Listening to their lessons.

Listening to their lessons
Faber students enjoy learning via audio center by Christopher Lawrence The Chronicle (Dunellen)-Students in Gloria Katz's first grade class at Faber School are using "hearing aids" to further their education. For the past few weeks, the first-graders have been using a new listening center as part of their regular reading lessons. "It's been a very useful," Katz said. "It's fantastic." The listening center, which consists of a tabletop cassette player and six headsets, is
used as a supplement to the educational materials used in the classroom. Katz has a series of cassettes which include	Nicole Dimella/The Chronicle Jennifer Hodulik, Tejesh Patel, Wojtek Korzec, Derek DeLaCruz and Erin Drake use the new listening center in Gloria Katz's class at Faber School in Dunellen.

audio renditions of the stories included in the class' textbook, and the children listen to the tapes as they read.
     "It was originally intended to help the children who needed extra reinforcement," Katz said, "but everybody's expressed such an interest, we let everyone use it.
     "It's beneficial for all of them."
     The equipment arrived at the school last month, and its purchase was funded through a grant from the Dunellen Education Foundation.
     "It's something I always wanted, but it's expensive," Katz said.
   "I requested it though a grant because I couldn't get it through the school system."

     The listening center is located on a table next to the teacher's desk, and the children use the technology in groups as needed, sitting around the table silently as Katz continues to teach the rest of the class.
     "It allows the group to work independently without disturbing the rest of the class," the teacher said.
     In addition to providing extra educational reinforcement, Katz said the listening center has the children excited about reading.
     "The kids come up to me and say, 'Can we use it now?' " she said.
     "They'd love to use it all day."