The 50 trainee teachers, all from the university’s education faculty, listened intently as 10 pupils from Jack Hunt School’s hearing support unit spoke about themselves, their deafness and their communication preferences in the classroom. Some, for instance, said they preferred oral communication while others preferred sign language.
The Jack Hunt pupils, who ranged from year 7 to year 11, had all volunteered to take part in the Cambridge event.
They explained how eye contact, lip-reading, peer support, humour and patience can support students in overcoming communication barriers. After a question and answer session they worked in pairs to instruct the trainee teachers in basic sign language.
Jack Hunt School, which has 1,800 students (who speak 72 different languages between them) and serves a diverse inner city community, has strong links with the University of Cambridge and the University of East Anglia. Deaf pupils often lead deaf awareness training sessions and a group of eight students received a Diana Active Campaigner Award three years ago in recognition of their work.
“Sessions like these work both ways,” said Martin Barwise, assistant headteacher at Jack Hunt School.
“They provide trainee teachers with a focus on deaf awareness and deaf-friendly teaching as well as providing an introduction to British sign language. At the same time the sessions are very powerful in boosting our students’ confidence and self-esteem.”
The pupils were hugely positive about the sessions, which were part of the faculty of education’s adolescence and wellbeing focus day.
“We were teaching trainee teachers how to communicate better with deaf students and sharing ideas so they could understand what we experience in a classroom,” said one year 10 pupil.
A year 11 pupil added: “We do this sort of training for the trainee teachers who come and work at Jack Hunt and I have done this a few times at the faculty. I feel really happy that I am helping them to communicate better with us.”
The pupils were accompanied by Teresa Quail, a former Jack Hunt teacher who is now the lead teacher of the deaf for Peterborough City Council’s Hearing Impairment Service.
“The students did an excellent job and the feedback from the trainee teachers was very positive,” said Ms Quail. “They were inspired by the session and the confidence of our deaf students."