The main objectives of this project are to develop innovative opportunities for special education schools in terms of play-based learning and teaching activities for students with deafness and hearing impairments. Our team is cross-disciplinary to bring together the strengths and knowledge of special education and inclusive settings such as schools-families-students-universities-social advocacy groups - governments and volunteers in our partner countries. The training of special education teachers in intensive learning/teaching activities is the primary objective of this project along with targeting students with deafness and hearing impairments and their families, as well as gathering evidence on what works. The findings from this study are expected to benefit, directly or indirectly, university institutions, academics, in-service teachers, mentors, tutors, education authorities, rehabilitation services for students with deafness and hearing impairments, and educational organisations designing play based activities. Short term joint staff trainings are the main activities were deaf field experts will train special education teachers in a step-by-step planned schedule. Certain project objectives will be employed in a daily program for the participant special education teachers. The professional expertise of partner academicians and teacher trainers will be used to train the participants. Intellectual outputs are designed to provide innovative opportunities to design a play module by generating 100 selected play-based learning and teaching activities with sign language instructions in English, Turkish, Italian and Spanish. The play module will be web-based and in a software format which will be downloadable, deaf accessible, interactive and multilingual. We will use action research methodology by employing interviews, questionnaires, document analysis, scientific reports analysis. Our partner academicians will lead action research in qualitative and quantitative research formats to examine the effectiveness of play-based learning and teaching activities for students with deafness and hearing impairments. The final conference will serve to disseminate project results to a wide range of people and institutions in Europe and Turkey. Dissemination of materials will take place through conference presentations, journal articles, publications, and website including the play module in software format where a large number of people can benefit by downloading free. Our envisaged outcomes are to develop innovative ways to enhance the learning experience of deaf and hearing-impaired students, special education teachers and their families within a cross-disciplinary team. As a result of this project, special education schools are likely to improve their capabilities; design a play module; develop service capacities; form international collaboration and networks with other professionals in deaf fields. In addition, play-based activities provide fun and entertainment for the students and teachers, which is likely to contribute to their emotional-wellbeing and positive psychological outcomes during teacher-students interactions.
This project aims to provide the hearing-impaired with academic and social skills. We also aim to help students with mental disabilities. Our project develops innovative opportunities for special education schools in terms of game-based learning and teaching activities for hearing-impaired students.For the project; special education schools (4 schools and institutions from three different countries), universities (two universities), volunteers and their families, students and social support groups were brought together from different countries. Our project includes intensive learning/teaching activities. In this context, it is a project including the education of special education teachers, the hearing-impaired and their families.With the findings obtained from this study, it is planned that the educational institutions working with hearing impaired individuals and the students, academicians, teachers and rehabilitating institutions from universities will benefit directly or indirectly. Our project includes three short-term joint staff training, project meetings and seminars.Within the scope of a specific program, training was given to hearing-impaired and special education teachers and special education workers.These trainings were first given theoretically and then given as applied. Participating academicians and specialist trainers provided training to the participants in their own brunches. Our academicians and teachers in the project, published the results obtained from the activities three scientific articles. In addition, the surveys and literature reviews project used in the project are available on our website. Project evaluation forms and satisfaction surveys, which we submitted for evaluation of the teachers and parents of our project book, have been made and part of them have been published on our project website. (http://online.fliphtml5.com/sgjzs/rkjs/index.html) A game-based learning and teaching book was prepared for the project idea outputs. There are 113 games in this book. This book is described in English, Turkish, Italian and Spanish with sign language.Game book; Web-based and downloadable, accessible to hearing impaired, interactive and multi-lingual work. In the project, interviews, questionnaires, document analysis and scientific researches were used. Academicians from our project partners examined action-based learning and teaching activities for hearing-impaired students and conducted action research qualitatively and quantitatively. Thus, strong evidence of game-based teaching and learning has been obtained from the results we obtained in the project. These studies can be accessed in detail on our project website (http://konevideafschool.net/oyun_tabanli.html). As a result of the project, innovative ways to improve the learning experience of hearing impaired students and their families, special education teachers have been developed. In addition, game-based activities, emotional and positive psychological outcomes during teacher-student interactions and a more fun educational environment for students and teachers were provided. As another achievement of this project, it is provided that special education schools increase their capacity and success and that it rehabilitates educational environments and makes them more efficient. International cooperation networks have been established with other professionals in the field of the hearing-impaired in order to improve the service capacities of educational institutions with the above-mentioned game book. Some of the games included in the game book we have prepared were videotaped while our students were playing. These videos are published on our website by adding Turkish sign language and international sign language. They can also be accessed by scanning the QR code in the book. As new videos are taken, we will continue to publish on our website. All games can be viewed and downloaded for free as long as they are used for educational purposes. Our website will be kept active for 5 years and new works will continue to be added.