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Sign Language to become a new GCSE?

paulie8290
paulie8290 Posts: 23,345
in Not Sports Related
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-suffolk-45043418

Could be official before the next general election.
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Comments

  • paulie8290
    paulie8290 Posts: 23,345
    Good idea in my book.

    I havent told many people this but when my daughter was born, during the newborn checks she had no hearing which was caused by meconium.

    It was horrible for around 3/4 weeks, me and kelly started looking into courses for sign language just in case.

    Thankfully the meconium cleared and she has great hearing now, but it was scary for a few weeks, considering me and kelly knew no sig n language(apart from what Mr Tumble taught us haha)
  • CharltonKerry
    CharltonKerry Posts: 2,963
    edited August 2018
    Totally agree, should be compulsory for all to learn some form of sign language or any othe form of communication that required so all can included within the general public.
  • Carter
    Carter Posts: 14,261
    CharltonKerry said:

    Totally agree, should be compulsory for all to learn some form of sign language or any othe form of communication that required so all can included within the general public.

    I don't think it needs to be any more compulsory than French, Spanish or any other language is. I think it's a bloody good idea to include it though
  • North Lower Neil
    North Lower Neil Posts: 22,973
    Yep, agree it's a good idea and a nice one.

  • CharltonKerry
    CharltonKerry Posts: 2,963
    I must admit compulsory is a bit OTT, but it is something I’m fairly passionate about, all my life I thought against a speech impediment, I was lucky I overcome it, but I have always remember the horror when I first went to school and found out people could not understand what I was saying, my family could but no one else could. From then on in I have always supported an organisation / charity that look for a cure / way forward in research for both the deaf and blind with special reference for the young. They have undertaken tremendous work and progressed, but unfortunately they are relatively small.
  • Callumcafc
    Callumcafc Posts: 63,817
    edited August 2018
    Should be treated the same as learning any other language so if schools can offer it alongside French, Spanish, German etc then I'm all for it.

    As an aside, picking at least one language for a GCSE should be compulsory IMO.
  • RodneyCharltonTrotta
    RodneyCharltonTrotta Posts: 14,832
    It's a very handy language
  • i_b_b_o_r_g
    i_b_b_o_r_g Posts: 18,948
    image
  • stop_shouting
    stop_shouting Posts: 3,682
    My little boy went to sing and sign classes which promotes sign language as a form of early communication. I think it’s a great idea.
  • ShootersHillGuru
    ShootersHillGuru Posts: 50,645
    Great idea. I think all kids should have an introduction to signing and having it as a recognised GCSE is even better.

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  • mascot88
    mascot88 Posts: 9,644
    That's great stuff I reckon...
  • Stu_of_Kunming
    Stu_of_Kunming Posts: 17,120
    Callumcafc said:

    Should be treated the same as learning any other language so if schools can offer it alongside French, Spanish, German etc then I'm all for it.

    As an aside, picking at least one language for a GCSE should be compulsory IMO.

    It is compulsory isnt it? I certainly didn't want to study italian.
  • shine166
    shine166 Posts: 13,931
    Teach your own kids sign language, they pick it up quick and can use it before verbal communication develops.
  • stackitsteve
    stackitsteve Posts: 12,105
    Callumcafc said:

    Should be treated the same as learning any other language so if schools can offer it alongside French, Spanish, German etc then I'm all for it.

    As an aside, picking at least one language for a GCSE should be compulsory IMO.

    I think it already is. I didn’t get a choice to drop German that’s for sure
  • Stu_of_Kunming
    Stu_of_Kunming Posts: 17,120
    shine166 said:

    Teach your own kids sign language, they pick it up quick and can use it before verbal communication develops.

    I just read about a couple who taught their kid sign language from 4 months old, ill try to find the link when I get home.
  • Callumcafc
    Callumcafc Posts: 63,817
    stackitsteve said:

    Callumcafc said:

    Should be treated the same as learning any other language so if schools can offer it alongside French, Spanish, German etc then I'm all for it.

    As an aside, picking at least one language for a GCSE should be compulsory IMO.

    I think it already is. I didn’t get a choice to drop German that’s for sure
    I thought it was on a school by school basis but I might be wrong...
  • shine166
    shine166 Posts: 13,931
    Stu_of_Kunming said:

    shine166 said:

    Teach your own kids sign language, they pick it up quick and can use it before verbal communication develops.

    I just read about a couple who taught their kid sign language from 4 months old, ill try to find the link when I get home.
    Yeah, you can get them on it real early... for earlier than them being able to actually talk. Admitedly I didnt realise it was that early though !
  • smudge7946
    smudge7946 Posts: 4,131
    Is sign language universal?
    What is the difference between BSL and that stuff that Mr tumble does. (If you don't know the man, you don't have kids.)
  • smudge7946
    smudge7946 Posts: 4,131
    shine166 said:

    Stu_of_Kunming said:

    shine166 said:

    Teach your own kids sign language, they pick it up quick and can use it before verbal communication develops.

    I just read about a couple who taught their kid sign language from 4 months old, ill try to find the link when I get home.
    Yeah, you can get them on it real early... for earlier than them being able to actually talk. Admitedly I didnt realise it was that early though !
    My son could sign before he could talk thanks to watching something special.
  • Stu_of_Kunming
    Stu_of_Kunming Posts: 17,120
    smudge7946 said:

    shine166 said:

    Stu_of_Kunming said:

    shine166 said:

    Teach your own kids sign language, they pick it up quick and can use it before verbal communication develops.

