Gary Quinn

Schoolization: An Account of the Origins of Regional Variation in British Sign Language

British Sign Language has a number of regional variations. This article examines the role of residential schools in the development of sign variants. Citing data collected during interviews with members of the Lancaster and Morecambe Deaf community (who of necessity attended schools elsewhere), it explores the peer-to-peer transmission of sign forms in schools and the influence of these forms in the communities to which the pupils returned on leaving school (coining the term schoolization for this phenomenon). It discusses the effect the closure of such residential schools will have on the acquisition and transmission of BSL.

Deaf Students Using Sign Language in Mainstream Science Classrooms

We introduce the work of the British Sign Language (BSL) glossary of technical science terms, based at the Scottish Sensory Centre at the University of Edinburgh. This online glossary is designed to support deaf students and staff. BSL has previously not had a wide range of technical vocabulary and in this chapter we discuss some of the linguistic features of the new vocabulary contributed by deaf scientists and sign linguists. We explore ways that mainstream science teachers are prepared to deal with deaf issues in the UK, and how specialist teachers of deaf children are trained to support them. We review the linguistic and pedagogic issues relating to teaching science to deaf children who sign, discussing the complexities of working in a mainstream science class with sign language interpreters. A course developed by the Scottish Sensory Centre for science teachers and support staff based on the work of the Glossary is described. Finally, the professional development course is evaluated by science teachers, teachers of deaf children and BSL/English interpreters.

Educating the Trainers of British Sign Language Tutors: Documenting the Educational Experience

This chapter explores the development of the Graduate Diploma in Teaching British Sign Language (BSL) Tutors (ToT) at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. The course, designed specifically for teaching sign language tutors to become trainers of other tutors, was established in response to the varying standards and lack of consistency in BSL teaching across Scotland. In order to improve the quality of sign language tuition, it was recognized that training for tutors needed to focus on enhanced understanding of sign linguistics in addition to language learning and pedagogical methods. Evaluation of the course facilitates comparison between the experience of students involved in a graduate program specifically devised for and dedicated to Deaf participants with the experience of Deaf students in higher education more generally.