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Issues and Trends in Instruction and Deafness: American Annals of the Deaf 1996 to 2000

For this article--a review of all instruction-related articles published in the literary issues of the American Annals of the Deaf from 1996 to 2000 (except for literacy-related publications, which are reviewed in the following article)--the authors identified six categories: Teacher/Professional Preparation, Teacher Characteristics, Modes of Instruction/Communication, Content/Curriculum, Placement, and Student Characteristics. Contributions came from authors in 11 different countries. Results show progress in several areas, but the field is struggling to meet the demands of rapidly changing educational systems. There is a need for more practical information in academic content, educational placement, addressing special needs of deaf children with disabilities, and giving attention to the enormous cultural diversity represented by deaf children in our school programs. Use of technology lags. More attention should be devoted to improving professional opportunities for deaf individuals from the entire spectrum of our society. Introduction The material presented here is part of an effort to analyze articles published in the literary editions of the American Annals of the Deaf from 1996 to 2000. The literary issues are published four times yearly: March, July, October, and December. Of the 130 articles that appeared during that time, approximately half dealt with issues related to instruction. In order to present instruction-related publications efficiently, we concentrate on nonliteracy-related articles here and deal with literacy-related material in the following article in this issue. Because the overviews presented here present only highlights, we strongly recommend that readers interested in any particular article reviewed here return to the original source for details. After considerable discussion, we agreed on six categories for the review: 1. Teacher/Professional Preparation 2. Teacher Characteristics 3. Modes of Instruction/Communication 4. Content/Curriculum 5. Placement 6. Student Characteristics We were interested in the treatment, if any, given to a number of potential issues. Considering the attention in the literature to the perceived growing diversity of the school-age population, we wanted to see if it was addressed in publications in the Annals. Another area of interest was the possible impact of the most recent Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandate for access to the general education curriculum. Would there be increased attention to content areas such as math, science, and history? Another area of interest was the response of the field to reports of large numbers of deaf and hard of hearing with disabilities. Categories Teacher/Professional Preparation Within the Teacher Preparation category is the Council for Exceptional Children and National Council on Education of the Deaf Joint Knowledge and Skills Statement for All Becoming Teachers for Students Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (1996). The statement was designed to set standards for use in teacher preparation programs addressing a range of communication and placement options, according to the stated philosophy of each program. The document comprises 66 statements of knowledge and skills needed specific to the education of students who are deaf or hard of hearing. We found only two statements related to content, both in the "knowledge" area: Statement 32 refers to subject matter and practices used in general education, and statement 35 refers to research supporting instructional strategies and practice for teaching students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Not one "skill" statement dealt with the teaching of content, and specific content in science or mathematics was not mentioned. Rittenhouse & Kenyon-Rittenhouse (1997) reported on the responses of first-year teachers to a questionnaire. In general, the results were positive, and first-year teachers expressed overall satisfaction. …