Teaching practices of the teacher in the math class; an example from a school for the deaf

In this study, the teaching practices of a mathematics teacher working in a middle school for the deaf were examined. The study was based on the observation of a mathematics teacher who teaches in one of the seventh grade classes of the middle school for the deaf. Employing a case study model, one of the qualitative research methods, the research was conducted in the spring semester of the 2020 academic year and took three weeks. The mathematics teacher's lessons were observed and it was determined that the pre-course, in-course (during the course), and post-course stages were included in the teaching practices. It was observed that the teacher captured students' attention, informed them about the objectives, and activated their prior knowledge in the pre-course stage; used a teacher-centered instructional method during the course; and then implemented problem-solving activities in the post-course stage. It was determined that the teacher had a tendency to concretize the concepts related to the definition of polygon and its properties, and in addition to her speaking, she used sign language and hand gestures, and concrete materials. As a result, it can be said that the teacher tends to teach the lesson in a way that meets the individual needs of students with hearing loss, and therefore mostly uses gestures rather than sign language.