Curriculum Memorandum to all Instructors of Adult Continuing Education (ACE) Sign Language Classes

February 12, 1999

Effective with the start of the Fall, 1999 semester, all sign language classes taught in the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) will be American Sign Language (ASL) classes.

Rationale

A statewide committee of WTCS sign language teachers, Deaf community representatives, WTCS Certification committee members, and state Board consultants was convened several times in the Fall of 1998 to discuss the status of sign language classes in the WTCS. This group decided recommended that effective with the start of the Fall, 1999 semester all sign language classes taught in the WTCS will be ASL classes.

ASL is the fourth most widely-used language in the United States today. ASL is specifically "a visual-gestural language that is indigenous to the American Deaf Community and that it is often acquired as a first language by deaf children who have Deaf parents" [Baker-Shenk & Cokely (1), p. 457]. ASL is a separate and distinct language in much the same sense as French or Chinese, and does not represent a visual form of the English language. ASL has its own grammatical rules and syntax (sentence structure). ASL has regional variations, incorporates slang, and as a living language changes over time. ASL should not be confused with any of the varieties of manual English, which are commonly called Signed English, Signing Exact English (SEE), Wisconsin Instructional Signs, Conceptually Accurate Signed English (CASE), Pidgin Sign English (PSE), or contact signing. It should also not be confused with Cued Speech.

Historically, technical colleges in Wisconsin have taught these forms of manual English, and it is the intent of the sytem to respect the linguistic integrity of ASL as a distinct language used by the Deaf community in America. It is further our intent to reflect current educational research trends and practices in our instructional endeavors. Deaf community representatives brought it to the attention of the WTCS that our sign language instructional practices had become outdated, and a decision was made to teach ASL and to work collaboratively with the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Sign Language Teachers Association (ASLTA) to provide workshops and trainings for current and future instructors of ASL. In this manner, we can continue to offer our communities the best possible instruction.

Curriculum

Knowing that the immediate issue for technical colleges would be obtaining a curriculum for ASL classes, a subcommittee was convened in January of 1999 to address this need. It should further be noted that it is the intent of this subcommittee to meet annually in the early spring to again review new curricula and texts, and to make recommendation to the WTCS. This subcommittee was comprised of experienced teachers knowledgeable about many state-of-the-art ASL curriculums. After an extensive review of both materials and texts currently used and curriculums currently available, it is recommended that technical colleges in Wisconsin consider using one of the following curricula for their ACE ASL classes:

1. Learning American Sign Language, by Tom Humphries and Carol Padden, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1992.

OR

2. The Bravo ASL! Curriculum, published by Sign Enhancers, Inc., Salem, Oregon, 1996. (800) 767-4461 V OR (888) 283-5097 TTY.
   

Learning American Sign Language is an ASL textbook comprised of 24 separate units, which teach 800 + signs. It incorporates high-functional-yield vocabulary words, sample dialogues, ASL grammatical structures, notes on Deaf culture, and quality illustrations. It has an accompanying videotape which illustrates all dialogues and most grammatical features. The book costs $46.70. Each lesson requires approximately four (4) hours to teach. Thus, this book could easily be adapted to courses of varying lengths. I.e., ASL 1 class taught two (2) hours per week for 10 weeks - covers lessons 1 - 5, or ASL 1 class taught two (2) hours per week for 15 weeks - covers lessons 1 - 8.

The Bravo ASL! Curriculum is a combination of 15 videotaped lessons, an Instructor's Guidebook, a Student Workbook, an Activities videotape, and an Assessment videotape. Through this flexible curriculum, students acquire basic conversational competence with about 500 signs, and a basic understanding of key aspects of culture and grammar. Each lesson includes pre- and post-tests, review work, new vocabulary, practice work, quizzes, and activities. Each lesson has instructional materials included which are appropriate for different learning styles (i.e., visual learners, psychomotor learners, etc.), and is readily adaptable to meet the varying needs of particular classes. By selecting particular activities, teachers can vary the length of each lesson to meet specific needs, though an average of 4-5 hours per lesson would be a general norm. The total cost for this package of materials (15 videotaped lessons, Instructor's Guidebook, Student Workbook, Activities videotape and Assessment videotape) is $949.00.

