Auslan Teachers Get Together to “Share Resources”

Inside this issue:

Interview with two

former LOTE Auslan

VCE students

2

New Auslan Videos

made available at

NIDS

3

Language Online:

Cartoon Story Maker

Now Made Available

4

Learning languages

“boosts brain” 4

Auslan Teachers Association

of Victoria

DID YOU KNOW?

Right handed people live, on

average, nine years longer

than left-handed people.

Of all the words in the Eng-

lish language, the word „set‟

has the most definitions.

The word „queue‟ is the only

word in the English language

that is still pronounced the

same way when the last four

letters are removed.

August 2010 Volume 1, Issue #4

In our last Professional Development

workshop on 19th of June, 17

Auslan teachers joined together to

share their resources. Among those

teachers were some representatives

of educational sectors such as

Aurora Early Intervention Centre,

Kangan Institute, and LaTrobe Uni-

versity. They talked about some of

the resources which can be made

available to anyone interested in

learning Auslan.

Some of the teachers brought items

that they use as resources. Berna

Hutchins brought her own “Room”

kit which she had made and uses as

a tool to teach her students on the

“Use of Space”. One teacher shared

an idea in having a “Flip-Camera” to

use to record the student‟s work.

Excellent! One teacher showed us

some animated video stories on

www.youtube.com.au that would be

good for the students‟ signing and

expressive skills as they try to retell

the stories. Look up “For the Birds”

on the “youtube” website. Some

teachers explained that activity

worksheets are an excellent resource

for the students to work on. We can

get activity books from a Teaching

English as a Second Language shop

at:

T.E.S.L Books

82 Chapel St.

Windsor, VIC 3181

We want to thank everyone who

came and participated in this work-

shop and for making it a success! If

you have any further queries about

where to get resources, please con-

tact us at atavictoria@aol.com.

New videos, one of the many resource

ideas shared at the workshop.

Above right:

Auslan Teachers

checking out the

new videos.

Bottom centre:

Participants in the

“Sharing Resources”

PD Workshop

Above left:

Lorette Juers

and Jessica

Payne sharing

ideas.

Two former VCE LOTE Auslan students were interviewed on their experience in the LOTE Auslan program at the Forest

Hill College VCE Year 11—12. We appreciate their time to answer our questions.

Stephanie McDonald, who is deaf herself, first learned Auslan at 16 years old and was in-

volved with the Deaf basketball team. She is now a student at La Trobe University studying

Prosthetics, and hopes to have opportunities to serve the Deaf community in this medical field.

Why did you learn Auslan as a LOTE? To be able to communicate with other deaf

people. Also to have a second language for future work in the medical field.

Was it difficult to learn a language in a session of three hours, once a week? At the beginning,

yes, all the signs but eventually those 3 hours went by fast, because learning the language was so

much fun.

Would you recommend learning Auslan as a LOTE? Definitely, it is an amazing language and I

wish more people knew how to sign.

What age do you think students should learn Auslan? During VCE or high school at some stage.

What are the benefits of learning Auslan? If you come across a deaf /hard of hearing person dur-

ing work/everyday life, it allows you to openly communicate with them without the language barriers.

What knowledge have you gained about the Deaf Community through learning Auslan? The his-

tory of Auslan and the Deaf community was very interesting as well as the deaf culture.

What knowledge have you gained about the History of the Deaf in the program? Victorian Col-

lege for the Deaf in the early years, F.J. Rose, and how Auslan begin in Australia. It was great learn-

ing all about this.

Describe your own experience in the LOTE program. I met many new people and made friends.

With this program, I was able to improve my Auslan skills. Overall, Auslan was one of my highlights

in VCE.

Monique Vizzarri is also a student at La Trobe University studying Speech Pa-

thology. She loves to sign, and recently she had the opportunity to use her

signs where she works at a cake shop with a deaf customer. Good on you!

When did you learn Auslan as a LOTE? When my school established a Deaf

facility at Forest Hill during Year 9. I started to talk with the deaf students at

lunchtime and in classes. I really enjoyed it, so I took Auslan as a LOTE in Year

11 to further my signing skills and become more involved in the Deaf facility at school.

Was it difficult to learn a language in a session of three hours, once a week? I think I was lucky

because I had people at school to practise with. I think it would be hard for students who go to a

school where no one signs, because then they don‟t get to practise every day.

Would you recommend learning Auslan as a LOTE? Definitely, it is such a good way to meet with

different people who want to link with the Deaf community.

What age do you think students should learn Auslan? It should be offered at all ages.

What are the benefits of learning Auslan? Meeting with new people. Being able to communicate

with the deaf. Learning about Deaf culture/history. Be able to help deaf students at school.

What knowledge have you gained about the Deaf Community through learning Auslan? I‟ve

learnt about the ways people overcome communication issues with non-signing people. How technol-

ogy has aided the deaf. I‟ve learnt how large the deaf community is.

What knowledge have you gained about the History of the Deaf in the program? I learnt all

about F.J. Rose and the first school for the deaf as well as the progression and improvement of educa-

tion for the deaf and hearing impaired.

