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Deaf persons and others appreciate opportunities to learn American Sign Language as well as the English language
5 ways ASL and English are different
Informational content authored by Chris Wixtrom © 2021
Many thanks to Trix Bruce (Deaf) for the ASL translation!
American Sign Language and English are equally complex, with different origins and modes. More ASL + English videos on the English by Eye YouTube channel, a project of the volunteer-based nonprofit organization, ASL Access. PM through Facebook to help with 20-second ASL videos or voice-overs!
TESOL in Deaf Education: Bringing a refreshed perspective to Special Education (Chris Wixtrom, M.S. Education: TESOL 2013) I am advocating a refreshed perspective and the addition of four types of professionals to Special Education programs: TESOL instructors, ASL instructors, Reading Specialists, and Literacy Coaches. (TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) I wrote this article in 2013.
Dual Language Immersion Two-Way Programs are the quickest and most inclusive path to academic English Language Acquisition for ELs, and as an added bonus, ALL students - including English monolinguals - learn a second language in an inclusive, student-centered, family-engaged environment. It is our hope that OELA and Cardona lead the DOE in educating the nation's school districts about this enriching and "astounding" (Thomas and Collier descriptor) instructional model!
In the meantime, we are leading in Florida. Opening this year in August, Dreamers Academy provides the most innovative and effective instructional model public school has to offer, the proven Dual Language Two-Way Immersion program (DLI-TWI).
Two-way because monolingual English-speaking students and children already with two languages in the brain learn all academic content together as young as Kindergarten and 1st grade, using their entire linguistic potential and repertoires, becoming bilingual and biliterate by 5th grade, and often surpassing grade-level academic expectations by 7 months or more.
Now you know - so why wouldn't you advocate school district board members and administrators to implement DLI-TWI and give all students the opportunity to acquire the life-long competitive advantage of being able to communicate in more than one language, able problem solve with their compare & contrast superpowers, and empowered to navigate diverse situations in any setting?
Email, call or text Geri at 941-867-0779 if you wish to learn more. Como dicen aquí - es un "No Brainer"!
In my article, Deaf Education: Replace a “Special Education” Perspective with an “ESOL Education” View ( © 2014, Chris Wixtrom), I am not suggesting a replacement of the existing “Special Education” structure and personnel. I am suggesting a refreshed mindset and an additive perspective which would bring in professionals and principles from the fields of Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and American Sign Language (ASL) instruction, as well as ASL-fluent reading specialists and literacy coaches who would together design and implement accessible research-based reading education. A tremendous amount of research is available in our times which can facilitate reading education with persons of various hearing levels. A recommended article: Visual Skills and Cross-Modal Plasticity in Deaf Readers: Possible Implications for Acquiring Meaning from Print (Matthew W.G. Dye, a Peter C. Hauser, b and Daphne Baveliera)
Tips to encourage bilingual American Sign Language (ASL) and English acquisition and reading development in Deaf education and family settings.
Deaf Education: Replace a “Special Education” perspective with an “ESOL Education” view © 2014 Chris Wixtrom
Bilingual language acquisition: American Sign Language + English!
English by Eye on YouTube: Fun for all ages and all language levels
• Deaf ASL presenters, CC, transcripts, real-life photos & clips
• Playlist: “1 word with different meanings” (contextual reading)
• Playlist: “ASL can explain English!” (ASL in everyday life)
Can American Sign Language (ASL) be helpful with a deaf student who has autism and no communication skills? A special education teacher asked me this question.
My response: Yes. Communication begins with receiving and expressing meaning. Like all languages, ASL establishes communication. However, be aware that American Sign Language and English are completely different languages. While using “sim-com” (talking and signing together) can help with communication, remember that sim-com is not American Sign Language.
For learning ASL, I recommend Lifeprint.
For improving reading comprehension, I recommend English by Eye videos. In videos from the playlist “1 word with different meanings!” Deaf ASL presenters describe real-world scenes, encouraging readers to figure out the meaning of each on-screen sentence.
In “10 faces in ASL!” American Sign Language helps with reading! ASL and English are not the same. Learn both! Find more fun videos on the English by Eye YouTube channel, supported by ASL Access, a 100% volunteer NPO.
Upside down: Many meanings!
• English vocabulary, grammar, idioms, reading
• American Sign language
You can make a difference!
• Deaf ASL signers needed (5 minutes of volunteering)
• Voice-over volunteers needed (5 minutes of volunteering)
Chris Wixtrom:
[email protected]
YouTube: “English by Eye”
Playlist: “1 word with different meanings”
Around & Around with ASL!
AROUND: One word. Many meanings!
Have fun with ASL and ESL!
Hi! I’m Chris Wixtrom. I produce research-supported videos that build American Sign Language and English literacy. These completely free videos are presented by Deaf adults and are unlike anything else that can be found on the internet. Click PLAYLISTS on the English by Eye YouTube channel! Take off with ASL! 15 meanings of the word TAKE
Stories Signed in American Sign Language (ASL)!
• American Society for Deaf Children: ASL Stories Directory
• Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind: Video Storytelling for Families
• Rocky Mountain Deaf School: ASL Video Storytelling
• Rochester School for the Deaf: Video Storytimes
• Washington School for the Deaf: ASL Storytime
• Washington Reading Corps: Books in ASL
• Rocky Mountain Deaf School: ASL Video Storytelling for Toddlers
• Foundations for Literacy: ASL Stories
• Foundations for Literacy: ASL Songs
• ASL Stories Directory Hundreds of free videos of ASL retellings of favorite children's books.
• #OperationASLStorytime on Youtube, Instagram and Twitter is a collection of children's stories translated into American Sign Language (ASL).
10 meanings of FACE!
ESL and ASL learners enjoy this!
English sentences, American Sign Language (ASL) and voiceovers
https://youtu.be/_KrYhsYFcYI
Let us know if you can volunteer to help make these videos, even for one minute!
