Sign language in schools?

[CorSie]

Why isn't sign language taught in schools as standard, rather than Spanish, French, German etc?

It's something I've always wondered but never really put too much thought into it until just recently.

When I was in school our options were French and Spanish and all we were taught was how to order food, ask where toilets were, booking hotels etc which, now, I don't really see as important. Surely teaching children sign language from an early age is more beneficial?

I definitely think they should at least teach all children the signing alphabet, as a really easy and useful way to be able to comunicate with deaf people. The amount of signs ive forgotten is incredible, but ive never forgotten the alphabet

My daughter attends a sign language after school club at her primary school. They have a signing choir and they perform at special school assembly's (Christmas, Easter etc).

I did Lamh Level 1 (adapted sign, often used by people with intellectual disabilities in Ireland). I've never used it. But I think that the experience of learning it was a great one for me and an introduction to a very different form of communication, I'd like to go back and do more, or learn full ISL.

I don't think I would support replacing an MFL option with sign, but an introductory primary course for a few weeks or months would be good. It could expose children to a part of the community they may not know much about.

As a primary teacher though I think that that would be best delivered by specialist sign teachers. Primary teachers have enough to do, without adding on learning a new language.

I learnt Makaton as we use it at work .Mr Tumble has made it more popular now .I am all for it being taught in schools.

I agree with the others talking about lip readers

Please please do not cover your face with your hands, turn away mid sentence

or alter how you speak by talking s l o w l y or exaggerate your mouth movements thinking it was helping cos really it isn't

Please do not say when asked to repeat

"Oh it doesn't matter now"

Or "never mind"

Cos that is very rude IMHO

Lip reading is very helpful, I've needed to learn to speak very clearly for my DD1 (8), she lip reads.

Good for you OP. I'm really enjoying learning. And it's a magical language to watch. I take my daughter to a play group at our local deaf centre and the man who leads the group signs as a first language. Watching him sign to the kids is like watching someone paint a picture with their hands, it's really beautiful.

most deaf people arent going to be using Makaton

We teach it at our primary school.
Was interested to learn BSL has 'regional variations'. You think you know the sign for something...then someone points out there is about 3 or 4 different signs for the same thing!

CitySnicker I definitely didn't know that about regions, that's really interesting to know!

I've learnt sign language up to semi decent standard, but it's cost me a fortune and I can't afford to carry on / study higher levels, so it being more affordable if someone chooses to learn it would be great. You can do a language degree that leads to interpreter status without previous knowledge in 3 years but it's a full time course so imagine quite intense study. Wasn't available when I was young enough to be a student or may well have done it, and jo way can afford it now!

Most deaf babies born now are implanted with cochlear implants pretty quickly and will never learn sign language. So not only is it rare to meet someone who uses BSL as a first language, it will continue to become rarer still.

Deaf people don't use Makaton however, I've had emergency conversations with deaf people using Makaton.

I agree everyone should have a basic knowledge, as with first aid and knowing how to ride a bike and swim.

But if you need to communicate with someone who speaks sign language, you can usually communicate in writing; as long as they've learned to read English that would work. If you encounter someone who speaks Spanish or Italian or German, that wouldn't be a possibility.

The difficulty is BSL is different to sigh supported English ( which many children are taught), whereas Makaton can be understood by people who have learnt both and I have taught using Makaton to children taught all 3.

Can I ask about the sign alphabet?
I learned one as a primary schoolkid from my peers, we thought it endlessly funny to be able to communicate without anybody hearing us.
I always assumed EVERY kid learned it.
Then I had kids mysellf and the first time I wanted to "tell" my husband something the kids were not suposed to know I used the alphabet and he just looked at me as if I were crazy. He never even HEARD about an sign alphabet.
My son learned a sign alphabet in school from the teachers, but it's slighltly differnet to the one I know and he actually does not "understand" me.
Is there a "standard" sign alphabet?

finger spelling is generally the same across the UK, assuming you are in UK that is.