I now have published my YouTube Channel, A Bridge to English. Check it out. This is only a beginning so please return to see what new videos have been added!
1 Comment
Forty plus teachers attended the workshop today. We had to bring in more chairs! What a fabulous, responsive group! I couldn't believe how quickly each person learned the signs. We successfully learned 30 signs during the workshop, meaning that they actually had 30 signs that they consistently remembered and successfully executed (signed)! Kudos to the teachers who were there this afternoon! I have posted the pdfs of the workshop under ASL Lessons so, hopefully, you will go there and check out the other lessons, as well. As always, feel free to email with any questions or comments. I love hearing from you!I had to write something tonight about today's workshop! What an awesome group of teachers who attended! The room was full and we needed to get more chairs! I will post a photo tomorrow or if anyone took pictures, please post them in a comment or send them to me!
I just want to share with you a milestone in my life... my first published book! Please check it out on https://www.createspace.com/6893212 . It will also be up on Amazon US, UK and Europe in just a few days! This has been in my thoughts for 4 years now but I actually was able to find a very competent illustrator about 10 months ago and that is when the writing, designing and organizing of this book started to take shape! I have been retired from teaching full-time for the past 21 months and things have not yet slowed down! For those of you who know me well, you might say 'Is that any surprise?'
Thanks to all my family, friends, and colleagues who were there to encourage me all the way! Thank you! I am so excited to let you know that my book is almost finally finished! I just couldn't wait to show you the awesome cover. I will keep you posted as to the release date. It seems like all I'm saying lately is: 'just a few more edits!' I promise that it will be very soon!
For the past month, I have been working diligently here in Ecuador to complete my new book for teachers of English as a Second or Subsequent Language. I am so excited that it is almost ready! The book started out to have only 100 to 150 signs but now has a total of 272 signs, not counting the handshapes, alphabet, etc.
I believe that the information in this book will benefit any teacher willing to use a new kinesthetic approach to the acquisition of 2nd language vocabulary. My illustrator, Dana, has done a fabulous job with the daunting task of drawing all of the illustrations used in this book. I am a little nervous to announce this but MY deadline for the book to be completed is January 31st so that I will be able to self-publish it on Create Space in February. Then, I will also be able to bring printed copies to my workshop at TESOL International to be held in Seattle the 3rd week of March. I can't wait to be able to share it with you as it is a work of love, for sure! Also, if you are reading this, please add your email and/or make a comment so I know who is following this blog. I would love to hear about your experiences with sign or just your desire to try it. We all have various backgrounds so I would enjoy hearing yours too. Thanks! Vicky
American Sign Language is a complete language in and of itself. Meaning it has its own vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, intonation, etc. At some point you might want to learn ASL as another language but I am not addressing the language as a whole. We will be using just the vocabulary of ASL to help students be able to become more proficient in their use of English, no matter what first language they have or what level of English they are trying to master. I can’t believe it’s been two weeks since TESOL Spain! It was a fabulous conference and I was very impressed with the quality of keynotes and presentations throughout the whole weekend! The attendance on the last day was also very surprising! All of the sessions were well-attended right down to the last keynote, given by Jeremy Harmer and, by the way, he highlighted my session in his closing keynote! How exciting can that be! I liked his advice to make a ‘diary’ of the sessions that we attended so as to have a better recall of what was discussed and learned! I plan on doing that myself and, hopefully, sharing that with you later in this blog. I wanted to thank you for attending my session on Sunday. Since our time together, I have found a wonderful lady who is willing to let me link to her videos online! I am so excited about this because she does an excellent job, meaning that the videos are very clear! You can also watch them at a slower pace to be able to see the parameters of the sign. I have uploaded the Class Management signs PDF with all of the links to her videos, Class Management signs-video links. Just hover your mouse over the drawing on the page and you will see the ‘hand’ appear. When that happens, just click on it and you will be taken directly to the video on her website. The first one you try takes a little longer but, after that, the videos load quite quickly. Have fun exploring her site for more ASL signs! Her videos will eventually be part of my upcoming book, American Sign Language as a Bridge to English... the ebook version! Let me know how you are doing! Vicky With using American Sign Language as a tool for teacher directions, taking turns, using manners and administering correction, control of the classroom can be back in the teacher's hands. How does that sound? Is it worth a try? When I have asked teachers in the past about the most difficult area of teaching for them personally, many will say that class management is the toughest area to get control of in the classroom. With using ASL with your ESL/EFL students, you will not only get your students’ attention but you will notice a difference very quickly. It’s a great way for students to pay attention to the English vocabulary that is used in the classroom on a daily basis. When the students have FUN with the ASL, they will be ready to start using it as a way to help them learn and remember their new English vocabulary. Check out this resource that I have put together. Then, let me know how it works for you and/or if you have any questions. |
|