    I just read about a couple who taught their kid sign language from 4 months old, ill try to find the link when I get home.
    Yeah, you can get them on it real early... for earlier than them being able to actually talk. Admitedly I didnt realise it was that early though !
    My son could sign before he could talk thanks to watching something special.
    Got any links? My first arrives in December, wanna be prepared!

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  • shine166
    shine166 Posts: 13,931
    smudge7946 said:

    Is sign language universal?
    What is the difference between BSL and that stuff that Mr tumble does. (If you don't know the man, you don't have kids.)

    Ive been googling, some of it is the same... but I think itd definitely make it easier for them to learn 'proper' signing as they get older.
  • shine166
    shine166 Posts: 13,931
    Stu_of_Kunming said:

    smudge7946 said:

    shine166 said:

    Stu_of_Kunming said:

    shine166 said:

    Teach your own kids sign language, they pick it up quick and can use it before verbal communication develops.

    I just read about a couple who taught their kid sign language from 4 months old, ill try to find the link when I get home.
    Yeah, you can get them on it real early... for earlier than them being able to actually talk. Admitedly I didnt realise it was that early though !
    My son could sign before he could talk thanks to watching something special.
    Got any links? My first arrives in December, wanna be prepared!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flXsU4V0zz8
  • smudge7946
    smudge7946 Posts: 4,131
    edited August 2018
    It's a BBC TV show.
    Hosted by Justin Fletcher who plays a clown called mr tumble.

    You'll be amazed how quick they pick signing up.

    Another TV show to watch is milkshake on channel 5. It starts at 6am but is well worth getting up early for!!

    Good luck for December. You'll miss sleeping, leaving the house in a quick and efficient manner and having a tidy house.


  • shine166
    shine166 Posts: 13,931
    'we' are 10 wks pregnant, slightly overwhealming atm but absolutely buzzing about it. Cant wait to be able to teach it stuff like this.
  • Stu_of_Kunming
    Stu_of_Kunming Posts: 17,120
    edited August 2018
    shine166 said:

    'we' are 10 wks pregnant, slightly overwhealming atm but absolutely buzzing about it. Cant wait to be able to teach it stuff like this.

    Ive spent The last 6years teaching kindergarten English, my wife is a Chinese teacher and I'm still worried about this stuff.

    Mostly worried about when my childs Chinese is better then mine!
  • StigThundercock
    StigThundercock Posts: 3,722
    edited August 2018
    Learned BSL to Level 1 standard at evening classes years ago.
    Never had any hearing impaired relatives but was curious how difficult it might be to learn and LB Bexley did a weekly class on a midweek evening that rarely clashed with football. Cost was insignificant.
    As soon as you appreciate that it primarily isn't a manual way to translate English, it is dead easy to pick up.
    It is possible to 'finger spell' and that can facilitate communication with someone who is profoundly deaf, but that isn't BSL, nor is BSL the same as spoken English.
    At the time I had a number of colleagues with kids at primary school and most of them, then, had some amount of signing at school, with classroom assistants. All long since cut away.
    The biggest thing we learned that year was that more people in UK have BSL as their first "language" than Cornish, Welsh and both Gaelics added together, yet BSL was not acknowledged as a national "language", where all the regional tongues had been for years. "Language" in inverted commas because by definition signing isn't spoken in the strict sense.
    Tony Blair had promised to allow an act of parliament to be passed, enshrining BSL in the constitution. The duplicitous cnut then shelved it, effectively for good, on the bare faced lie that there wasn't sufficient time for it to make its way through the Houses. No votes in it presumably, nor any money in it for him.
    When word of the government's shitty behaviour spread, BSL was quietly put back on the schedule and duly enacted in 2003.
    American sign language is more widely used internationally, there are also forms that are primarily one handed, where BSL is 2 handed. BSL is what has been taught in the UK to the hearing impaired and to a limited degree in some primary schools.
    How useful is it to a hearing person with no hearing impaired relatives, colleagues or friends? I've used it maybe three times in 20 years. Learning additional languages at a very young age, especially from the cradle, is shown to significantly enhance cognitive capacity. Learning a communication form that requires physical coordination too must be even more beneficial.
  • ryanmarshall88
    ryanmarshall88 Posts: 60
    Did you all know that Charlton Athletic Community Trust have a Deaf team? In fact, they have 3 Deaf adult teams and 3 Deaf youth teams. They train and play regularly with the use of Sign Language. I am one of their coaches. BSL is an amazing language and strongly believe kids should have choice to learn BSL as part of their GCSEs!

    If you have any questions about our Deaf teams or anything linked to Sign Language, feel free to ask me on here!
  • kentaddick
    kentaddick Posts: 18,729
    big up the "silent child" team who's oscar winning short bought this to mainstream attention.
  • smudge7946
    smudge7946 Posts: 4,131
    Why isn't sign language universal?
  • Lincsaddick
    Lincsaddick Posts: 32,376
    given the plethora of different voice languages heard on the streets of England nowadays, sign language might well have to become the new 'national language' ((:>)

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