Language and the Deaf

Language and the DeafJessica ScottBoston University, April 4, 2012Session 11Food for thought"As long as we have Deaf people on earth, we will have signs... our beautiful sign language is the noblest gift God has given to Deaf people." George W. Veditz (former NAD president, first to document ASL to be preserved on film), 1913AgendaDiscussionCatch-up from last week: Activity TheoryThe importance of writingTeaching content area literacyBreak!CI CornerApplicationsHousekeepingGoals for the sessionTo understand activity theoryTo consider literacy in content areas and how we might teach in the content area using reading and writingTo think about what writing might tell us about student needs and its role in learningAgendaDiscussionCatch-up from last week: Activity TheoryThe importance of writingTeaching content area literacyBreak!CI CornerApplicationsHousekeepingDiscussion!Is it more important to spend content area time making sure students have access to the content in ASL, or time to learn the content through reading and writing?What are some ways you have seen writing incorporated across the curriculum? Do you have ideas for how to do this?What is challenging about assigning students to write research papers? How can we modify them to be more meaningful?Thoughts on Livingstons final thoughts chapter (ASL proficiency, teacher training, adopt-a-family, speech teaching) ?Discussion board interludeI loved the list on page 103: (1) prewriting, (2) drafting, (3) conferring with others, (4) revision, (5) editing, (6) publishing. I think that this list is an important mantra for all writers, and the foundation needs to be set when these children are young. I remember a couple friends in high school who would never prewrite or revise. They would just dash something down on the paper or computer, and then be done. I think that high school is too late to try to instill a step-by-step process for writing because these students usually want to finish work as soon as possible to go off and socialize. They are also fairly stubborn and set in their academic ways (in my experience, please correct me if I am wrong!)Discussion Board InterludeStudent writing can provide valuable insights into what a child understands about a text or activity. However, it is important to note (especially with ELLs) that student writing does not always reflect comprehension. When teaching Deaf students, I do think it is imperative to encourage writing on a daily basis. But, it is also important to practice developing ideas and playing with language in ASL.Im curious, why did the author used this phrase, learner-centered and not child-centered? Are they different? (No they are the same )AgendaDiscussionCatch-up from last week: Activity TheoryThe importance of writingTeaching content area literacyBreak!CI CornerApplicationsHousekeepingLiteracy as ActivityLiteracy is a purposeful activity where people express themselves and their perspectivesWhen we teach students to read, we should move beyond recognizing vocabulary and individual words, and remember that the activity of literacy has its basis in communicationActivity theory is designed to help us think about designing effective activitiesActivity TheoryAssumptions:Development is dynamic its about the changes we makeWe work best toward goalsActivities must have meaning/purposeMental activities cannot be separated from interpersonal interactionsThinking dependant on actions, context and goalBiology AND culture influence activityDevelopment varies for activities we all have unique goals!Activity TheorySo when we design activities for our students, they should be:MeaningfulGoal directedPersonalized to our students needsKeep the broad purpose of literacy (communication) in mindAgendaDiscussionCatch-up from last week: Activity TheoryThe importance of writingTeaching content area literacyBreak!CI CornerApplicationsHousekeepingWritingWhen thinking about writing, there is a continued emphasis on:Being learner/child-centeredTeaching in the ZPDLets shareTake a minute to look over the section on Ms. Mabrys class on pages 99-101 (Vygotsky text)As a whole group, we will discuss this lesson what do you like/dislike? What do you think of how Ms. Mabry interacts with students? What about the use of peer teachers?Mabry conferenced with students as they read treated them like peers (asks questions about their stories, lets them answer, asks them what they plan to do next), has other students teach each other15Teaching writingThe writing process:PrewritingDraftingConferencingRevisingEditingPublishingBeing authenticWriting is more meaningful when its for a real purposePen palsLetters to local government/principal/superintendant Stories to be submitted to childrens magazinesWriting on topics that matter to the studentsWriting in a journalAny other ideas?Thinking about writingWriting tells us a lot about what students know and what they are still learningIn small groups, you will get two writing samples from three studentsOne from 2004 or 2005 (fall), one from 2007 (spring)Think about: What did these students learn? What are they still learning about?AgendaDiscussionCatch-up from last week: Activity TheoryThe importance of writingTeaching content area literacyBreak!CI CornerApplicationsHousekeepingContent Area LiteracyReading and writing in math, history, science, and other subjects involves unique literacy skillsHistorians look at the source firstScientists turn to the tables & graphs firstVisuals can be essential or decorativeDescriptive details could be essential to a poem but extraneous to a chapter on the circulatory system

