When I found out I got to learn a new skill as a project for this class I was stoked! So many possibilities came to mind; learning to paint, relearning sheet music for my flute, or even learning how to speak another language. Well, I did choose to learn another language, but not one that I can speak.
I decided to do American Sign Language (ASL) for my learning project. I always thought that sign language would be super fun to learn. Even when I was younger, the idea of knowing something like ASL, that majority of people don’t understand, seemed really cool and mysterious. As I got into high-school, and started to integrate myself into the teaching and assisting world, I figured out just how useful it could be.
I started to get interested in Inclusive work at around 16 years-old. I started doing Inclusive summer camps working with around thirty children, and also enrolled in my high-school’s Functionally Integrated Program (FIP), where I worked with teens in my school with learning and physical disabilities. One of the teens in FIP used his own form of ‘sign language’ to communicate, often doing his own random signs. So, he often worked on learning actual ASL. With the few times I worked on his spreadsheets with him, I started learning some of the alphabet, but mostly just the letters of my own name; C-A-R-Y-S.
Now that I’m pursing a career working with children, in a field where I will likely come across many Inclusive students, I decided that learning ASL won’t only be a fun project for me, but also a very useful skill for the future children who come into my classroom who only know how to communicate through ASL. As I go through this journey, I plan to teach myself as I would a child to a new language, starting with the alphabet, then numbers, greetings, days of the week, and so on until I can get to forming full sentences and hopefully becoming even partially fluent in the language. As I was deciding to pursue this topic, I watched a few videos that could help me on the first few things I would be learning, and am already looking at apps on my phone to help me along the way. I am so exited to learn this new skill and share my progress with all of you!
Hey Carys! I also had a lot of ideas for the learning project! I think learning ASL is a great idea for the learning project. I really admire you wanting to learn for your future students. I also think it’s a cool idea to teach yourself, as if you were teaching a child! Good luck on your journey!
Thank you!
Hey Carys!
I admire that you chose ASL for your learning project! I think it is a great skill to have as a future educator. In my work experience I have seen sign language be beneficial in many different ways in the classroom including communicating with young students who have Down Syndrome. Also, once you learn the skill, it will be easier for you to pass down that knowledge to your future students as it is a practical skill for them to know.
I have a limited knowledge of sign language and have been working on learning more ASL, as my sister-in-law is deaf. She mostly relies on reading lips since I don’t know much ASL, but I don’t feel that is fair and I want to be able to communicate more freely with her. I am excited to learn from you in your ASL journey!
Thank you so much for your kind words! And I compliment you on wanting to learn for your sister-in-law. It can be hard to learn a new language, especially as an adult and when no words are used. I hope my journey can help you with your learning!