For my Free Inquiry project I have decided to learn basic American Sign Language (ASL). Along the way I hope to answer a few questions I have, including:
How can someone learn basic ASL and what resources are out there? How challenging/time-consuming/fun is it?
What is the history of Sign Language within Canada?
Are there current opportunities to engage students in ASL lessons within the BC Education Curriculum? If not, how could ASL be implemented?
What types of resources are/are not available to students of the Deaf Community within our schools?
We were given a short story to read this week called “The Fun They Had” by Isaac Asimov. To summarize the story, it takes place in the future, in the year 2155. It details the story of Margie, a student that has a strong distaste for school. But in her defense, who wouldn’t hate school if you had a mechanical teacher???
Margie learns about how schools used to be run by reading a “real” book her brother Tommy found. The book was made of paper and talked about how schools were run centuries ago. Margie was in disbelief and was incredibly curious about how the schools were run in comparison to her school.
We were prompted in class to think about what schools might look like 50-100 years from now and it got me thinking about what PHE will specifically look like. I wonder if there will still be PHE classes? I know that many schools value their STEM courses the most, whereas courses that are considered as electives or non-essential, will be discarded. I wonder if schools, especially the secondary levels and higher, will be moved to online classrooms as the main mode of delivery?
My hope is that things go in the opposite direction. I am hopeful for a greater emphasis on taking courses outside of the core subjects, for a greater student interest and passion for PHE related courses, and for teachers to be leading the charge in developing new generations of students who will continue to better their world.
Part of the reason I wanted to learn some basic ASL was to increase the scope of the students I can support within my role. As a teacher, I am responsible for the wellbeing of my students and providing them with the necessary support. Something that I thought would be important to learn during my project was a few of the main ASL medical signs. Although I still have a long way to go, I think that at least starting to build my ability to recognize these signs would be a good start. I found an awesome video that is about 10 minutes long that went through some of the most important/popular medical ASL signs. I have embedded it below if you were curious and wanted to learn a few yourself!
They went over about 40 different signs/phrases. While it was a lot to take in, I hope that over time I can practice them and with review they will become more accessible to me. It was interesting to learn a few of the signs and how they build directly off the ASL alphabet. For instance, the sign for “hospital” uses an “H” hand and draws the shape of a hospital cross on your shoulder.  Another example is the sign for “doctor”, it uses the sign for the letter “D” or “M” on the wrist like you’re checking the radial pulse.
A few other interesting concepts that I was able to recognize within this video was the nonverbal components of signing and how they play a role within different signs. For instance, when signing a question such “are you okay/alright?” the signer raises their eyebrows to indicate a question is being asked. Another example is using facial expressions to emphasize the sign. One of the examples was in signing “nauseous”. With this sign, the individual made a facial expression to express that they feel unwell.
This week we got to participate in another EdTech Camp activity. The last time we participated, we all brainstormed topics, wrote them down on paper, and voted using stickers to select the top discussion topics. This time around, our instructor provided us with multiple topics relating to the theme of technology and education. Rather than using the same voting method as last time, we got introduced to an incredible online tool called Mural. Using this software, we were able to also vote and decide on 3 “wildcard” topics to discuss.
I have inserted an image of the Mural platform that shows the various topics we discussed.
The topics that were outlined include:
Gamified Learning
Coding in the Classroom
Knowledge Curation Tools
Simulations
Wildcard #1: Should students rely on programs like Grammarly? Why or why not?
Wildcard #2: Should we have homework?
Wildcard #3: Virtual art studio/sketchbooks- can you move studio classes online?
This resource could be utilized within a classroom for similar group activities where students are answering questions in groups and asked to summarize their main ideas. Some of the features that I think make it a useful tool include anonymity and how the voting system removes the element of peer pressure. In many of my own experiences as a student, I often felt the pressure to go along with my peers or friends when answering questions or giving opinions. Using Mural to vote, students would be able to vote without external pressures, thus limiting the amount of sway the students experience.
A few potential challenges that I could see with using Mural within my future classroom include:
efficiency (when first starting/learning to use it)
For the remaining weeks of my Free Inquiry Inquiry Project I hope to explore the resources available that exists for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. As well, I would like to identify local resources available in Victoria and BC.