Content area literacyReading has different purposes in content areasReading to solve a problem (science, social studies, math)Reading to understand a system (science, social studies)Reading to learn the steps in a process (science, math)Reading to analyze authors use of literacy devices (literature)Reading to compare points of view (history, literature)

Thinking about content literacyIt is important that educators think about the skills students need to read in content areas and teach these skills explicitly to students

How do we support content literacy?Provide hands-on experiences when possible to build background knowledgeHave books at a variety of reading levels so all students CAN read about the contentHave ASL read alouds of content booksAllow students to respond to what they read in multiple waysPrint (captions, journals, letters, etc)Drawing (with captions)ASL (presentations, vlogs, storytelling, etc)

Snapshot ApproachLivingston explains how she used this approach with biographyGoal is to learn about one moment in someones lifeTeacher signs the text to the studentsThe students have time to take notes of important events on index cardsIn groups, students decide what was the most importantStudents arrange their cards in chronological orderStudents write a snapshot of one eventAny thoughts or questions?About writing?Content area literacy?AgendaDiscussionCatch-up from last week: Activity TheoryThe importance of writingTeaching content area literacyBreak!CI CornerApplicationsHousekeepingBreak!

AgendaDiscussionCatch-up from last week: Activity TheoryThe importance of writingTeaching content area literacyBreak!CI CornerApplicationsHousekeepingCI CornerDissertation Abstract: Speech and sign perception in deaf children with cochlear implantsGiezen, 2011University of Amsterdam DissertationWhat did they do?Looked at 15 5-6 year old children with CIs who were educated using either signed language or spoken languageCompared them with 41 typically hearing peers (20 children, 21 young adults) in a variety of language-based tasks (both signed and spoken)What did they find?Emphasize that CIs do not restore normal hearingChildren with better sign vocabulary tended to have better speech perceptionAlthough people often think otherwise, students who learned sign language were also successful speech usersSign did not inhibit speechIn fact, signed vocabulary seemed to support spoken vocabularyWhat do you think?AgendaDiscussionCatch-up from last week: Activity TheoryThe importance of writingTeaching content area literacyBreak!CI CornerApplicationsHousekeepingTeaching content through picture booksLivingston strongly suggests using picture books to teach content-area literacy as well as contentPicture books are visual and appealingThere is usually less print, so they may be more accessibleMany are well-writtenAs well as preparing cross-curricular activitiesSo students are exposed to content and literacyIn groupsYou get a picture book from a content areaSocial studies (slavery/civil rights)Science (water properties/molecules/water cycle)Math (money)All of the books are at the 3rd grade levelWhat we will doIn your groups:1. Read the content area book (some are longer, so you can skim or choose a section instead of reading the whole thing)2. Think about how you can teach using this book across to teach literacy as well as the content3. Come up with three cross-curricular activities you could do with this book or topicActivities in both the content area and literacy

SharingWhat did your groups think of?AgendaDiscussionCatch-up from last week: Activity TheoryThe importance of writingTeaching content area literacyBreak!CI CornerApplicationsHousekeepingNext weekWe will begin to discuss the use of assessmentsYour final paper proposal is dueTaichi will be our discussion leaderHave a great week!