Describe your own experience in the LOTE program. Auslan has been so much fun and opened so

many doors for me as a student. I loved learning a LOTE in a small class as well as learning a lan-

guage I can use everyday to benefit others.

Interview with Former LOTE VCE Auslan Students

Page 2 Auslan Teachers Association

of Victoria

We invent

the world

through

language.

The world

occurs

through

language. ~

Mal Pancoast

NIDS has produced 4 new DVDs in Auslan:

Please indicate which DVDs you wish to order:

PAYMENT: Cheque Credit Card (only) Master/Visa (pls circle) Cash

Credit Card Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Expiry Date / /

Name on Credit card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Organisation: _________________________________________________________________________

Postal address:________________________________________________________________________

Suburb: ________________________________State: _____________________Postcode: __________

E-mail: _______________________________________________________________________________

Tel: ________________________Mobile: ________________Fax:_______________________________

This project was funded by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

Auslan Colloquial Expressions

A series of Auslan colloquial expressions selected especially for use by students, teachers and interpreters.

Australian National Anthem

“Advance Australia Fair” in Auslan

A 13 minutes DVD with a discussion at the end of some of the Auslan signs used.

Indigenous Stories in Auslan

Two Indigenous stories in Auslan, including a discussion at the end of some indigenous signs used.

Children’s Stories in Auslan

Four traditional children’s stories signed in Auslan: The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, The Tortoise and the Hare, The Wind and the Sun

Price Quantity Amount

Auslan Colloquial Expressions $ 15 $

Australian National Anthem in Auslan $ 15 $

Indigenous Stories in Auslan $ 15 $

Children’s Stories in Auslan $ 15 $

P. & H. ($10) $ 10 $

Total amount (DVDs + P & H) $

GST (add 10% of total amount) + $

TOTAL (includes DVDs, P&H and GST) $

Page 3 Volume 1, Issue #4

Learning languages 'boosts brain' from BBC News at bbcnews.com

Auslan Teachers

Association of Victoria

Upcoming Events

“The Use of Space” PD Workshop Thursday, August 19th, 2010

6:15 pm - 8:00 pm at VicDeaf Society Annual AGM & PD Workshop Thursday, November 11th, 2010

6:30 pm—at VicDeaf Society

Make plans now to attend!

Announcements Languages Online—Cartoon Story

Maker Now Available

www.education.vic.gov.au/

langaugesonline

In the last issue, we talked about

one resource that is made available to us through Languages Online under the Education Department. With the Game-maker we can create games to help our students to

remember their Auslan vocabulary.

Now finally the Cartoon Story Maker is here, you can access this program and create your own cartoon stories. The stories will be excellent for the students to practise their communication and expressive skills. Of course, we all hope to see that this type of program will become 3-D, so the students can practise their reception skills as well. Let‟s hope for the best

Reminder:

We invite you to become a member of

ATAV to take advantage of the

benefits that will be offered within

this organisation. If you would like

to become a member, you can

contact us at the E-mail address

above and ask for a membership

form, and one will be sent to you.

Cost of membership is $50 per year.

We’re on the MLTAV website!

Check us out on

www.mltav.asn.au

Contact Details:

Email: atavictoria@aol.com Mailing list:

ATAV c/o PO Box 249

Blackburn South 3130

Learning a second language "boosts" brain-power, scientists believe.

Researchers from University College London studied the brains of 105 people - 80 of whom were bilingual.

They found learning other languages altered grey matter - the area of the brain which processes information - in the same way exercise builds muscles.

People who learned a second language at a younger age were also more likely to have more advanced grey matter than those who learned later, the team said.

Scientists already know the brain has the ability to change its structure as a result of stimulation - an effect known as plas-ticity - but this research demonstrates how learning languages develops it.

The team took scans of 25 Britons who did not speak a second language, 25 peo-

ple who had learned another European lan-guage before the age of five and 33 bilinguals who had learned a second language between 10 and 15 years old.

The scans revealed the density of the grey matter in the left inferior parietal cortex of the brain was greater in bilinguals than in those without a second language.

The effect was particularly noticeable in the "early" bilinguals, the findings pub-lished in the journal Nature revealed.

The findings were also replicated in a study of 22 native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and 34.

Lead researcher Andrea Mechelli, of the Institute of Neurology at UCL, said the

findings explained why younger people found it easier to learn second languages.

Impact

"It means that older learners won't be as fluent as people who learned earlier in life.”

"They won't be as good as early bilinguals who learned, for example, before the age of five or before the age of 10."

But Cilt, the national centre for languages, cast doubt on whether learning lan-guages was easier at a younger age.

A spokeswoman said: "There are conflicting views about the comparative impact of language learning in different age groups, based both on findings and anecdo-tal evidence."

However, she said it was important to get young people learning languages in the UK.

Only one in 10 UK workers can speak a foreign language, a recent survey re-vealed.

But by 2010 all primary schools will have to provide language lessons for chil-dren.

Learning languages enhances the brain, scientists believe

“It means that older learners won't be as fluent as people who learned earlier in life”

Andrea Mechelli, of University College London

Page 4