(Continued from page 6)
In a nutshell that ASL matters, five theoretical underpinnings must be advanced as part of
pedagogy in ASL classrooms. First, teachers should recognize how current classroom practice
supports what may be called ‘miscommunicative’ competence (i.e., use of Sim-com, English-based
signs). Then, students must be enhanced in their development of multiple literacies, including
Freire’s (1974) concepts of both ‘reading the word and world.’ Third, students and teachers need to
develop ASL awareness that is critically sociopolitical in character. Fourth, students are encouraged
to become cross-culturally communicative, not simply communicatively competent. Finally,
teachers will need to recognize and act upon their own status as language and cultural models.
Yes, I do believe ASL matters!
Freire, P. (1974). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Seabury Press.
Job Announcements
Clinical Assistant Professor of Sign Language Studies
at Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho
For more information, click here.
Adjunct Professor of American Sign Language
at Vincennes University in Vincennes, Indiana
For more information, click here.
American Sign Language Instructor
at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California
For more information, click here.
The Power of ASL
7
Summer 2016 – Issue 2