1. I agree to a point with the beliefs of Pagliaro and Ansell. I can see how if you do not know basic math and reading skills then trying to complete a word problem could be difficult. If you cannot complete basic math problems or read then you would not be able to complete the word problem. This would be like trying to skip other basic skills before completing the next step in the skill. In my classroom I would begin with the basics before trying to move to more complicated problems. A student needs to be able to add and subtract before trying to move to multiplication and division. A student needs to be able to read a basic sentence before trying to read a math problem and understand what the problem is asking you to complete. Overall, I think you should concentrate on the beginning skills before moving to the more complicated skills.
2. This is a significant finding for students who are DHH. If it is true that 60% of science curriculum words do not have a sign that could be a major problem for students. One way to solve this problem is to have the students create a sign that would be meaningful to them. Of course this is only good for those students at a time but it could be beneficial for them. I could see how students who are DHH could be behind grade level if there is no sign for a word. I think it would make it difficult for any student to try to comprehend a term without having a sign to match to the word. To me this would be like trying to learn Spanish but not knowing the English version of the word. The real question is what would you do in your classroom to better assist students?
Math:
ReplyDeleteI think that you are right that you need to teach the basics first in math. However, I think that while you are teaching the basics of adding and subtracting you can incorporate basic word problems that are on the student's level.
Science:
I think it would be very difficult to learn something if there wasn't a sign for it. Like you said the student and instructor could work out a system for science term signs, but it would only be good for that student and that instructor.
Nicole posted her experience on pre-teaching "home signs" for science vocabulary. You might find the strategy useful.
ReplyDeleteI witnessed the difficulty of limited signs for science in my placement. It was very difficult for the teachers to try and explain these concepts when there aren't any signs for them. I think because sign language is so diverse and has as many different "dialects" as spoken English, it will be a problem that may not have a solution in the near future.
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