I began my research by exploring the Canadian Hearing Services website. An incredible resource that I found was the Effective Practices Guidebook for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students transition to post-secondary education and employment guide. The section that I focussed on the most was Empowering Education, where there was extensive information about terminology, accessibility, universal design, system change, and attitude changes.
Within the terminology section I was able to learn more about using the audiological labels of Deaf vs. D/deaf vs. deaf when referring to students. For instance, Deaf students are those that identify with the Deaf community as a distinct cultural group and use sign language to communicate. Whereas hard of hearing or deaf students typically use the spoken language and their residual hearing to communicate, which may be supported by additional strategies such as speech reading, sign language, the use of hearing aids or other technical devices.
This resource also identifies several communication barriers that D/deaf or hard of hearing students commonly face. Some examples of these barriers include:
Environmental barriers such as the sight lines available, lighting levels, distance and additional noise.
Access to different services such as sign language interpretation, real-time captions or written notes, etc.
Availability of technology at schools such as assistive listening devices and effective computer communication.
Misconceptions about D/deaf and hard of hearing students by their peers, teachers, school faculty, etc.
In our discussion with Tracy Humphry’s she discussed ableism and the belief system that exists towards peoples with disabilities and how society misconstrues D/deaf or hard of hearing individuals’ abilities. Audism is a form of discrimination that is based on a person’s hearing ability or their ability to behave in the manner of someone who hears. Something powerful from her presentation was when she was addressing what we can do as teacher candidates for students with disabilities.She stated that advocacy is essential; being willing to advocate for students within their education experiences will validate them and make them feeling valued within your classroom. As teachers it is so important that we make our students feel seen, heard and valued, as well as making sure they see themselves being represented in the school content and activities.
Last weekend I took some time to explore some of my Youtube resources and learn more about ASL and signing technique. The main video I watched was by a channel called Learn How to Sign, which is run by a woman who is a certified ASL instructor and educational interpreter in the USA. The video I chose to watch was “The 5 Rules for EVERY Sign in ASL: 5 Parameters of Sign” (see below).
My main takeaways from this video are summarized below, check it out!
The 5 rules of signing include:
Hand shape: the shape of your hand(s) as you perform a sign
Palm orientation: the direction that your palm is facing as you sign
Location: where your hands are in proximity to your body (i.e. anchored on your body, head, or in neutral space).
Movement: variety of forms of movement that contribute to a sign
Non-manual signs: facial expression and body language (i.e. eyebrow movements, mouth morphemes, expressions, etc).
*Some signs use two hands, incorporate varied amounts of movement or none, require a facial expression or morpheme (mouth sound).
Breaking down the ASL sign for sad:
(refer to video for demonstration)
Breaking down the 5 parameters for the sign for sad.
Hand shape: both hands are used a “five” hand shape
Palm orientation: facing in towards the body
Location: in neutral space in front of face and going down to the chest area
Movement: moving down
Non-manual signs: show the facial expression for sad
To change the intensity of emotion, in this case, to show a deeper level of sadness, you must adjust your non-manual signs/facial expression to illustrate.
In our last class we were joined over Zoom by Tracy Humphreys, the founder of BCEd Access. I had not previously heard of this organization so I was extremely excited to learn more. Tracy explained that BCEd Access is an organization that runs within British Columbia that supports the families of students’ with disabilities and complex learners. She explained that through their work with families they have identified the major challenges that students are facing within their education experience.
Denial of technology: children are being denied access to using tech in classrooms that would support them in their education.
Outdated practices and technology (i.e. older generations of technology, such as an iPad and devices that no longer support the students in the ways they need).
Accessibility is still a problem: getting technology and funding is super challenging for the school
Knowledge keeping: there hasn’t been an expert in this area in different school districts that is the go-to person.
NO training support: in terms of families, they need to know how to use different devices and support their kids in their education.
