EDUCATIONAL EFFECTS FROM THE WORK WITH A PROJECT CURRICULUM WITH HEARING IMPAIRED CHILDREN

Abstract

The reform of the special education is directed towards creating preconditions for a more massive inclusion of children with developmental difficulties in the mainstream educational system (inclusive process), but also towards improvement and change of the concept of work of the special schools, especially the change in the internal organization of the educational work through introducing contemporary models and methods of learning. The modernization of the educational process asks for a modernization of the curriculum, but also of the modus which they are realized with, so therefore the goal of this research was to confirm the educational effects of the innovative models and methods of working in the educational process with the hearing impaired children. In this article we showed the experimental check up of the efficiency from the application of the project curriculum in relation to the traditional teaching, regarding the level of the gained knowledge of the hearing impaired pupil. The sample is consisted of 49 hearing impaired pupils, from the fifth to eighth grade from primary schools for children with impaired hearing. The results that we got show statistically significant difference between the accomplishments confirmed in the subjects with an applied traditional model of work and the application of the project curriculum. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Headnote

Abstract

The reform of the special education is directed towards creating preconditions for a more massive inclusion of children with developmental difficulties in the mainstream educational system (inclusive process), but also towards improvement and change of the concept of work of the special schools, especially the change in the internal organization of the educational work through introducing contemporary models and methods of learning. The modernization of the educational process asks for a modernization of the curriculum, but also of the modus which they are realized with, so therefore the goal of this research was to confirm the educational effects of the innovative models and methods of working in the educational process with the hearing impaired children. In this article we showed the experimental check up of the efficiency from the application of the project curriculum in relation to the traditional teaching, regarding the level of the gained knowledge of the hearing impaired pupil. The sample is consisted of 49 hearing impaired pupils, from the fifth to eighth grade from primary schools for children with impaired hearing. The results that we got show statistically significant difference between the accomplishments confirmed in the subjects with an applied traditional model of work and the application of the project curriculum.

Key words: project teaching, traditional teaching, hearing impaired children, cooperative learning, frontal work

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Introduction

The new way of thinking and acting of the people in the society, the social and life conditions influences the learning process in the organized school teaching, both in the regular and the special education. Therefore, we are searching for new, more efficient learning paths that will be based on the needs, interests and the goals of the new generations of pupils of all ages. The modern approaches in education present a system of new methods and behaviors (that have been formed for the past two decades of the 20-th century), but also didactical systems that change the technology of the educational process in direction of removing the contradictions between the education goal on one side and the organization of the contents and the teaching process on the other side. (1) Pointing out the active forms of teaching is introducing the pupil in a position of an active subject, which together with the teacher gains and develops knowledge, habits and skills, prognoses and summarizes the results from the work and the learning. This approach in the work represents the best way in the fight against formalism and routines, but also a way of humanization of education.

In the new pedagogical and methodological literature different models of educational work are being explained in which the active participation of the pupil in the knowledge gaining process is accented. (2). But, the theoretical processing, as well as the application of innovative models are mainly connected to the regular schools. Lately, as a part of the reforms in the whole educational system directed towards creating preconditions for a more massive inclusion of children with developmental difficulties in the system of the regular education (inclusion), but also for enhancing and change of the concept of working in the special schools, especially the change of the internal organization of the educational work through introducing innovative strategies and models of learning and teaching, the researches of this kind receive a significant place also in the area of education of the hearing impaired children (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 2).

Working on a project or a project work that is commonly defined in the pedagogical literature, actually presents one of the educational models that interacts with the concept of contemporary education.

The project work presents a common try out of the teacher and the pupil to connect life, learning and work, so the problem that is significant for the society and connected to the interests of the participants is processed together (=process) and to have a result (=product) that will have a significant value for all the participants (9). This is a model of teaching that successfully unites the inter-disciplinarity and the correlation of the content with the multimedia pack through team work, group interaction, on experience based learning and research work and significantly contributes to the efficiency in the work and the commodity of the pupil.

The essence of the project teaching is consisted of the direction towards the pupils' individual interests, the independent organization and personal responsibility, detailed and step by step planning of the goal, development of different strategies and methods for adequate learning, self organized learning and freedom in the independent choice of themes and educational contents.

