Where you are today matters for who you'll be tomorrow

ASL: My Process of Learning How to Speak Without Sound

For my EDTC 300 learning project, I am excited to try and take on the task of learning American Sign Language. I have endeavoured to try and learn different languages before, such as French, German, and Norwegian, but I struggled with memorizing all of the different grammar rules as well as with trying to speak with the proper pronunciation. A few months ago, I had come across a big Master class sale that was offering ASL courses at a hugely discounted price. I took the plunge and bought it; however, I have not yet taken the time to start using it. This project is a great opportunity for me to try and learn language in a more hands on (no pun intended) way.

My own previous experience with ASL is quite limited. As a child, I had two books that provided very simple signs for basic words such as “apple” or “boy.” I can only remember a few of the signs now. More recently, I had briefly practiced learning the alphabet, but I need to do it more consistently to remember it. My hope is to learn basic phrases so that I could communicate if I had the opportunity to talk to someone who was deaf or hard of hearing that knows ASL.

My plan for learning ASL is to start with using the resources that I already have in my possession. I am going to first focus on using The ASL App. I do not have the full version of this app, but the lessons it provides for free will be a good start to get into the practice of moving my fingers and learning the basics of ASL. Alongside using The ASL App, I plan to use the courses I received through the Master class that I purchased through Stack Social. It includes 13 different courses that focus on different elements of ASL such as fingerspelling, emotions, animal & number sentences, and everyday phrases. Once I start working on learning ASL through the use of these two resources, I will potentially look into using different types of avenues depending on my progress. My goal is to remain consistent with what I learn so that I can hopefully finally know how to communicate using a different language.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/db/ed/b0/dbedb0f6c53da3d2093a99be300acf2f.jpg

3 Comments

  1. Benton Froc

    Hi Nicole! I’m stoked that you are learning ASL too, that’s what I chose for my project as well. Your resources look awesome, I hope you don’t mind if I shamelessly use them too!! Good luck!

  2. Karlee Scott

    This knowledge will be priceless when it comes to working in the classroom! One of my colleagues uses ASL in her classroom as a classroom management technique, and it is so cool! I cannot wait to follow your journey!

  3. Meagan McLeod

    Nicole, I think ASL is such an important skill to have! I too have briefly practiced the alphabet, but I have only memorized how to sign my name. Hopefully by following along with your learning journey I am able to refresh my knowledge and learn some new signs! I can’t wait to see your progress!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

© 2024 Nicole McCracken

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