It is also important when discussing an ASL curriculum to discuss the concept of a gloss. Because ASL is not a written language, some method must be used to translate the meaning of ASL signs or sentences to a form of print for the purpose of review/recall or for the purpose of practice/homework. This is most commonly done in the form of glossing. Glosses are symbols, primarily English words, used to link meaning with specific signs/sign combinations. "These glosses are not intended to be the only appropriate English translation, nor are they exact interpretations of signs" (Bravo ASL! Curriculum, p. XV).

"Please be cautioned that this (glossing) has often led people to the mistaken notion that ASL is "bad English" or "broken English" because the grammar does not look like English. Moreover, using English glosses for ASL signs often leads students to think that ASL is very much like English, when, in fact, it is very different in many important ways" (Learning American Sign Language, by Tom Harbison, p. 1). Thus, instructors must have a clear understanding of what glosses are and aren't, and in turn share this with their students.

Tips for Teachers of ASL

1. The goal for all teachers of ASL is to give their students communicative competence - that is mastering the ability to communicate conversationally with members of the Deaf community.
   
   Historically, many sign language classes have provided students with exposure to a wide range and variety of signs, yet students have not been able to interact comfortably and effectively with members of the Deaf community. The goal then is to help students learn not only isolated vocabulary words, but to demonstrate mastery of progressively more difficult levels of conversational skills.

2. Teachers should not use their voices at all in the classroom.
   
   A. If teachers use their voices, then hearing students naturally rely on hearing the spoken word, and do not fully attend to watching signs.
   
   B. If the teacher both talks and signs, then the teacher is not using ASL. The teacher will create a false impression that ASL and English are the same and can be simultaneously produced.
   
   C. Teachers should focus on using ASL and modeling culturally appropriate behaviors, and should not spend time teaching facts about ASL.
   
   D. Teachers should strive to use ASL at all times, rephrasing and/or drawing pictures as needed to achieve student understanding, and should rarely (if ever) resort to writing English.

3. Students should not be permitted to use their voices at all in the classroom.
   
   If students are not permitted to use their voices to communicate, they are forced to discover other ways to communicate such as: the use of gestures or mime, the use of signs, or, for beginners only, writing on the blackboard or overhead transparencies.

4. Teachers should not demand that students express themselves in ASL until they have had ample time to develop their receptive skills.
   
   Until they have acquired some basic ASL skills (perhaps 3-5 class sessions), students should be encouraged to point, mime, gesture, or draw pictures to communicate. Students can be encouraged to do these things via the use of readiness activities.
   
5. Any detailed or in-depth information, such as a course syllabus, background information, or homework assignments, should be given to students in writing in the form of handouts.
   
   Until students are able to read signs rather fluently, written handouts serve as the most efficient and effective way of providing them with information, while still requiring the use of ASL in the classroom.
   
6. Vocabulary words should be taught in context, and never in isolation.
   
   Teachers can use a variety of interactional techniques, role plays, mime, pictures, real objects and dialogues to teach vocabulary words in a meaningful context. When students have to "work" to understand a sign, they will retain the sign for a far longer period of time.
   
7. Avoid the use of "stories" to explain why particular signs are made the way they are.
   
   In most cases these stories do not represent the actual history of a sign, but are more like a form of popular folklore. Other types of memory aids are often more helpful to the students.
   
8. The teaching of fingerspelling should be postponed until after students have had sufficient experience with visual readiness activities, and exposure to ASL signs which naturally incorporate letters of the alphabet (such as family, water, and fingerspelled loan signs).
   
   A. Fingerspelling demands fine visual perception and fine motor skills.
   
   B. The eyes and body need a period of adjustment before being able to handle fingerspelling effectively and efficiently.
   
   C. Teaching students to fingerspell too early may discourage growth of their sign vocabulary base.
   
   D. Fingerspelling is simply a code for English, and the students need to detach themselves from English and focus on learning ASL.
   
   E. Even if students become fluent in fingerspelling, that is no guarantee that they will be able to communicate with the Deaf community.
   