The project teaching is the most complex form of practical, planned and intense gaining of knowledge from all activities that is from the problem of development, transfer, presentation, use and application of the concrete knowledge (10). Creating preconditions for developing originality, flexibility, fluency, sensitivity and governing abilities, the project teaching gives the individuals a chance to generate and creatively to use the ideas and solutions. With this, unlike from the traditional teaching, the pupil in the process of the project teaching is a cooperative organizer, evaluator, controller, the one who makes decisions and realizes who practically enhances his personal abilities, that uses what is learned in school and outside school in developing the strategy of work and intense gaining of knowledge.

Research problem

According to the concept theoretical approach we defined the practical framework or the research problem that was directed towards an experimental check up of the efficiency from the application of the project teaching with the methods of cooperative teaching and a group form of working regarding the traditional teaching in which the frontal form is dominant, in direction to the level of the gained knowledge of the hearing impaired pupil.

The sample was consisted of 49 pupils that were hearing impaired from the fifth to eighth grade from the primary school of children with hearing impairment in Zemun and Kragujevac. The pupils were divided in two groups: an experimental (N-26) and a contol group (N-23). The groups were equalized according to the success of the pupil in the teaching subjects that are measured in the experiment, according to the sex and the degree of the hearing impairment.

According to the school success, that is the preliminary mark from the tested teaching subjects, in the sample we had 8 pupils with a sufficient mark (16.32%), 11 pupils with a good mark (22.44%), 15 pupils with a very good mark (30.61%) and 15 pupils with an excellent (30.61%). Between the experimental and the control group there was no statistically significant difference regarding the marks from the teaching subjects covered with the experiment, so that regarding the criteria - preliminary marks from the tested teaching subjects, the experimental and control group were equalized.

Regarding the sex, the sample had 27 (55.1%) mail examinees and 23 (44.9%) female examinees. Regarding the sex the experimental and control group were equalized.

According to the degree of hearing impairment, in the sample we had 8 (16.32%) respondents with a medium impairment, 12 (24.48%) with a heavy and 29 (59.2%) examinees with a very heavy hearing impairment. All the respondents in the sample regarding the degree of the hearing impairment were equalized, so between the experimental and the control group there was no statistically significant difference.

Research instruments and techniques

With the purpose to check the gained knowledge after teaching and processing every teaching unit, with the pupils from the experimental and the control group we used a test for knowledge. The test had 15 tasks, and the total number of points was 30. The results were ranged according to a points list: not sufficient to 10 points, sufficient from 11-15points, good from 16-20 points, very well from 21-25 points and excellent from 26-30 points. Before the application of the final test for knowledge, the pupils after every taught and processed teaching unit made a short test in the form of a five minutes examination that had a two side role. The pupils by doing the tasks checked their knowledge, but also repeated the taught contents, and the teachers got information for how well the pupils understood the processed contents and whether their work was efficient and according the individual needs and abilities of the hearing impaired pupils.

The knowledge tests were made by the author in consultation of the subject teachers, following the content and the needs of the teaching program of the tested teaching subjects.

Manner of conducting of the research

The research is conducted in the special schools for hearing impaired children in the time period of 4 weeks that are predicted with the curriculum for processing and check up of the thematic units.

The research is conducted on the following manner: with the pupils from the control group we conducted the teaching and examination of the teaching units in the frames of the thematic unit with methods, aids and forms of work that are usually used in the traditional teaching, while with the pupils from the experimental group we also realized teaching and examination of the same teaching units in the frame of the same thematic unit, but with application of the project teaching.

The teaching subjects that were covered with the experiment are:

Housing for pupils from fifth and sixth class from the primary schools for hearing impaired children and Biology for pupils from seventh and eighth classes from the primary schools for hearing impaired children. These teaching subjects had an accessible content from which we could separate a typically exemplary number of representative subjects that would be adequate for application of the project teaching.

The processing of the teaching contents in the frames of the experimental group is realized according to all didactical-methodical laws for exercising project teaching.

1. Project preparation: Together with the subject teacher one makes a choice of thematic units and teaching units. The pupils are divided in groups of three. The criterion according to which the groups were formed was the school success of the pupil, so one group was consisted of pupils with excellent, very good and good marks. So, according to the criteria school success, the groups were heterogeneous. This way it was enabled, during the solving of the given tasks, the excellent pupils to help the weaker pupils of their group. After the forming of the groups, on an overall plenary teaching of all the pupils the manner and technique of work according the new teaching model were explained. The pupils got cartons on which the rules of work, the basic work procedures and their obligations were written, until the duration of the experiment.

