Auslan

The Year 5 and 6 students recently engaged in an insightful learning experience centered around the life of Heather Lawson, a remarkable deafblind woman residing in Melbourne. Through a video presentation, students gained a profound understanding of Ms.Lawson’s experiences and perspectives, fostering empathy and broadening their awareness of the challenges and triumphs associated with deaf-blindness. When students were asked to provide feedback, most of them said they were even more grateful for their own lives.

Building upon this foundational learning, the following fortnight will involve an experiential activity designed to provide students with a tangible understanding of the sensory world of individuals with deaf-blindness. The students will wear eye masks, earplugs and participate in carefully structured activities that simulate aspects of being both blind and deaf. 

In the current week, the educational focus for Year 5 and 6 has shifted back to finger-spelling due to the National Simultaneous Storytime, an annual nation-wide event. 

Meanwhile, the younger students in Prep to Year 4 have been exploring the theme of places within the school environment and some finger-spelling. Their learning activities have incorporated the acquisition of basic sign language sentences related to these locations.