ASL 741: Methods of Sign Language Teaching (3)

Your Faculty for this Course:

Raychelle Harris, Ph.D.
raychelle.harris@gallaudet.edu

Syllabus - Summer 2015

Online: May 18 - June 10
Onsite: June 20 to 24 & June 29 to July 3
from 8:30 to 12 pm or 1:30 - 5 pm
(See sidebar < for more details, including deadlines to drop/withdraw from this course)

Contact me via my
Gallaudet e-mail for:
Gallaudet IM,
Email,
GoogleHangout,
iMessage/iChat,
or FaceTime.
Glide ID: KTL BOUZ
Etiquette rules apply
(See #8 on the last page of this
syllabus).
Online: Contact me between
9 to 4 pm EST during
weekdays. Other days/times by
appointment only
Onsite: Ill be in the
classroom from 8 am to 6 pm.
After hours, see above contact
information.
Need to Drop This Class?
100% refund: May 11
50% refund: May 17
No refund: May 18
WD grade: May 29
WP/WF grade: July 17
See link for more details
(We are categorized as 9w1)

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course focuses on principled approaches to developing and implementing
classroom methods and strategies for language teaching. It also investigates
linguistic, psychological and attitudinal factors that influence student-teacher
interaction in the classroom. The course examines in detail the most important
teaching methodologies that have evolved over the past thirty years. Following a
thorough analysis of each methodology, in terms of its theoretical justification and
supporting empirical research, students will endeavor to teach and learn some
aspect of a sign language through the implementation of each of the methodologies.
Prerequisite: Matriculation into the program or permission from the program
coordinator.
PROGRAM OUTCOMES
Graduates from the MA program in Sign Language Education will:
1) Demonstrate theoretical knowledge and display competence in
classroom settings regarding methodological and socio-political issues
involved in sign language teaching, curriculum development and assessment;
2) Produce graduate level Sign Language and English texts that demonstrate
knowledge of and critical inquiry into key concepts in the sign language
teaching field;
3) Recognize the importance of the Sign Language teacher as a system
change agent and apply this in practice utilizing effective leadership, advocacy,
consultation, and collaboration to influence change on the individual, group,
and organizational and systemic levels; and
4) Demonstrate preparedness to seek and obtain employment as a teaching
professional in the field of sign language education.
ASL 741: Methods of Sign Language Teaching

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Program Outcomes
Course Student Learning
Outcomes

Student Learning
Opportunities

II

III

IV

Assessment Method

After completing this course,

students will be able to

Analyze and identify

-Assignments
different language teaching -Method Presentation
methods for primary and
second language learners
and articulate their
application to sign language
teaching field and curricula

-Assignment rubric
-Quizzes
-Midterm
-Method Presentation
rubric

Recognize and influence

change at the sociocultural,
political and institutional
contexts within the
discipline of language
pedagogy.

-Assignments
-Method Presentation
-Language Teaching
Philosophy

-Assignment rubric
-Method Presentation
rubric
-Language Teaching
Philosophy rubric

Critically synthesize
multiple language teaching
methods with theoretical
and supporting empirical
research, creating a
professional sign language
teaching philosophy

-Assignments
-Language Teaching
Philosophy

-Assignment rubric
-Midterm
-Language Teaching
Philosophy rubric

CREDIT HOUR POLICY COMPLIANCE

ASL 741: Methods of Sign Language Teaching course is a non-traditional 3-credit bearing experience
course, which requires a minimum of 112.5 hours of course work.
Academic Activity

Hours

Discussion

40+

Assignments

10+

Quizzes

12+

Method Presentation

25+

Midterm

6+

Language Teaching
Philosophy

20+

TOTAL
113+ hours
ASL
750: Assessing Sign Language
Skills

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Methods ofSign Language Teachin