Another area of Tracy’s discussion was focussed around ableism and its presence within our education system. Within students’ processes of being assessed and receiving or not receiving a formal designation, there is an unsettling question that underlies the process, that being, “is my child disabled enough to receive support and funding?”. How incredibly invalidating! Additionally, she explains that there is an underlying goal of disability support in that it will be used to develop independence or resiliency to stop using it. This idea completely fails to acknowledge that some students’ will require the technology support forever.
I found Tracy’s discussion with our class very interesting and it reminded me of the importance of the role being an educator. We are being gifted the opportunity to support children and guide their learning. Within this role we must constantly be aware of who our students are, their needs, and any gaps within their experience that we can lessen.
After watching Trevor Mackenzie’s recorded seminar all I can say is WOW! He had an incredible energy and passion that was intensely captivating. I would love to see what he is like within his classroom and observe all it all firsthand. What really resonated with me during his conversation with our class was when he spoke about learner identity and the impact that teachers have, whether they know it or not. In his experience, he shared that his experience in math was impacted by the narrative his teacher placed on him, and still remembers how that teacher made him feel to this day. This was devastating to here, and even more so to know that students everywhere are having similar experiences. Words are so powerful and listening to Trevor further instilled the notion that we must always be aware of who we are talking to and what we are saying. In my perspective, as educators our role is first and foremost to support. And in this supporting role, we must empower our students with our words and through the relationships we create with them to build them up.
Something that I found really thought provoking from his talk was being aware of our personal biases as we enter the world of teaching. To paraphrase Trevor, he stated that within our teaching experiences we are susceptible to trying to recreate our experiences as students where we found success and enjoyment, especially in our methods of assessment. So, as teacher candidates we must ask ourselves, what are my biases? Because what I experienced as a student that was fulfilling does not necessarily align with what my future students will want or need.
Trevor proposed a question along the lines of “How can we adjust our assessment methods to adaptable and agile in a system that is rigid and dehumanizing at its core?”. That is such a crucial thing to consider because like what Trevor discussed, the dynamic between teacher and students is sometimes more important than the course content. How do we create relationships with our students a more consistent practice amongst all teachers? How do we ensure our students feel seen, and that their learning is valued and genuinely cared about? And ultimately, how do we demonstrate humanity in our teaching?
The last point I want to speak to is the concept of student agency. Trevor spent a significant amount of time addressing inquiry-based learning and creating accountable students, and it got me thinking about what that looks like in Physical and Health Education (PHE). In my experience within PE, our course was highly centralized around the sport education model, and typically the sports that our teachers felt comfortable teaching. An inquiry-based model in PHE might look like more student choice. Something I have discussed in my PHE methods course is the idea of giving students surveys where they can select from an extensive list of sports, active living activities, and games. This gives the students more choice in what they get to learn and explore within their PHE course. Another awesome inquiry-based learning opportunity that I have witnessed at my Wednesday practicum day was in a Community Recreation course. Within this class the students were assigned a group project where they had to create a new game to teach the class. They were given certain parameters for the game as well as the teaching process but were given total agency over developing their activity. They had complete access to the PHE equipment and spaces (main gym, small gym, fields, track, etc.). I go to witness the planning phase as well as the final lessons which was an incredibly powerful thing to observe. Overall, the students displayed passion and a genuine interest in creating their own games and how they wanted to teach their peers. I would love to do a project like this within my future teaching practice, I think it would be an incredible way to incorporate guided inquiry and more student agency within the realm of PHE.
For the past week I have been trying to challenge myself to practice the alphabet on a daily basis. Whenever I see my reflection in a mirror I have to either spell my name, or sign the alphabet. It has been difficult to remember to do every time, but it definitely has kept me more accountable in my learning. See below a mini video I made that captures a few of the times I practiced. I got to fiddle around with iMovie to make this video, and I had to refer back to some of the lesson we had on editing from a previous class.
I’ve got some exciting news, I feel like I am finally getting the hang of the alphabet. I watched a few more videos this week and found one that really practiced the alphabet in a way that cemented my learning. I’ve embedded it below if anyone is interested. Basically, the instructor goes through the alphabet nice and slowly, and after introducing each new letter, they go through the entire alphabet again until that next point. This method of revision really helped me to practice each letter and get more comfortable transitioning between them with my hands.
