Sign Language Teaching, Curriculum Models of

The last two decades witnessed growth in the number of schools that offer instruction in American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf community and culture. Along with the proliferation of ASL classes and programs in schools, there was a rise in the number of curricular materials developed and used by ASL teachers.

The various ASL curricula that the teachers use differ in the selection of topics, the types of linguistic structures, and the degree of emphasis on vocabulary, grammar, and culture information in teaching and learning. The content, language forms, and teaching and learning strategies favored by each curriculum carry certain assumptions about language, teaching, and learning. The assumptions are often influenced by the prevailing theories and approaches in linguistics, psychology of learning and teaching, and value systems for topics.

[Page 848]There are two different tracks, one that is geared to children who are deaf, and another for largely hearing students who take ASL for foreign language credit. Some guidelines and standards for ASL curriculum were developed only for deaf children. Examples are Gallaudet University’s American Sign Language and Deaf Studies K–12 Curriculum Framework and the American Sign Language Teachers Association’s National Standards for Learning American Sign Language. However, they are not curriculum par excellence but standards that are expected to be met by learners of ASL and Deaf community and culture. The focus here is on curriculum—that is, objectives, lesson plans, instructional materials, and assessment. These are largely designed for learners of ASL as a second language.

Nonetheless, the basic percepts of the curricula and the standards and guidelines follow developments in language learning and teaching in general. The percepts began with the behaviorist paradigm, evolved into the linguisticism and communication paradigms, and now follow the conversationalist paradigm. Curricula in ASL as a second language are drawn as examples.