ERIC EJ1143212: Supporting Deaf and Hard of Hearing Preschool Students' Emerging ASL Skills: A Bilingual Approach

2017·1.4 MB·English

by  ERIC

Supporting Deaf and
Julie Mitchiner,
PhD, associate professor
Hard of Hearing Preschool
in the Department of
Education at Gallaudet
University, focuses Students’ Emerging ASL Skills:
primarily on early
childhood education.
Mitchiner taught at A Bilingual Approach
Kendall Demonstration
Elementary School at the
Laurent Clerc National
Deaf Education Center in
the bilingual American ByJulie Mitchiner and Michelle Gough
Sign Language
(ASL)/English Early
Childhood Education
program for six years.
She received her
What do the signs elephant, robot, wings, soar, swim, and stomphave in common?
doctorate in education
If you are unsure, check with your deaf or hard of hearing preschooler. Asked
from George Mason
University with a to brainstorm “signs with the B-handshape,” a class of deaf and hard of
specialization in early hearing preschool children came up with every one of the above signs—and of
childhood education
course they were correct. After a week of B-handshape study, the children
with a secondary
identified these B-handshape signs as part of a language activity that focused
concentration area in
multicultural/ on exploring American Sign Language (ASL).
multilingual education.
Her research interests Helping young deaf and hard of hearing children explore ASL and English is one of the
include bilingual important jobs with which the preschool teachers who work with those children are tasked.
education in ASL and Learning ASL and English, the children will become bilingual, fluent in the two languages
English and using the they will use throughout their lives.
Reggio Emilia approach Working with two languages requires planning. Teachers need to work together to decide
in teaching deaf and hard when and how to use each language. This enables teachers to avoid the use of simultaneous
of hearing children. communication (i.e., signing and talking at the same time). Instead, teachers incorporate what
is called “concurrent use of ASL and English,” which means using specific strategies to
incorporate both ASL and English into teaching (Baker, 2006; Gárate, 2012). For example,
when students read a book in English, they use both languages as they translate the English
text to ASL. This practice has been termed “translanguaging” (Garcia, 2009).
There are two broad categories of ASL and English bilingual methodology: 1) concurrent
use of both ASL and English, and 2) language separation (Gárate, 2011; 2012). Both
categories are equally valuable. Therefore, teachers schedule times when they will use ASL
only, times when they will use English only, and times when they will alternate between both
languages. Separating the use of ASL and English allows young learners to study the functions
and purposes of each language and to strengthen their receptive and expressive skills (Ibid.).
Photos by Zhou Fang
32 ODYSSEY 2017
Michelle Gough,
MA, a preschool teacher
in Montgomery County
Public Schools,
Maryland, has taught at
KLeenfdt: aAll f aDtheemr aonndstration
Eldeamugehntetra rinyv Soclvheodo inl in
Wthaseh Dineagft Roonl,e DM.oCd.e;l the
NPerwog Mramex liecaor nS hcohwoo tlo for
thseig Dn Ie laofv;e a ynodu .the Sidwell
Friends School in
BeFtahr elesfdt:a,A M maortyhlearnd.
Gloeuargnhs trheec esiigvne fda mbiolyth her
bafrcohmel oa rd’se adf ergolree em iond eel.arly
childhood education and
her master’s degree in
ASL/English bilingual
deaf education from
Gallaudet University.
With a passion for
bilingual early childhood
education, Gough
believes in empowering
The Power of Conversation Above:Deaf and hard of hearing preschool deaf and hard of hearing
Dickinson and Tabors (2001) found that students brainstorm signs with the B-handshape, children through play
conversation—in the home and at school— including elephant, as part of a language activity. and exploration and
plays an important role in fostering ensuring full access to a
children’s early literacy skills. In a three- vary their vocabulary in conversation, and language-rich
year longitudinal study, they looked at the read to their children, the children are environment. She is the
influences on literacy development in likely to learn to read and write on par with mother of two teenage
hearing preschool children beginning when or ahead of other children. boys, one of whom is deaf
the children were 3 years old. Then they Of course, maintaining conversations and and one of whom is
looked at the way children handled providing language-rich experiences with hearing.
language through their emergent literacy deaf and hard of hearing children is as
skills—including how they handled telling important as providing these experiences to The authors welcome
stories and interpreted print (including hearing children. When explanations and questions and comments
environmental print), and how they interactions are visible, deaf and hard of about this article at
understood aspects of the alphabet and hearing children are supported in building julie.mitchiner@gallaudet.
vocabulary. The researchers showed that vocabulary and understanding about their eduand michellesgough@
positive interactions between adults and world. Further, these conversations are even gmail.com, respectively.
children as well as engaging in literacy more important for deaf children because
practices at home—including the use of they miss out on easy access to sound-based
new and varied vocabulary, extended information around them.
conversations, and developing language
through play—were predictive factors to Teaching ASL
children’s literacy skills. In other words, if The Whole-Part-Whole Model
family members talk with their children, When planning ASL instruction, we follow
2017 ODYSSEY 33
Left:As a way of helping
students exploreASL,
teachers video them playing
with handshapes and signs.
