian sign language as their first language. These students lag behind hearing youngsters of their age in terms of academic achievement. They experience isolation resulting from the language/communication barrier that has impeded this group from acquiring general information normally obtained not only via school education, but also informally. This is particularly manifested in regard to scientific knowledge. The format of our course involved deaf students in an active search for knowledge, using an inquiry, collaborative, hands-on oriented teaching. Deaf students learned the importance of questioning, of group work, of performing experiments to answer their own set of questions, of interpreting the information gathered, in a process that resembled the scientific method. In contrast to their normally passive and uninterested attitude during expositive classes, the majority of the deaf students demonstrated a high motivation and enthusiasm during the whole experimental course. Deaf students realized that they were learning new strategies that went beyond science and could be used in a number of different situations. During the course, more important than laboratory skills, they were developing a critical mind.