Becoming Bilingual: Facilitating English Literacy Development Using ASL in Preschool
Lynn Erting, Judy Pfau
This paper discusses the emerging literacy of children with deafness within the framework of the additive bilingual perspective, and how teachers can facilitate the development of American Sign Language (ASL) and English literacy in preschool children with deafness. It addresses meta-linguistic awareness in terms of becoming aware of the two languages, shared storybook experiences, and writing development. Other factors such as the importance of fingerspelling, social interaction, and the use of environmental print are included within these three areas of focus. Strategies for effective storybook sharing are provided and include creating a positive and risk-free environment, competence in ASL on the part of the adult, providing background information and context when necessary, asking questions which require active participation and thinking on the part of the children, providing scaffolded support to guide children in their comprehension of the story, and relating the book to the children's lives.(Contains 58 references.)
Lynn Erting, Judy Pfau. Becoming Bilingual: Facilitating English Literacy Development Using ASL in Preschool (1997). Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center: Washington, DC.
(15 pages).
Sponsoring Agency: U.S. Department of Education
Language: English
Reading Level: Easy
Formats Available: Printed Material
(Contact producer regarding price, also available online, click on full text button)
Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center
800 Florida Avenue, NE
KDES Room 3400
Gallaudet University
Washington, DC
20002
Phone: (202) 651-5340
Fax: (202) 651-5708
Email: products.clerccenter@gallaudet.edu
URL: http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/
Languages Available: English
Intended User Audience:
This material was developed for teachers of preschool-aged deaf children. It is written specifically for parents and practitioners to understand their roles as facilitators in students' development of ASL (American Sign Language) and English. It is part of the Pre-College National Mission Programs' Sharing Ideas series. The papers and videos in this series are directed to improving the quality of education for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. The material is not written for a specific cultural group or geographic region.
Product Development:
Specific product development information was not obtained from the authors by CLAS.
Product Evaluation:
Product evaluation information was not obtained by CLAS.
Product Dissemination:
Product dissemintion figures for the print version were not obtained, the material is also available online.
Review #1
About the reviewer:
The reviewer has worked preparing teachers in deaf education for
fifteen years. She has worked with teachers in classrooms serving
children who are deaf. She has worked directly with infants and
toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families. Her
work in the last five years has focused on social interaction via
sign language and voice and early literacy development. She has
degrees in deaf education and a Ph.D. in special education from the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Audience:
This material was developed for teachers of preschool-aged deaf children. It is part of the Pre-College National Mission Programs' Sharing Ideas series. The papers and videos in this series are directed to improving the quality of education for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. The material is not written for a specific cultural group or geographic region.
Strengths of the Material:
The material is available in a concise, easy-to-read booklet. The booklet includes an introduction to the unique linguistic situation of deaf children, and a discussion of three broad topics related to the development of American Sign Language (ASL) and English literacy in preschool deaf children. Individuals who do not have a background in deaf education could understand the linguistic and literacy issues discussed. Readers of the material can easily follow the rationale for bilingualism, the choice of ASL as the first language, and the need for both ASL and English in a preschool curriculum. The material reflects a respect for the unique visual-gestural aspects of American Sign Language and how crucial that is to the development of literacy in deaf children.
Users of the material will find the many examples in each section very useful for planning. Each broad topical section (metalinguistic awareness, shared storybook experiences, and writing development) includes specific practical examples for reflection and use in the classroom. Readers will find very useful the activities related to alphabet charts, multiple sign meanings, sign locations while reading, and incorporation of fingerspelling into reading.
The material reflects several recommended practices, including: a) facilitating language development within naturally occurring classroom events; b) using repeated storybook readings to increase print awareness; c) using multiple modes for language expression (sign, fingerspelling, drawing, writing, etc.); and d) providing a risk-free environment that accepts and values children's efforts at reading and writing.
Limitations of the Material:
The material is aimed at teachers who teach in bilingual deaf education classrooms. There are very few true bilingual deaf classrooms. The material does not include suggestions for teachers who use a signed form of English or those who teach in Total Communication settings, which includes the majority of teachers.
There is no information on how a spoken component of English could be incorporated into the literacy lessons. Many parents and teachers who use a spoken language component as part or all of their communication method could benefit from this material if adaptations were made.
Adaptations:
Adaptations could be made so those teachers who use a signed (manual) form of English instead of ASL could benefit from the material. Several of the activities could be demonstrated using a manual form of English. For example, the alphabet card activity could be adapted so that a teacher could sign in English and still highlight the differences in handshape between the printed word and the sign for the word itself.