The students watch
themselves on video
immediately afterwards.
immediately afterwards.
As they become
comfortable, they start
to combine smaller parts
to make a sign or a
phrase.
We also explore
nonmanual
communication.
Nonmanual
communication—the
points, smiles, and
shrugs of everyday
life—are the basic tools
of all children. However,
for those who use ASL,
these tools of the face
the holistic approach drawn from the Dramatic play areas and other early and body have a
Whole-Part-Whole learning model childhood centers can facilitate linguistic purpose, and this is what we
(Freeman & Freeman, 1998; Swanson & imaginary play to initiate conversations begin to teach preschoolers.
Law, 1993). Instead of pulling parts of and discussions about ASL grammar. For One of the five mouth movements
the language out of their natural example, as part of the daily curriculum, that have a linguistic meaning in ASL is
context, we allow learners to first deaf and hard of hearing children see and what linguists call the cha chamouth
experience the language in its complex tell stories, converse with each other and movement, used as an adverb to
and meaningful entirety. From there, educated adults, view videos, experience designate that something is done with
children become motivated and engaged units of learning, and engage in particular force. For example, if we want
to explore ASL grammar, often through dramatic play—all in ASL. to sign a man works, we might sign man
conversation with guidance from the and couple it with the sign for work,
teachers. Students study the parts of ASL Handshapes, Classifiers, and signing workusing the straightforward
and how they work together Markers up and down movement of the closed
grammatically. Using this knowledge The Parts of ASL dominant hand. If we want to sign a
and their new grammatical skills, Children explore the five parameters of man works very hard, we may make the
children create new stories, songs, and ASL grammar: handshape, location, same signs, but now the closed hand
expressions and gain a deeper orientation, movement, and nonmanual makes a circular movement for work,
understanding of how language markers. We focus on one ASL coupled with the mouth movement cha
functions. parameter at a time for a week. cha; it is the mouth, not the hand, that
Students begin with exploring has refined the sentence and carries the
Full Richness in Every Class nonmanual markers, and then they talk meaning very hard. With support,
The Whole of ASL about handshapes. Teachers use stories, children pick up quickly the linguistic
Children are exposed to ASL as an videos, or pictures of different nature of cha cha. In fact, it was the class
intricate and complete language through handshapes and nonmanual markers for that came up with much of the above
various ways, such as through language- children to copy and identify. The example. The children also noticed that
rich learning activities, interactions with children play with these handshapes and cha chacould be used in conjunction
adults and peers, and viewing stories in signs and analyze their formation. They with the sign chatto mean chattingfor a
ASL through storytellers or video clips. record and watch themselves on video long timeand in conjunction with the
34 ODYSSEY 2017
Tips for the
signs dog walks, in which the hands show how a person moves with
reflect the dog’s paws walking on the increasing speed. We also show how
Preschool ASL
ground, to mean dog’s paws hitting the facial expression combines with this sign
ground very hard as he walks. We point to indicate the person is walking very
Classroom
out that while the mouth movements quickly. Further, we show how, when
are the same or similar in each sentence, both hands make the 1-handshape and
By Julie Mitchiner and Michelle Gough
the English translation is different. use it as a classifier, a signer can show
two people walking together side by
Handshapes side, two people meeting face to face, or The following four tips can be
There are approximately 40 handshapes two people bumping into each other. used to facilitate children’s ASL
in ASL, and these handshapes make up development in a preschool
With preschoolers, teachers focus on
most of the signs. With young children, ASL classroom setting:
three basic classifiers:
we focus on seven basic handshapes.
These handshapes are named after the Descriptive classifiers—Used to
•11. Follow the child’s lead.
letters and numbers that they most describe objects or people, descriptive
Children have a natural curiosity
resemble: B, A, S, C, O, 1, and 5. The classifiers allow children to describe
about the world, and by pursuing
teacher shows a picture of a handshape the size and shape of objects around
topics and activities that pique their
on the SMART Board, and the children them. While describing the shapes,
interest, parents and teachers will
brainstorm different nouns and verbs the children were prompted to use
find children more motivated to
that the handshapes can be used to appropriate grammatical expressions
learn new vocabulary.
represent. For example, the teacher (e.g., nonmanual markers) to match
might show the handshape 5 on the the descriptions of the size.