GRADING DISTRIBUTION AND LETTER GRADE EQUIVALENT
Letter
Grade

GPA
Value

Definition

A+

4.0

4.0

A-

3.7

B+

3.3

Percent Range
97.6 - 100

Outstanding

93.6 - 97.5
89.6 - 93.5
87.6 - 89.5

Good

3.0

B-

2.7 Unsatisfactory

79.6 - 83.5

C+

2.3

77.6 - 79.5

2.0

73.6 - 77.5

0.0 Failing, No Credit

73.5 or below

XF

0.0 Academic Integrity Policy Violation, No Credit

83.6 - 87.5

Note: The grade average you see in your course grading center at the end of the course will translate into the
letter grades above. No end-of-course requests or negotiations for grading alterations, rounding-off or extra
credit will be responded to. Strive to do your best on each assignment. A B- grade or below indicates you
have performed unsatisfactorily in the course, and this puts you on academic probation and possibly academic
dismissal from the program. A B- or below indicates automatic retake of the course, that is, if you are not
dismissed from the program.
The grading system for graduate students can be found in the graduate catalog here.
Incomplete Grade Disclaimer:
A grade of Incomplete [I] is given only when student performance in a course has been satisfactory, but
the student is unable to complete the requirements of the course. The decision to give a grade of I is
made by the instructor with approval from the coordinator, and only reserved for extraordinary
circumstances (hospitalization or death in family). A student must be passing the course and have no
more than 25% of the course requirements remaining before the possibility of an incomplete will be
considered. To be eligible for credit in a course which an I is recorded, students must complete the
requirements of the course by the end of the final day of classes of the following semester or a date
agreed up on in writing with the instructor; otherwise, the grade will automatically become an F. The
student and instructor must provide Registrars Office with written notification of the agreed upon
date before the time limit indicated above.
For all other questions, concerns, grievances or disputes that are not covered in this syllabus, please refer to
the current University Graduate Catalog.
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Methods ofSign Language Teachin

REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS
Richards, J. & Rodgers, T. (2014). Approaches and methods in language teaching.
United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
ISBN-13: 978-1107675964 ISBN-10: 1107675960| Edition:3

Well cover the entire book during the online portion of this course.

Brown, H. D. (2007). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language

pedagogy. White Plains, NY: Pearson.
ISBN-10:0136127118| ISBN-13:978-0136127116| Edition:3
Chapters 1-3 will supplement your knowledge of language teaching methods. Well try to touch upon Chapters 4, 6 - 8 and
25. Other courses - ASL 743: Chapters 9 - 16. ASL 750: Chapter 23-24.

McKee, D., Rosen, R. & McKee, R. (2014). Teaching and learning signed languages:
International perspectives and practices. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
ISBN-13: 978-1137312488 ISBN-10: 1137312483
Section I and III may be covered in this course, time permitting. Section IV will be covered in ASL 750 & II will be covered in ASL 777.

Rosen, R. (2015). Learning American sign language in high school: Motivation,

strategies, and achievement. Washington, DC: Gallaudet Press.
ISBN 978-1-56368-642-9; E-Book ISBN 978-1-56368-643-6

Book is currently not available until mid-June from publisher. Instructor will email class as to when the book is ready and
which chapters will be covered in this course, if any.

Note: We will frequently have opportunities to do hands-on work in our onsite classes. Bringing your
preferred devices highly recommended (e.g. laptop, iPad). During class discussions, please refrain from
having your devices block your signing space. Putting these devices away during discussions increases
the visual nature of classroom discussion.
*Instructor reserves the right to add new viewings and readings to course as the course progresses in
order to support spontaneous learning and direction of inquiry taken by the course participants.

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Methods ofSign Language Teachin

GRADING ALLOCATION
Assignment

Online/Onsite

Languages

Weight

Assignments

Online/Onsite

ASL/English

10%

Quizzes

Online

ASL/English

10%

Method
Presentation

Online/Onsite

ASL/English

30%

Midterm

Onsite

ASL/English

25%

Language
Teaching
Philosophy

ASL/English

25%

Onsite
Total: 100%
*Details for each assignment above are discussed below.

ASSIGNMENTS (10%)
Assignments are varied and differ in their degree of difficulty. They also vary in which language they will be in,
ASL or English- or both. The faculty of this course reserves the right to add (or deduct) assignments to the
syllabus as the course progresses, in order to leave room for student-inspired directions the course will take.
Since no assignment is similar in this category, a broad rubric will be used to assess your submission. The
rubric can be found in the appendix.
QUIZZES (10%)
Students are to complete online, open-book quizzes during the online portion of this course by the deadline
indicated on Blackboard. Quizzes will be based on assigned readings, class lectures and class discussions. Quiz
format varies, some will be multiple choice and/or short answer, and some are posed in ASL or in English or
require ASL or English responses.
METHOD PRESENTATION (30%)
Students will sign up for one language teaching method at the beginning of the online course. The student is
responsible for researching the method in-depth, including seeking external sources, including empirical
research sources. A compilation of findings should include who contributed to the development of this
language method and in which year(s) and/or time periods, describe its major features, define teacher and
student roles, the amount of native and target language use in class, application to sign language teaching field
(and any other publications in this area), along with a sample list of sign language resources aligned with the
language teaching method. A brief teaching demonstration using this method is also required. Submit in video
format with captions. Detailed requirements and rubric can be found in the appendix.
MIDTERM (25%)
The midterm will be a combination of some of your previous assignments and quizzes. Class lectures, course
readings and course discussions will also be incorporated in the midterm. Your midterm will be closed-book
and taken during class on your laptops and computers. Please leave all of your notes, books, and study
materials in your bags. You are also asked not to use any other applications/software on the computer except
to log in Blackboard to complete the midterm. The faculty of this course will be available to answer any
questions during the exam. This will be your opportunity to show what know, what youve learned, and to
shine!
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Methods ofSign Language Teachin

