Critical Perspectives on Plurilingualism in Deaf Education


Book Description

This book is the first edited international volume focused on critical perspectives on plurilingualism in deaf education, which encompasses education in and out of schools and across the lifespan. The book provides a critical overview and snapshot of the use of sign languages in education for deaf children today and explores contemporary issues in education for deaf children such as bimodal bilingualism, translanguaging, teacher education, sign language interpreting and parent sign language learning. The research presented in this book marks a significant development in understanding deaf children's language use and provides insights into the flexibility and pragmatism of young deaf people and their families’ communicative practices. It incorporates the views of young deaf people and their parents regarding their language use that are rarely visible in the research to date.




The Early Care and Education of Deaf Children in Ghana


Book Description

This book examines how an understanding of social-cultural and resource dynamics can inform the development of context-sensitive approaches to the early education and care of young deaf children, and the support of their caregivers. The authors investigate what it takes to facilitate deaf children's progress through early childhood, focusing on language, communication, learning, and well-being in the sub-Saharan African context of Ghana. They provide a review and critical discussion of the existing knowledge base surrounding early childhood deaf education and examine traditional and contemporary perspectives on childhood deafness and caregiving that are meaningful to the African early childhood deaf education landscape. The book draws on the knowledge and understanding developed through a collaborative UK-Ghana research project that examined the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) of young deaf children in Ghana. Examples from this project bring to life the issues surrounding caregiving, childhood deafness and early support in sub-Saharan Africa and advances voices from this context. As a co-authored text and collaboration between UK and Ghana researchers the work brings a new and context sensitive contribution to the examination of early education programming for young deaf children, addresses gaps in the global ECCE research, and shifts the traditional flow of knowledge to open the potential of south-north illumination and learning.







Cases on Teacher Preparation in Deaf Education


Book Description

In order to maintain inclusive classrooms within both K-12 and higher education, it is essential that pre-service teachers and current educators are aware of the strategies and techniques involved in deaf education. Educators must be knowledgeable of practical situations that occur in deaf education classrooms and mainstream environments while using different strategies with students across the curriculum and modifying those to meet individual learners’ needs. Cases on Teacher Preparation in Deaf Education supports instruction in a variety of deaf education courses providing sample cases and examples for students to work through and discuss. The case studies encourage critical thinking and thoughtful reflection related to a variety of deaf education environments and situations. Covering topics such as dual-modality collaborations, machine learning techniques, and reading instruction, this case book is an essential resource for educators and administrators of both K-12 and higher education, librarians, pre-service teachers, teacher educators, researchers, and academicians.




Deaf and Hard of Hearing Multilingual Learners


Book Description

This critical resource provides foundational information and practical strategies for d/Deaf or hard of hearing (d/Dhh) multilingual learners. These learners come from backgrounds where their home languages differ from the dominant spoken or sign languages of the culture. This book is a one-stop resource for professionals, interventionists, and families, helping them to effectively support the diverse needs of d/Dhh multilingual learners by covering topics such as family engagement, assessment, literacy, multiple disabilities, transition planning, and more. The book provides vignettes of learners from 25 countries, discussion questions, and family-centered infographic briefs that synthesize each chapter. Deaf and Hard of Hearing Multilingual Learners is a groundbreaking step towards better supporting the many languages and cultures d/Dhh students experience in their lifetimes through strength-based and linguistically responsive approaches.




The Routledge Handbook of Sign Language Pedagogy


Book Description

The Routledge Handbook of Sign Language Pedagogy is the first reference of its kind, presenting contributions from leading experts in the field of sign language pedagogy. The Handbook fills a significant gap in the growing field of sign language pedagogy, compiling all essential aspects of current trends and empirical research in teaching, curricular design, and assessment in one volume. Each chapter includes historical perspectives, core issues, research approaches, key findings, pedagogical implications, future research direction, and additional references. The Routledge Handbook of Sign Language Pedagogy is an essential reference for sign language teachers, practitioners, and researchers in applied sign linguistics and first, second, and additional language learning.







Policy and Practice for Multilingual Educational Settings


Book Description

Exploring multilingualism as a complex, context-related, societal and individual phenomenon, this book centres around perspectives on how multiple languages are made (in)visible within educational settings in the Global North. The authors of each chapter compare and contrast findings across geographical contexts with the goal of understanding the facets of multilingualism that, on the one hand, conform across contexts, and on the other, diverge context-specifically. The chapters range from contributions with a focus on national/state planning for the development of sustainable multilingual and intercultural educational policies, to chapters that deal with multilingual practices and identities of students and student teachers as well as the consequences for language practices, strategies and policies in diversifying societies. This cross-contextual, comparative and interdisciplinary exploration of multilingualism will be of great interest to researchers, administrators, practitioners and students within the fields of multilingual education, sociolinguistics, youth culture and identity studies. The book is open access under a CC BY NC ND licence.




Discussing Bilingualism in Deaf Children


Book Description

This collection unites expert scholars in a comprehensive survey of critical topics in bilingual deaf education. Drawing on the work of Dr. Robert Hoffmeister, chapters explore the concept that a strong first language is critical to later learning and literacy development. In thought-provoking essays, authors discuss the theoretical underpinnings of bilingual deaf education, teaching strategies for deaf students, and the unique challenges of signed language assessment. Essential for anyone looking to expand their understanding of bilingualism and deafness, this volume reflects Dr. Hoffmeister’s impact on the field while demonstrating the ultimate resilience of human language and literacy systems.




Sign Language Ideologies in Practice


Book Description

This book focuses on how sign language ideologies influence, manifest in, and are challenged by communicative practices. Sign languages are minority languages using the visual-gestural and tactile modalities, whose affordances are very different from those of spoken languages using the auditory-oral modality.