Something else that I did this week was explore some online resources for learning ASL outside of the realm of Youtube. I was blown away at the amount that I found. I’ve listed the main ones I explored below:
An online subscription resource for teaching children ASL that contains multiple modalities for learning ASL in a digital learning environment. This resource was created by a couple whose first child was born deaf and wanted to support her and families like theirs. On this website you can use their resources for a free trial, and progress to investing in monthly subscriptions where you receive new lessons and content each month.
This one is my favorite one I found. It is an online dictionary resource where you can type in any word, and it will give you the definition as well as the ASL sign for it. As well, it has a list of the 100 most popular terms used when first learning ASL, which was really cool for me to explore. Each word in the list is linked to its own video(s) to show its sign. This website was a very simple and straightforward resource to use and could be very useful in teaching and learning ASL for beginners. It could even be a great replacement for activities in younger grades that require students to use Dictionary.com. They would still get to learn the definition/meaning of the word, while getting the added experience of learning the sign.
I attached a screen recording of me demonstrating how it works below!
I believe in one of my last posts I mentioned how one of my learning pod members had shown me an ASL word search activity she found. I decided to find a free resource to generate my own word search and try it out. I found this word search generator on a website called ASL Forum, which allows you to add several words of your choosing and develop activity sheets to use. Not only is this a great resource for teachers to use when teaching ASL and incorporating it into the classroom, but I was able to try it out and found it incredibly helpful. I created a puzzle full of names to mimic a potential team-building/icebreaker activity that could be done at the start of a school year to learn classmates’ names. It took me a lot longer than I thought to recognize each letter, but eventually I got it. Check out the word search below!
Hello, it’s been way too long since my last entry! I was away last class due to a family commitment, however, I did manage to read through the Week 8: Distributed Learning slide deck to make sure I was up to date. Since I wasn’t in class to participate in the discussions, I took some time to answer a few of the questions from the slides.Â
Starting with the Pros and Cons of Learning Online Discussion…
I took the opportunity to generate a cool 3D graphic on PowerPoint that illustrates my experience with online learning during my undergraduate program.
Pros and cons from my online learning experience
My last year at MRU was all online learning with a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous courses. I personally found that the synchronous classes were my preferred method of online learning because they mimicked the experience of in-person learning. The consistent class times that were mandatory made it feel more normal and helped me to be accountable to my learning. The classes that were asynchronous, while allowing significant flexibility for learning content on our own preferred schedules, also challenged me to stay on schedule with the course. I felt that without the regular meeting times and engaging in conversations over Zoom with my instructors, I fell behind in those classes and generally enjoyed them less.
I also watched the Digital Learning Environments video from Research Shorts. It was a really quick and easy watch to learn about learning management systems and the four foundational elements that need to be considered when designing a digital learning environment.
Digital Learning Environments video from Research Shorts on Youtube
The first component is the organizational structure. This refers to how an online environment is set-up to allow users to interact with each other, the ways in which it can be used to teach, and how learning can happen. According to this video, there are three ways that digital learning environments are organized:Â
Groups: formal and hierarchical entities, hosted by learning management systems (i.e. online university course).
Networks: fluid structures with minimal boundaries (i.e. LinkedIn page)
Communities: people show mutual interest, commitment, coherence and continuity.
The second component is design, and how to build an effective learning experience. Digital learning environments should be learner focussed so that everything that is done in this learning space is geared towards creating a meaningful learning opportunity for the student/individual.
The third component to consider is guided vs. unguided instruction. This relates to how much an instructor is involved in the learning experience, as well as the opportunities available to use peer support. Overall, this concept addresses self-directed learning and teacher-led learning and making sure to create these online learning experiences as beneficial as possible through the instructional methods chosen.
The final component to keep in mind is the neutrality of the technology being used. Some digital learning environments afford opportunities for interaction that others do not. For instance, the video uses the example of students being unable to create discussion threads, their learning experience is impacted. Instructors must therefore select technology that is built for teaching and learning that has specific design features that allow students to interact and generate engagement.
