to think sign language should be taught in schools?

[00100001]

I was chatting with my friend the other day, and i'm actually wondering why kids don;t learn this as standard?

In primary kids will be taught French (for example) but not BSL/Makaton? Baby Signing is around and about, seems shame it's not continued in schools.

@myfurloughedfriend

When DD was in reception, there was a boy with quite a few additional needs in her class. The teacher taught the class some sign language as it was the only way they could communicate with him, it was lovey.

He didn't go up to Y1 with the class and stayed in reception for a few years, and I think went into a special school afterwards.

That would have been Makaton not BSL.

I think makaton would be brilliant to learn as it's used internationally

That’s not strictly correct @DibDibDibduh

British makaton is different from makaton in other countries.

When I was about 13 [in the Dark Ages!!!] I was given a signing card explaining the signing alphabet. I can't remember where I got it from...
I'm sure I still have it somewhere.
My friend and I used it to 'talk' to each other during lessons so the teachers didn't understand us or realise what we were doing!!!!!

My daughters learnt it all the way through primary school. They can still use it to communicate with anyone deaf and have on occasions when we're out

@PurpleDaisies

That’s not strictly correct *@DibDibDibduh*

British makaton is different from makaton in other countries.

my makaton teacher lied to me 😳

@DibDibDibduh

I think makaton would be brilliant to learn as it's used internationally

This isn’t the case I’m afraid.

The makaton used in the UK uses a lot of simplified BSL signs, where as the makaton used in the US/English speaking Canada uses a lot simplified ASL signs.

Makaton is used internationally yes, but each individual sign language also has its own makaton. There are a few makaton signs that aren’t based on BSL, but they also aren’t exclusively used by all countries makaton.

@SimonJT see my comment above

Ah, you must have posted while I was (very slowly!) typing.

Just dont think there is enough justification. Not once in my life have I had to communicate with a deaf or mute person.

@SimonJT 😀👍

If the point of teaching children some sign is to communicate with Deaf people, Makaton would be a wholly inappropriate alternative. It is an augmentative communication system, it is not a language.

I can safely say that a room of children falling over themselves to sign "What's your name?" to my child, while well meaning, is nothing more than tokenism and makes a child who is already different stand out even more.

@SkinnyChicky the word 'mute' is awful, please don't use it.

OP - why don’t you set up and after school club and teach the children? You could do 5 schools a week and alternative Saturday mornings.

The sad thing is the U.K. used to have dedicated deaf schools with teachers trained and able to teach BSL and through it...and then they decided that education should be "inclusive" and deaf children were put into mainstream classes where they had very little help and identification with children in their class!! And so by being included they are outcast and excluded. And the BSL teachers....well they were jobless weren't they! As I said the U.K. government clearly has very little interest in the deaf community!!

This will never happen-it’s all about funding. Makaton and BSL courses are expensive and time consuming. If each teacher needed to go on one so that they could teach their own class as you say It would just be lovely and nice if it was just part of the everyday teaching rather than "lessons" iyswim? the government would have to invest a huge sum of money into it.

As they are refusing to fund schools to buy any additional soap, hand sanitizer or money to pay cleaners during a massive pandemic, I cannot imagine them ever agreeing to it.

@SkinnyChicky

Just dont think there is enough justification. Not once in my life have I had to communicate with a deaf or mute person.

I've never once had to communicate with a German person...yet i still did the German GCSE

20 years ago the primary school I taught in did makaton with Early Years and some BSL with the rest of the school. I remember when the Y6 they sang and signed 'You've got a friend' at their leavers assembly, hardly a dry eye in the house. It can be and is done but the curriculum is now packed and schools are under a lot of pressure to constantly improve SATs results. If you want it done and you can sign why not volunteer to run a club?

I'm not sure about it being standard, but I think there would be interest and engagement from children that seems lacking for MFL.

My children (no additional needs or learning disabilities) have a hard enough time learning everything on the curriculum to the expected standard without adding anything else in.

@elliejjtiny

What is SSE? My 7 year old has glue ear and we do makaton with him and so does his teacher. Is this wrong? Should we be teaching him BSL? I'm ashamed to admit that the only BSL I know is finger spelling the alphabet. There was a mum at toddler group who was deaf and we communicated with a mixture of makaton, fingerspelling BSL and writing things down.

I think it's a good idea to teach signing in schools but I've no idea how it would work, whether it should be a club or included in lessons or whether it should be makaton or BSL.

SSE is sign supported English, using BSL signs but not BSL as a language. It's your choice, for glue ear I probably wouldn't panic as it's unlikely your child will be a lifelong signer unless they have an underlying sensorineural hearing loss?

It is actually taught in my local primary schools

Do it yourself!

Makaton is taught at my dd's school (Lea school). She's just finished reception. She's really enjoyed it and likes teaching it to me. As far as I'm aware it isn't being taught in order to help the children communicate with any child in particular.

I always teach my form a few basics - alphabet, thank you, my name is ... I think it is important in an inclusive society. In days of old when we had budgets for citizenship we used to have people come in from all different communities, including deaf, to work with the pupils. Not so much anymore