   F. Fingerspelling should be taught in a proper context, and not in alphabetical order. Example: My name is M-A-R-I-A.
   
   G. ASL uses fingerspelling primarily for proper nouns.
   
9. Teachers are encouraged to bring in a variety of speakers who are native users of ASL to class.
   
   It is important for students to be exposed to a variety of ASL signers to promote the best development of receptive ASL skills. If the teacher is a second language learner of ASL, this is particularly important. When students are exposed to a variety of signers, more generalization of learning occurs, and students are more likely to understand "different" signers than those they are accustomed to seeing in their ASL classroom.
   
10. Teachers should obtain permission from appropriate personnel for the class to engage in any planned interactions with the Deaf community.
    
    Appropriate personnel would include the President of the local Deaf Club or the Chairperson of a given Deaf community event. Deaf events are primarily times of social relaxation for members of the Deaf community, and the intrusion of students into particular events may be unwelcome. The involvement of teachers in the activities of local Deaf clubs would help teachers to maintain these contacts, and promote awareness of events appropriate for students to attend.

(These tips are taken largely from Baker-Shenk & Cokely (2), pgs. 23, 34-37.)

Tips for Students Learning ASL

To increase your language learning in the classroom, develop the following habits:

1. Follow all conversations whether they are between the teacher and class, teacher and student, or student and student.

2. Focus on the signer's face, not the hands. Don't break eye contact while in a signed conversation.

3. Develop active listening behaviors, i.e., nodding, responding with "huh?," "wow," "really?" Your teacher may stop to repeat information because you do not nod to indicate you are following along. This is not teacher/student behavior - it is cultural. Listeners have very active roles in signed conversations.

4. Participate as much as possible by adding comments, agreeing or disagreeing, etc. The more you participate, the more you will retain what you learn. Don't worry about mistakes. They are part of the learning process.

5. Try not to worry about a sign you missed. Work on getting the gist of the conversation. If a particular sign pops up over and over, and you haven't gotten a clue as to its meaning, then ask the teacher. Try to avoid asking your classmate for a quick English translation. You would lose out on valuable communication experiences that can strengthen your comprehension skills.

6. Leave English (and your voice) outside the door. Try not to translate in your heads as you watch someone sign. Don't worry about memorizing, as repetition and context will help you acquire the language.

7. Try to maintain a signing environment during class breaks, before class begins, and whenever Deaf people are present.

8. Try not to miss class, especially at the beginning. Your class strives to form a language community; the cohesiveness of the group influences how rich the language exchange is in the classroom. Missing class makes it difficult to achieve this interactive environment.

These tips are taken from Signing Naturally, by Lentz, Mikos & Smith, 1988.

ASLTA

The ASLTA is a national organization of teachers of ASL, and operates under the auspices of the National Association of the Deaf. ASLTA certifies teachers of ASL, advises teaching programs, provides professional development activities on the national and chapter levels, and seeks to advance the recognition of ASL in schools and state Boards of Education. ASLTA has a three-tier certification structure for teachers of ASL which includes the following levels: Provisional, Qualified and Professional. Over a period of time, the WTCS will be requiring ASLTA certification for all ASL teachers. See the ASLTA web site (www.aslta.org) for information about the organization, the certification process, and a membership form.

Wisconsin Chapter of the ASLTA

The Wisconsin Chapter of the ASLTA is the Wisconsin Chapter of the national ASLTA organization. WisASLTA is a new organization and will be working closely with ASL teachers throughout Wisconsin to provide workshops and training events for ASL teachers, to encourage ASL teachers to become nationally certified by ASLTA, and to encourage employers to hire certified teachers of ASL. Contact the Wisconsin Association of the Deaf at their web site (under construction) for further information about the WisASLTA group.

Resources for Teachers of ASL

1. Baker-Shenk, Charolotte and Cokely, Dennis A Teacher's Resource Text on Grammar and Culture, Clerc Books, Gallaudet University Press, Washington, D.C., 1991.

2. Baker-Shenk, Charlotte and Cokely, Dennis A Teacher's Resource Text on Curriculum, Methods and Evaluation, Clerc Books, Gallaudet University Press, Washington D.C., 1991.

3. Lane, Leonard G., Gallaudet Survival Guide to Signing, Gallaudet University Press, 1990.

4. Humphries, Tom and Padden, Carol Learning American Sign Language, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1992.

5. The Bravo ASL! Curriculum, published by Sign Enhancers, Inc., Salem, Oregon, 1996. (800) 767-4461 V OR (888) 283-5097 TTY.