The shared bookreading suggestions could easily be adapted to include teachers who adopt a Total Communication philosophy in their teaching. Signs could still be made on the child's body (an ASL use), while the teacher is speaking.
Generalizability:
This material may be useful in a variety of communities. Although adaptations would need to be made to the material in order for teachers not fluent in ASL to use it, all educators would benefit from the issues raised in the material.
Recommendations:
This reviewer recommends the material.
Producer's Response:
Not available at this time.
Review #2
About the reviewer:
The reviewer is an English/American Sign Language bilingual speech-language
pathologist and audiologist. She has spent the majority of her
ten-year career exploring language learning issues of deaf and hard
of hearing children. Her special area of interest is deaf children
whose first language is American Sign Language.
Audience:
The material is written to share ideas and practices with teachers, staff, school administrators, and families of Deaf and hard of hearing (HoH) young children. It is written specifically for parents and practitioners to understand their roles as facilitators in students' development of ASL (American Sign Language) and English. The material is one of a series of working papers published in the Sharing Ideas series from the Laurent Clerc Center National Deaf Education Center (formally known as the Gallaudet University Pre-College National Mission Programs).
Strengths of the Material:
This brief and readable paper offers both theory and practice of introducing early English (print) literacy skills to Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HoH) students in preschools that use American Sign Language (ASL) as the language of communication and education. The authors share their experiences and offer some literature-based but primarily experience- based classroom suggestions.
The authors discuss three areas: 1) the child's developing awareness that there are two languages in the classroom, ASL and English/metalinguistic awareness, 2) effective use of storybook experiences, and 3) methods for supporting written English development. They offer a brief overview and specific activities and classroom techniques to maximize a Deaf/HoH child's awareness of and use of English print.
The discussion and techniques are insightful and accurate. The paper reflects a good understanding of current bilingual language development literature, as well as a rarely- found view of the Deaf/HoH child as a capable and competent learner and not a disabled or disordered learner, as is so often assumed.
This reviewer appreciated the emphasis on the importance that teachers be aware of when and where they are using each language, and do this intentionally. This reviewer found the suggestion that teachers sit and write with their students during writing activities to be an example of the easily implemented but highly effective suggestions these master teachers share in this paper.
The authors discuss language play, such as handshape matching games and ABC games as metalinguistic awareness-raising activities. These are the signed language correlates to the early phonics and phonemic awareness activities we stress in spoken language preschools. In general, rhyming, initial phoneme matching and other similar phonics activities are considered to be fundamental for reading success in hearing children. The parallel ASL "phonics" skills described by the authors seem to be a very important piece in developing literacy, and one widely overlooked in our literature. The reviwer appreciates mention of it and hopes more discussion of this area will be generated from it. The paper is written at an average reading level, and would be meaningful to professionals and most parents.
Limitations of the Material:
The material does not include discussion of specific ethnic groups or the unique needs of multi-lingual homes with Deaf/HoH children. The authors describe and address the different needs of two primary groups of children entering ASL preschool programs: children with no previous ASL exposure and those for whom ASL is the fluent language of their home. The second group includes children who may have a deaf parent. This reviewer would like to know what, if any, differences in language learning these children have demonstrated and what techniques work for them in the ASL preschool setting.
There was no mention of how spoken English can be utilized as a bridge toward English print awareness. Bilingual/bicultural schools are rediscovering where spoken English fits. Discussion of this topic was not included in this paper.
Lastly, the authors could have been stronger in emphasizing the need for teachers to have a high level of fluency in ASL in order to accomplish the activities suggested. Even the best implementation of these ideas would be unsuccessful if the primary classroom language models are unable to easily communicate in both English print and American Sign Language.
Adaptations:
It is important that any information regarding children and families include considerations for cultural and linguistic diversity. Users of this material will need to supplement this information with current research and practice regarding the unique needs of multi-lingual homes with Deaf/HoH children.
Generalizability:
The material is appropriate for the intended audience, and with experienced facilitators may be appropriate for use by students or parent discussion groups. With supplemental materials included, this material may also be useful for parents and professionals who work with Deaf/HoH students from different cultures and linguistic backgrounds.
Recommendations:
This material provides a useful and easy-to-understand discussion of beginning English print literacy skills for preschool Deaf/HoH children. This reviewer highly recommends the material.
Producer's Response:
Not available at this time.
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