•22. Model a variety of ASL
SMART Board, and the children then
Semantic classifiers—Used to handshapes and classifiers.
name signs that use this handshape (e.g.,
represent noun categories, semantic Young children benefit from
motherand treefor nouns, flyand swimfor
classifiers are sometimes familiar to watching others. Invite Deaf
verbs). The teacher and the children use
children. The children enjoy using community members to the
this opportunity to play with
the 3-handshape as a classifier to classroom to tell stories and recite
handshapes, usually selecting two or
visually represent different types of poems in ASL.
three. The teacher checks the children,
moving vehicles. We focus on this
making sure they use the correct
classifier after showing a short video •33. Use books, photographs, and
handshapes (e.g., one of the children
of a car, and children use it to show real objects as a springboard for
needed assistance because he was using
how the car speeds up or moves at a creating stories, poems, and
the G-handshape instead of the A-
leisurely pace. games in ASL.Use real materials
handshape in signing the word “game”).
and pictures to help facilitate
A favorite handshape game is “A Big Locative classifiers—Locative
discussion, allowing children to use
Box,” in which pictures of handshapes classifiers represent the position of
ASL creatively and to explore its
are pulled out of a box and the children objects in a specific place or the
characteristics. For example,
must think of different signs that use movement of objects within a place.
children can practice describing real
that handshape. Children use locative classifiers to
objects using classifiers.
explore where the objects are located
Classifiers in the classroom, and then they
•44. Provide many opportunities to
We also teach children about classifiers. discuss how to describe each object’s
explore and play with ASL.
Classifiers are handshapes used to specific location. The class also
Children can explore ASL during
represent categories of nouns reflecting developed an activity in which the
transitions from activity to activity,
their shape and size. The teacher notes teacher shows different pictures of a
during mealtimes, and during those
how a person standing upright can be cat lying on a chair, under the bed,
moments of incidental learning as
represented by the 1-handshape, the and inside a basket using the bent V
well as during a set ASL time.
extended forefinger. The same 1- handshape as a classifier. The teacher
Don’t forget to share ideas and
handshape can be used to represent a models how to use these classifiers in
strategies with families to practice
long and thin object like a pencil, a appropriate ways, and then the
at home.
pole, a stick, or a knife. When the sign children practice describing the
is used to mean “person,” it may be position of objects in different
moved vertically and pick up speed to locations.
2017 ODYSSEY 35
(Cummins, 2006). This
practice supports Cummins’s
theory of linguistic
As we teach our
interdependence, where
bilingual individuals transfer
children about ASL,
conceptual and linguistic
knowledge across languages we are amazed at
to increase proficiency in
both languages. their creativity and
In the long run, these
activities will not only understanding. We
increase our children’s ASL
also recognize the
skills but also support their
Putting It All Together emergent literacy
benefits of teaching
Returning to the Whole of ASL development. We are excited to see our
Each time children learn and practice young students develop pre-literacy
them the features of
grammatical skills, they are prompted to skills and sign language skills—and
produce stories, games, poems, and have a good time, too. ASL at a young age.
songs using the features they learned.
The authors wish to thank Dr. Maribel
Through modeling and prompting, the
Gárate for her feedback on this article.
teacher shows children how to keep
track of beats and rhythms through
body movement. The class develops
handshape stories or poems using only
References
one or two handshapes or they use a
pattern, a “handshape text,” alternating
Baker, C. (2006). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism (4thed.).
between two handshapes. For example,
Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters.
one class created a story about a bear by
describing its physical characteristics
Cummins, J. (2006, October). The relationship between American Sign Language
and behaviors using only the C-
proficiency and English academic development: A review of the research. Paper presented
handshape. The children swayed their
at the Conference of Challenges, Opportunities, and Choices in Educating
heads and shoulders with animated facial
Minority Group Students, Norway.
expressions while they signed ears, nose,
sleeping, and crawling—all with the C- Dickinson, D. K., & Tabors, P. O. (2001). Beginning literacy with language: Young
handshape. The children then came up children learning at home and school. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
with different animals and handshapes
Freeman, Y. S., & Freeman, D. E. (1998). ESL/EFL teaching: Principles for success.
to make similar animal poems. They
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Publishing.
created ASL songs, counting songs, and
weather songs. A favorite presentation
Gárate, M. (2011). Educating children with cochlear implants in an
was “My Day Song,” in which children
ASL/English bilingual classroom. In R. Paludneviciene & I. W. Leigh (Eds.),
relayed what they did all day—from
Cochlear implants: Evolving perspectives (pp. 206-228). Washington, DC: Gallaudet
waking up in the morning to going to
University Press.
bed at night.
As we teach our children about ASL, Gárate, M. (2012, June). ASL/English bilingual education: Models, methodologies and
we are amazed at their creativity and strategies(Research Brief No. 8). Washington, DC: National Science Foundation’s
understanding. We also recognize the Science of Learning Center on Visual Language and Visual Learning.
benefits of teaching them the features of
Garcia, O. (2009). Bilingual education in the 21st century: A global perspective.
ASL at a young age. Early knowledge of
Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.
how ASL works allows them to develop
metacognitive and metalinguistic
Swanson, R. A., & Law, B. (1993). Whole-part-whole learning model.
capabilities and to transfer conceptual
Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(1), 43-53.
and linguistic knowledge from ASL to
their second language, i.e., English
36 ODYSSEY 2017