Pedagogies and strategies
BSL can be taught as an L1 to hearing impaired students or as an L2 to hearing students. The teaching and learning of signed languages is, in some aspects, similar to that of spoken language, but there are also important differences between the two which need to be considered.
- Despite social reform and technical advances, deaf pupils in Scotland still lag behind their hearing peers in terms of attainment outcomes.
- Early signed language acquisition in hearing impaired children supports language development, including reading skills, as well as supporting cognitive development and health and wellbeing.
- Learning and teaching a signed language has some similarities with learning a spoken language, for example the importance of considering and including the culture and society, but there are also significant differences which need to be recognised by learners and teachers alike.
- Teaching children about the connections between Sign Language and written language can help to improve literacy skills.