ASL Institute “Teaching ASL to Young Children”
Learn the foundations of ASL and the techniques to
successfully teach young children. This special one-week
Summer Institute will be offered August 9 - 13, 2010
Description
This course will teach level 1 of our curriculum in the first 4 days, covering an extensive beginning vocabulary to include the following: the manual alphabet, numbers up to 20, animals, feelings, family, food, simple verbs, nouns, hygiene, days of the week, greetings – manners, and more.
On the last day, teaching techniques will be discussed, taking into account gross and fine motor skills, left or right-handedness, signer’s perspective, etc. Numerous tips on teaching will be given from fourteen years of experience working with young children learning this language. Participants will be taught the components of signs, breaking them down into their smallest parts, to enable them to see how to teach in a way that their students can successfully encode and decode.
The Teacher
Manuel Martin, founder and director of the American Sign Language Academy.
I have taught classes from age 3 to 93, at all levels – beginner to fluent, in a variety of settings – private, public, charter, homeschooled, in homes with families, and at colleges and universities. For the last 16 years, I have taught an average of 18 classes per week in these various settings. I have spent years studying second language acquisition, and have been able to practice in classrooms to gain the experience to offer this program. It has allowed me to gain some interesting insight into how young children process the learning of this fascinating, moving three-dimensional language.
Cost
The full week program is $250.00 per student (non-credit), payable to:
American Sign Language Academy
391 Main St.
Pawtucket, RI 02860
Location
ASLA Office and Student Center
391 Main St.
Pawtucket, RI 02860
The Rationale
American Sign Language presents a number of benefits in any classroom.
One way in which ASL has a powerful impact is in reinforcing the child’s learning. Learning any second language has benefits, but ASL, because it is a visual language, can be expressed in a way that a spoken language cannot – the vocabulary can be produced simultaneously with the spoken language. It is produced along with the first language, so the focus remains on the concepts presented in the first language, thus reinforcing what the child is learning in the classroom.
If a child learns a second spoken language, the first language is spoken, then the target language – sequentially. The focus is on the second language and must be related to concepts already known in the first language.
This important distinction is the reason why educators who have used ASL in their classroom continue to do so. They see a tangible difference in their students and a high level of motivation. Children are fascinated by a language that is moving and three-dimensional.
Dates
Aug 9 - 13, 2010
For a registration form,send an email to: