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Sign Language to become a new GCSE?
paulie8290
Posts: 23,344
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-suffolk-45043418
Could be official before the next general election.
Could be official before the next general election.
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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)16 -
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.6
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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 thoughCharltonKerry 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.
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Yep, agree it's a good idea and a nice one.
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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.4
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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.6 -
It's a very handy language6
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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.2
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Great idea. I think all kids should have an introduction to signing and having it as a recognised GCSE is even better.0
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That's great stuff I reckon...0
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It is compulsory isnt it? I certainly didn't want to study italian.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.1 -
Teach your own kids sign language, they pick it up quick and can use it before verbal communication develops.1
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I think it already is. I didn’t get a choice to drop German that’s for sureCallumcafc 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.0 -
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.shine166 said:Teach your own kids sign language, they pick it up quick and can use it before verbal communication develops.
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I thought it was on a school by school basis but I might be wrong...stackitsteve said:
I think it already is. I didn’t get a choice to drop German that’s for sureCallumcafc 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.1 -
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 !Stu_of_Kunming said:
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.shine166 said:Teach your own kids sign language, they pick it up quick and can use it before verbal communication develops.
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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.)0 -
My son could sign before he could talk thanks to watching something special.shine166 said:
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 !Stu_of_Kunming said:
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.shine166 said:Teach your own kids sign language, they pick it up quick and can use it before verbal communication develops.
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Got any links? My first arrives in December, wanna be prepared!smudge7946 said:
My son could sign before he could talk thanks to watching something special.shine166 said:
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 !Stu_of_Kunming said:
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.shine166 said:Teach your own kids sign language, they pick it up quick and can use it before verbal communication develops.
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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.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.)0 -
Stu_of_Kunming said:
Got any links? My first arrives in December, wanna be prepared!smudge7946 said:
My son could sign before he could talk thanks to watching something special.shine166 said:
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 !Stu_of_Kunming said:
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.shine166 said:Teach your own kids sign language, they pick it up quick and can use it before verbal communication develops.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flXsU4V0zz8
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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.
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'we' are 10 wks pregnant, slightly overwhealming atm but absolutely buzzing about it. Cant wait to be able to teach it stuff like this.1
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Ive spent The last 6years teaching kindergarten English, my wife is a Chinese teacher and I'm still worried about this stuff.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.
Mostly worried about when my childs Chinese is better then mine!1 -
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.2 -
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!6 -
big up the "silent child" team who's oscar winning short bought this to mainstream attention.1
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Why isn't sign language universal?
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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' ((:>)1
