Writing Workshop With Deaf Students

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Writing Workshop With Deaf Students

• Charlotte J. Enns
• University of Manitoba, CANADA
• CASA 2008
• Albuquerque, NM

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Purpose of Larger Study

• Problem What disables Deaf people is not that
  they cannot hear, but that they cannot read and
  write.
• Guiding Question How can a literacy curriculum
  be adapted for Deaf students to incorporate
  visual language processing, meaning-based
  strategies, and bilingual teaching principles?
• Goals Develop, implement, and determine the
  effectiveness of a refined language arts
  curriculum for bilingual Deaf students.

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Language Base is Critical
Cummins, J. (1984). Bilingualism and special
education Issues in assessment and pedagogy.
San Diego, CA College Hill Press.
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Benefits of a Bilingual Approach

• Exposure to an accessible first language
  (American Sign Language - ASL)
• Visually-based teaching strategies
• Emphasis on knowledge base (acquired through
  first language)
• Connection to meaning (linking print with signs
  not sounds)
• Exposure to real literature - interesting and
  engaging childrens storybooks

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Differences Between Deaf Bilingual Programs and
Spoken Language Bilingual Programs

• Language modalities (spoken, signed, and written)
• First language without a written form (American
  Sign Language does not have a conventional
  written form)
• Variety of language backgrounds (many deaf
  children have limited exposure to an accessible
  language during the preschool years)
• Evans, C.J. Seifert, K. (2000). Fostering
  ASL/ESL bilinguals. TESL Canada Journal, 5(4),
  1-16.

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Issues and Concerns in Deaf Bilingual Programs

• Similarities and differences between Deaf
  bilinguals and hearing bilinguals
• Empirical evidence to support the theory that
  learning signed language leads to increased
  literacy skills
• Mixing languages in the classroom
• Knowledge of signed language transferring
  directly to knowledge of written or spoken
  language
• Introduction of languages - timing and procedures
• Language influence and/or interference - how does
  signed language affect speech and vice versa
• Connection between storytelling (or story
  signing) in signed language and reading skills
• Sources The ASL Language Arts Curriculum,
  Edmonton Public Schools Naylor, A. (2002). The
  Thomas Pattison School Literacy Plan Star
  Schools Project, USA (www.starschools.org)
  Swedish Schools for the Deaf (www3.skolverket.se)

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Manitoba Curriculum Framework Language Arts
Outcomes
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Key Concepts

• Language, not speech, is the foundation for
  literacy learning
• Literacy involves making and sharing meaning
• The transition from language to literacy in deaf
  children has some unique features

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General Outcome 4 Enhance clarity and artistry
of communication.Activity Process Writing

• Description
• Preparatory work (ideas, planning, brainstorming)
• First draft (rough)
• Feedback (response from peers/teacher)
• Revision 1 (content)
• Revision 2 (style, form, language)
• Revision 3 (proofreading, spelling, punctuation,
  choice of words)
• Publication (sharing)
• Evaluation (grading)

• Modifications for Deaf Students
• Introduce Process Signing to produce texts in
  sign language (add language to their thoughts)
• Combine process signing and process writing to
  produce texts in two versions (written and
  signed)
• First draft can be written, drawn or signed
• Connect print to pictures or signs
• Each version has a published form (print or
  video)

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Current Study Implementing Writing Workshop

• Classrooms at the Manitoba School for the Deaf
  (grades 3, 4, 5)
• Approximately 1 hour/day for 10 - 12 days
• Researcher worked with teachers to plan
  activities
• Data collected through assessments, classroom
  observations, interviews

• Creating stories (English and ASL) involved the
  following steps
• Pre-writing (Planning)
• Drafting
• Revising
• Editing
• Publishing

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(Transcript of video)
Planning

• (Teacher holds book, while student takes letter
  out)
• Boy (blue) I want a turn.
• Teacher You will.
• Boy (reading) Top secret. Special invitation
  toI forgetPriscilla (fingerspelling word)
• Teacher (looking at book) Thats the names, the
  two girls names.
• Boy..birthday party on Friday, June 24, at 2 pm
  in the Grand Ballroom, Village Hall, Chipping
  Cheddar. Cat clowns!
• Teacher So, what does that mean?
• Boy Her friends are going to the birthday party
  on Friday.
• Teacher The same day, right? Friday, the same
  day!

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Story Plan(Transcript of video)

• Teacher Okay, for the plan you dont need to
  write full sentences or the full story, just
  ideas. Well put them all down and then later
  you can expand all those ideas, right? Okay, your
  idea for most important character - do we agree
  that its Jo, the girl? (writes on board). Other
  characters, Calvin (points to boy), and
  Ron(looking at another boy)
• Boy (grey) Ronroy (spelling)
• Teacher (copying his spelling) R-O-N-R-O-Y (Boy
  gets up to get something) Oh, his first name is
  Ron and his last name is Roy. Now I understand
  (writes on board).
• Teacher (as boy shows her the book) Hes the
  author. So is that a man, girl, or boy?

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Boy Man.Teacher Man, okay (writes on board).
Good, now (points to board) - setting - what does
that mean?Boy (orange) Where, the place,
where..

