Deepening Mathematical Understanding Using Visualization and Interactive Learning for Deaf Students

Learning mathematical concepts is challenging for several students. Paying attention to class lectures and following instructions for different steps to solve a problem are the keys to success in learning mathematical concepts. However, deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students have challenges in focusing on their teacher’s mouths to lipread or depend on an interpreter’s sign language. Visualization is important in learning as it enhances attention and keeps students focused on a subject. Interactive learning or a hands-on approach can help learners engage in a topic and provide an opportunity to better understand a concept. Combining these two techniques (i.e., visualization and interactive learning), we present an interactive number line (INL) tool to help DHH students understand mathematical concepts such as mean, median, mode, and range. This tool has proven to be useful for visual learning and/or for new learners as it helps provide an activity-based learning environment and feedback.