2. Placing the problem (research)

In the frame of the chosen thematic units we placed the general research problem, while in the frame of the teaching units we placed the partial problem on which solving will work the formed groups of pupils. Every group got preliminary resources for working on the task, so that based on the showed model they can independently find additional sources and means for solving the given project task (school books, encyclopedias, internet etc).

3. Independent group work

Afterwards these activities were followed by an independent group work through cooperative activities. The groups exchanged work directions, working material and information sources, and were engaged on browsing internet sites that helped them gaining additional information for a more quality solving of the given project tasks. The groups had an agreement about the manner of presentation of the results. The pupils from a younger age (fifth and sixth class) made panes on which they glued the necessary illustrations that were followed with a textual explanation. The hearing impaired pupils at an older age (seventh and eighth class) made the presentations on a computer (power point). The teacher followed the group work and when there was a need for it, he gave additional explanations.

4. Integrating the results

In this phase, all of the groups handed over their final reports and presented the given results, so they could gather all of the partial projects of the given global projects.

5. Use of the knowledge and evaluation of the results from the subjects

Groups gathered their final results and together with the teacher discussed the contents of the chosen subjects. Also, the groups presented Power point presentations as well as the materials (such as news papers, encyclopedias, web) on which the projects were solved.

Results from the discussion with research

To evaluate the effect on the education of the experimental teaching in relation to the traditional way of teaching, the success rates and passing rates of the students from the experimental group on the final exam including the success of the control group, the success rate of the experimental group in relation to the initial grade of the students in to account were taken including: gender, and the level of the hearing impairment.

The given results (see Figure 1) show that the students from the experimental group, on the final exam achieved better than the students in the control group. From 26 students 61.53% 16 students achieved Excellent, 26.92% or 7 students achieved Very Good, 2 students achieved Good and one student achieved Enough.

In the control group, in the final exam, from total 23 students, 13.04% or 3 students achieved Excellent, 39.13% or 9 students achieved Very Good, 34.78% Good and 13.45% 3 students Enough. The given results go in favor to the presumption that students from the experimental group, where co-operative and group learning was organized, they would achieve more on the final exam than the regular students.

It has been shown that there is a great statistical difference in relation to the achieved results p<0.003. Students from the experimental group not only achieved better results at the tests, but they have also shown a greater level of self motivation in order to expand their knowledge on the subjects, a greater independence when solving problems in their work, they have independently used other literature and self initiative in using other learning sources, which of course shows improvement to achieve responsibility, independence when working, and at the same time the conciseness and the need for knowledge is increasing.

The Analysis of the results from the final exam after the project education has been used in relation to the gender (Figure 2), the results clearly show that both sexes achieved high percentage and there is no statistical importance between the results.

The results shown on Figure 3 indicate that the students without any prejudice to the level of impairment achieved high percentage on the final exam when project education was used.

Enough achieved only 1 student with hard hearing impairment, Good achieved 1 student with intermediate impairment and 1 student with very hard impairment and 5 students with extremely hard impairment, Excellent achieved 2 students with moderate impairment, 4 with hard impairment and 10 with very hard impairment.

Analysis of the importance of the achieved success on the final exam and the level of impairment shows that there is no apparent link between those two and there is no statistical importance.

These results also go in favor to the thesis that the efficiency of the new model is much greater than the traditional model.

Conclusion

The education which is prevalent today in the regular schools , but in the school for students with hearing impairment as well, most of the time students spend their time listening-following to the teacher in order for them to remember certain facts.

This means that the role of the students is to remember facts and when needed reproduce the same facts, which can not be found useful in real life situations (11). The new model of experimental education gives more freedom and stimulation to the student. When the student changes places from passive to active participant, the whole concept is changed.

We can conclude that this new model can be used even when working with children with hearing impairment and it has a valuable educational value. Students from the experimental groups, as well as the better results, they showed greater self motivation for new knowledge, and greater cooperation. Another important fact is that even students with the hardest hearing impairments achieved higher percentage. The achieved results show that changing the old traditional education that has been around for decades, it would certainly make the education more valuable. Our society today looks for person who can adapt quickly to the changes that are taking place, which is one of the most fundamental jobs of the school for hearing impaired students.

The advances in sciences and technology looks for often changes, so the primary job of the school for students with impaired hearing would be to prepare them to became independent and functional parts of the society. The new project education has met all of these criteria as an innovative modern education.

References

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