• Teacher Where and the time the story happens.
  Now we know it must be winter, right? There is
  snow, lots of snow. So, maybe it could be here in
  Canada because we get lots of snow?
• Boy (orange) Up north..
• Teacher In Winnipeg or up north?
• Boy (orange) North (taps girl) Do you want it up
  north, like in the Northwest Territories?
• Teacher You mean Nunavut? Do you two know about
  that place? Can you create, tell a story..
• Girl Yeah, yeah

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Story Plan (continued)

• Teacher Okay, you studied that so you know,
  fine. You can teach me. (to other boy) What do
  you think? They are suggesting maybe up north in
  Nunavut, Nunuvut - did I spell that right?
• Girl Boy (orange) Nunavut (looking at side of
  board and spelling)
• Teacher (looking at board and pointing) Oh,
  youre studying it right now! I understand, good
  idea. Good idea!

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Drafting

• Boy (blond) Knock, knock. My brother runs and
  opens the door. He sees the mail office with a
  letter (picks up letter and rolls his eyes) -
  thats wrong!
• Teacher Its okay, this is just practice!
• Boy The mailman gives him the letter, he takes
  it and looks at it - from AW - oh, stupid!
• Teacher From who?
• Boy TO AW. He runs and gives it to me. I take
  the letter - its for me! Yes! (opens letter) It
  says, Dear AW, you have won two tickets in the
  draw - two tickets for a Manitoba Moose game at
  the Winnipeg arena (points). Im excited!
  (throws letter dramatically)
• Teacher Whos the letter from?
• Boy Jimmy Roy!

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(Transcript of video)
Revising

• Boy really want to use small
• Girl Okay, but she told me I have to thinkshe
  cant just be walking along and say I wish I
  could fly and start flying! Need to think
  maybe she thinks back and she borrowed a book
  with a magic word - thats it!
• Boy Well, well, she can take off maybe she can
  run really fast and take off?
• Girl But how? How des she learn how to fly?
• Boy Yeah, well, maybe someone teaches her..
• Girl A book borrows a book from the library

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Revising (continued)

• Boy Or, or, maybe for fun her parents teach her
  - ha! She makes a wish and her parents want to
  give her something Umm, maybe she can wish on a
  star. You know, twinkle.a star
• Girl at 330 - same as the other story?
  (shakes head) I think its better if she borrows
  a book from the library and learns the magic
  words.
• Boy or maybe she goes to England and come
  back?

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(Transcript of video)
Publishing

• Boy His jaw dropped. Do you want to trade? Okay.
  So they traded. He used the money to buy a new
  house. Thats it!
• Teacher When they are trading, whos on each
  side? Youre looking forward and giving the
  mayor the pictures, so you are exchanging this
  way, right? (motioning forward) Not exchanging
  sideways, it should go forwards, the way you are
  looking. If its sideways, whos over there? (Boy
  shrugs) Thats okay, good job. Now remember,
  keep your head up when youre signing. Spell
  first, spell the title and then go on. Okay, you
  introduce Bay, then tell the story, then say
  Jebb is looking up, and getting his attention
  you can carry on with the story and dont need to
  keep saying Bay, Jebb, etc.
• (Pulls curtain to reveal blue wall to start
  videotaping)

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Teachers Perspectives

• Develop a positive attitude towards writing
• Lack of time for background, skills, and process
• Activities that allow choice and have a purpose
• Students knowledge of ASL influences English
  literacy skills
• Importance of metalinguistic skills

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Findings

• Concerns regarding the logistics additional
  personnel and equipment
• Importance of ASL in facilitating the writing of
  English versions of the stories
• - knowledge base, independent thinking
• Need to develop metalinguistic skills to create
  good stories
• - story structure, self-evaluation, editing and
  revising
• Greater ownership of stories contributes to
  learning
• - providing choices, building self-esteem,
  creating enjoyment

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(Transcript of video)
Metalinguistic Skills

• Teacher Okay, you were not satisfied, You said
  you wanted to do it again Why werent you
  satisfied?
• Boy (stripes) I made a mistake. I said the
  eagles moved to the house, then the sharks moved
  and then the eagles moved to the house - two
  times!
• Teacher No, not again - only once!
• Boy And something else, something else
  (thinking). No (towards face), no (away from
  face) - I did no towards me and it should be
  away from me - Im telling them no.
• Teacher Good, you noticed that!

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(Transcript of video)
Ownership

• (All students are watching the TV - laughing)
• Teacher Well? Good!
• Girl (grey) That was silly - the moose bucked
  him and he fell! I laughed!
• Teacher Yeah, its a funny story - he used good
  facial expression! Funny - expressive! What did
  you like about his story?
• Girl (glasses) That was funny when the moose
  bucked him and he went flying and he was rolling
  around and rolling around! Oh, that was funny!
• Teacher Good!

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Conclusions

• Although writing workshop was a procedure that
  was implemented in all three classrooms, the
  piece that was different in this project was
  producing a parallel story in ASL.
• This provided more choice for the students which
  resulted in greater ownership of their stories,
  and it facilitated the writing of their English
  versions of the story.

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Closing Comments

• If one assumes that Deaf students have an
  established first language and that others in the
  environment can understand this language (often
  huge assumptions!), then the process of modifying
  existing language arts curricula to accommodate
  the visual and bilingual needs of Deaf students
  is quite straightforward. You need
• Teachers with fluency in both languages
• Texts in both languages (print and video)
• An understanding of cultural beliefs and values,
  and
• Creativity to adapt the best practices used with
  all children.

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Thank You

• For more information contact Charlotte Enns -
• ennscj_at_cc.umanitoba.ca
• Website http//home.cc.umanitoba.ca/ennscj
• This research project was supported by a grant
  from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research
  Council of Canada.