Math Observations in Deaf Education (MODE) is a webinar series hosted by Dr. Dawn Kidd, who retired in 2022 after 31 years of teaching math and curriculum work at the Texas School for the Deaf. Currently, Dr. Kidd is an adjunct instructor for pre-service teachers in the Deaf Studies/Deaf Education program at Lamar University as well as an adjunct faculty member at RIT/NTID working on various projects for the DeafTEC Resource Center.
For each webinar, Dr. Kidd invites different guests to discuss in ASL a particular current topic in math education. The webinar is presented in an informal talk show format, complete with visual aids, ideas for teaching, etc. Voice interpreting and captioning are provided for each webinar.
MODE #1 – Remote Teaching Mathematics for Deaf Students
March 3, 2021
This webinar provided classroom teachers of deaf students with recommendations and ideas for providing quality learning during remote instruction. Tips were shared on activities, apps, and ways to keep students engaged.
MODE #2 – Khan Academy: Instructional Mathematic Videos in ASL
April 14, 20201
Khan Academy is a tutoring website which includes instruction in a variety of subjects including mathematics. The webinar featured two current members of the DeafTEC Khan Academy project team discussing the addition of American Sign Language to the existing languages available on Khan Academy. Opportunities for public involvement in making and evaluating videos was shared.
MODE #3 – Perspectives of a Deaf Mathematician
May 19, 2021
For MODE #3 our guest was Christopher Hayes, a PhD candidate in mathematics at the University of Connecticut. Christopher gave us some information on his background, including how he developed his love for mathematics, as well as barriers he experienced as a deaf student. We also discussed insights he has as a deaf learner and teacher of high school and college level mathematics and saw some cool fractals as well.
MODE #4 – Lessons Learned: What Changed for the Better in Education During the Pandemic?
October 27, 2021
Four educators who teach mathematics to deaf and hard-of-hearing students discussed how pandemic teaching has impacted their instruction and what has changed for the better in deaf education. Panelists shared the teaching strategies, time management techniques, resources, and technology they used from the past year that they hope to continue.
Recording of this webinar is not available.
MODE #5 – The “M” in STEM
December 1, 2021
Harry Wood, STEM Trainer for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students & Teachers at Alabama School for the Deaf and Blind, discusses his experience teaching STEM topics. Math skills such as measurement, angles, logic/sequencing, data collection, scale, mathematical reasoning, and computation are integral to STEM activities such as robotics.
MODE #6 – A Practical Discussion of Mathematics Assessment for Deaf/HH Students
March 2, 2022
Two professionals in the area of educational assessment, Heather Costner from the Wisconsin School for the Deaf and Tamara Copeland-Samaripa from the Texas School for the Deaf, discussed all things related to “testing” deaf and hard-of-hearing students. From standardized tests to classroom evaluations, practical ideas, and resources were presented to support secondary math teachers in their work to evaluate deaf and hard-of-hearing students fairly.
MODE #7 – The Current Teacher Shortage and Its Impact on Deaf/Math Education
May 16, 2022
The webinar explored the current teacher shortage in education, with specific attention to the field of mathematics education within deaf education. Dawn Hoyt Kidd, Kym Meyer, and Claudia Pagliaro, all educators for deaf education teacher preparation programs, discussed why this shortage is occurring and what can be done to alleviate it. We all want long-term quality education for deaf people, and we need well-prepared teachers to make this happen.
MODE #8 – ASL Online Resources – Focus on Math Signs
March 22, 2023
This webinar reviewed three current online sites that contain mathematical ASL. Guest Caroline Solomon from Gallaudet University discussed ASL STEM, guest Keith Mousley from RIT/NTID discussed the DeafTEC STEM Sign Video Dictionary, and host Dawn Kidd showed the Texas Math Sign Language Dictionary, all with a focus on mathematical signs. The webinar concluded with a list of additional ASL Math resources.
MODE #9 – Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics
April 26, 2023
Chong Min Lee, a mathematics teacher at the Metro School for the Deaf, discussed her classroom practices incorporating ideas from the book “Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics” by Peter Liljedhl. Also discussed in this MODE webinar were the major points of the book as well as their application to deaf education.
MODE #10 – Using AI to Teach Mathematics
October 18, 2023
During this webinar, Brian Trager and Kemoy Campbell from NTID’s Department of Information and Computing Studies will answer these questions and more. Learn how you can harness the power of AI to create engaging and personalized learning experiences for your students, as well as save you time and effort in preparing your lessons. Join us to discover how AI can transform your mathematics teaching!
