Auslan

From Caen and Simone, Auslan Teachers

Board Game fun

Simone and Caen are so excited to welcome back NMPS’s wonderful Auslan students to Term 3. Last term we wrapped up the semester with a week on Deaf Culture and a week of revision. NMPS has covered a whopping 17 topics in Auslan, so there was plenty to revise! 

During this upcoming semester, students will be challenged to delve deeper into their prior knowledge as we build new connections between old and new vocabulary. Students will work on combining their new vocabulary with term 1 and 2 signs to begin creating longer sentences that utilise correct Auslan grammar, as we spend more time consolidating and revising to ensure all the hard work the students have put in isn’t forgotten! 

The Errol Street Deaf Culture week began with students watching the Auslan Education Services (AES) video on Deaf Culture, followed by drafting a class mind map. The map consisted of ways to gain a Deaf person’s attention, appropriate ways to communicate in Sign that differ from spoken language, and revising the portmanteaux “Auslan” (Australian Sign Language). Students then wrote their own version of the mind map in their books, allowing them creative freedom and reflective critical thinking time. Caen taught new signs including Culture, Deaf, hearing, language, respect, eye-contact, important, and people.

The Molesworth Deaf Culture week also has students watch the same AES video that summarised Deaf Culture, but students were then challenged to apply the knowledge they had just learned. With an entirely immersive experience, students wore noise-cancelling headphones for 10-20 minutes (age dependent) and were asked to depend on their vision to understand and communicate with Ms Simone. 

Students were asked entirely in Auslan to stand, find certain coloured items, sit down at tables and work as a team to correctly identify classroom objects. Ways that Ms Simone regained their attention included flashing a large light, stomping the floor, banging her fist on the table and waving in students’ eyeline; all appropriate methods of gaining someone’s attention in the Deaf community. 

Impressively, many students effectively managed to communicate with one another during tasks by using these strategies respectfully as well as finger spelt any misunderstandings. 

The task asked students to engage their peripheral vision as it required ongoing focus, sign recall and recognition, and paying special attention to their other senses (sight and feeling). 

In our final week of Term 2, Caen designed an impressive board game that was used successfully across both campuses. Students used counters and dice to make their way across the board, having to successfully answer questions in Auslan to move forward. 

Pictured below is 1F enjoying the simplified version of Caen’s game (to better suit their Auslan level). Please feel free to print the below image and play with your children at home. You'd be amazed at how much they know after 6 months!

The Auslan team looks forward to teaching NMPS the signs for clothing, zoo animals, handshapes, WH questions and feelings descriptors in Term 3!