LANGUAGE TEACHING PHILOSOPHY (25%)
After studying all of the language teaching methods, you will develop preferences for particular methods
that reflect your philosophical base about how people learn languages. With this assignment, you are to
develop a bilingual, ASL and English language teaching philosophy (YouTube video with captions; and full
text in the YouTube Description section).
Your language teaching philosophy can be used:
1) in your application for ASLTA certification;
2) in your web portfolio youll be designing for the ASL 795 courses; and
3) for jobs youll be applying to in the future
See appendix for the rubric and guidelines for your teaching philosophy project.
COURSE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
1. Attendance: Onsite attendance and participation will not be graded, however, since this is an intensive and
condensed course, no unexcused late arrivals/early departures or absences will be tolerated. The
faculty of this course reserves the right to apply deductions to your final grade (e.g. 1 hour absence = 2
point deduction from the final grade). Excused absences are rarely approved unless it is a true
emergency (e.g. hospitalization and/or death of immediate family members). Your classmates and I
appreciate your presence in class and learning about your thoughts and contributions to class
discussions.
2. Assignments: All assignments are to be submitted via Blackboard. Online: I am more than happy to
respond to questions during the week, however, I will not respond to last-minute questions about your
assignments during the weekends before the due date on Sunday at 11:59 pm. Onsite: Tutors and TAs
are available during the evenings and weekends to assist and answer any questions you may have.
3. Student Responsibilities: Students are expected to actively participate by participating online discussions,
attending class and completing assigned activities, participate in class discussions, serve in groups,
complete assignments on time, respect diverse perspectives and opinions, and support opinions and
answers with reasons, explanations and documentation from a variety of sources.
4. Graduate Program Etiquette: Basic etiquette includes turning off external electronic devices that may
interfere with class participation. Arrive on time for class, stay the entire period, and avoid behavior
that interferes with the concentration and learning of other students. Attention should be given to the
instructor, guest speakers, and fellow students.

5. Deadlines: Assignments are due before class. Assignments not submitted before class will receive a zero,
period. Graded work is final. No make-ups or extra credit. Strive to do your very best.

6. Peer Network: Each student is responsible for getting access to and understanding what is expected of
each assignment. Please form a network with your peers. If you need information about assignments
or class schedule, go to your course Blackboard and ask other classmates to learn about what you
missed.

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Methods ofSign Language Teachin

7. Submissions: I will accept the submissions in the following format: .pages, .docx, .pptx, and .key. I will also
accept .pdf submissions. Please be aware that .pptx, .key and .pdf do not allow for the same level of
feedback I can give via the tracking and comment function available in .pages and .docx
8. Academic ASL/English: We will communicate using academic ASL/English, which is a specialized type of
discourse for academic settings. Use only academic ASL/English in classroom and during video
assignments throughout the course. Professional academic discourse requires giving credit to original
authors for their ideas, so citations and references are required, both in ASL and English. The citation
and reference format required for assignments in English is American Psychological Association (APA)
format. Using written ASL terms in your typed/written work or English-based signing in your video
work is not acceptable.
9. Communication: I welcome emails, Glides, GoogleIMs/videos, text/videos sent to me via iMessage, calls via
FaceTime, but will not accept or respond to excessively colloquial register choices in either language.
This is your opportunity to practice ASL and English in academic settings, on a consistent basis.
10. Editing ASL/English works: You are strongly encouraged to edit your ASL/English assignments. Feel free to
meet with your instructor or visit program-provided tutors/consultants to get the feedback as often as
needed to produce the very best work possible. Unedited work will be graded accordingly. I reserve
the right to return heavily unedited work for a zero.
11. Technology: This is a paper-free classroom. All assignments are to be posted on Blackboard or as
instructed. The Gallaudet Technology Services staff can assist you with technical issues throughout the
course or you can visit www.gallaudet.edu/gts/help_desk for assistance. You are to upload all of your
assignments to Blackboard including links to videos. For large files, upload them to GoogleDrive or
DropBox, and share links via Blackboard with my Gallaudet e-mail address. DVDs, thumb drives, CDs,
external HDs or any other format will not be accepted.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY
This policy applies to both ASL and English.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Students who need special services or accommodations should contact the Office for Students with
Disabilities (OSWD), located in SAC Room 1022.
*Disclaimer: This syllabus is tentative and may be subject to change if circumstances require it.
Changes if any, will be announced via Blackboard announcement feature.

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