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CHRISTINA EDENAS hroughout much of this century, a central question debated internationally has been the place of sign language in schools for deaf people. We would like to think we're winning the battle for more instructional use of sign language. If we look at the situation globally, many, if not most, schools for the deaf now use some sort of signing in the classroom. And in some countries more skilled deaf signers are now finding professional roles in deaf classrooms, as teachers, counselors, and trainers. But most of today's teachers are hearing, and many of them lack sufficient fluency in sign language. This is a simple demographic reality. So one of the central questions of deaf education for the next twenty to thirty years will be: How do we improve the sign language communication skills of hearing teachers? Attacking the problem at its source, sign language training during teacher training is certainly part of the answer. On-the-job training by being paired with a skilled deaf signer is certainly another. But where these alternatives are lacking, or cannot be implemented , the standard answer is continuing education classes in sign language. By "continuing education in sign language" I mean formal classroom training in sign language , taught by deaf students or former students either in the hours immediately after work or in the evenings. Although there have been great advances recently in the quality of sign language textbooks, as well as in the linguistic and pedagogic techniques that can be employed in the classroom, these methods of improving sign language skills are limited. Could we be missing something? Are there any alternative methods? Goals of a Study In 1988, the Swedish Board of Education (a national organization) solicited proposals on the topic of methods to improve teachers' sign language skills. I subsequently conducted a six-month pilot study of the subject. My objectives were as follows: .:. To evaluate individual teachers' needs for improvement in both sign language skills and communication skills. The author of this paper wishes to thank Robbin Battison for his invaluable assistance in the paper's preparation. 616 THE DEAF WAY ~ .:. .:. Education To examine how these skills (or lack of them) affect classroom management and instructional techniques. To record classroom instruction and interaction on videotape for the above purposes . •:. To explore the potential value of individual communication tutorials for sign language analysis, counseling, and instruction. Setting Because the setting for this study differs from those in most other countries, let's begin with some facts about Sweden as a country. Sweden has a population of about 8.6 million people, roughly 8,000 of whom are deaf. Of these 8,000, approximately 550 are students between the ages of seven and sixteen These students are all subject to a national school system with special language policies I will describe in a moment. The school in which I work, the Manilla School in Stockholm, was founded in 1809. It was formerly a residential school, but students now travel daily to school from as far away as seventy-five miles (120 kilometers). Classrooms are most often handled by a team of two teachers, either coteachers or a teacher plus an assistant. The teacher-student ratio is about one to five in an average class. Unlike what is done in many other countries, teachers in Sweden usually work with the same group of students for several years. But specialized teachers do teach such subjects as art or physical education to students of a variety of ages. Deaf adults do not form a large presence at the school. Although all 120 students are deaf, only ten of the fifty-five teachers are. (This total includes part-time, as well as full-time teachers.) Of the five administrators, none is deaf, and of twenty-one support staff, only six are deaf. Education and Communication: National Policy and Practice The educational system in Sweden is national, and standards and practices are determined and enforced centrally. All schools for the deaf fall under this system; there are no private schools for the deaf. In 1982, a new national curriculum mandated bilingual education as a key element in deaf education. "Bilingual" education does not mean simultaneous signing and speaking, but systematic exposure to both Swedish Sign Language (SSL) and Swedish (signed, written, and spoken). Another element of this national curriculum is that all deaf students, regardless of country of origin or family circumstances, are deemed to have SSL as their first language. As indicated...

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