writing by hand - not so easy ? -

[Ingvild Roald]

I agrre with Valerie, Stefan, it is important that your students may try
to write their own signs. I thought they already did this? I have seen
photos from you where they are writing on the blackboars, haven't I?
Anyway, practice, with the possibility to make mistakes, is important in
all learning. And if SignWritng is ever to become the written form of the
sign languages, it is important that it is not only typed but also
hand-written. I am sure your students will want to take down notes, or
write letters, or whatever, in their own handwriting. And it will take
time - and time is so precious when we are teaching the Deaf kids, because
of all they miss that comes freely trough the air for us who can hear.
Would they like to make stuff at home, like writing the sign-names of
their family for gift-tags or greeting-cards, then the rest of the family
would have to use 'their' language to know whom it is for ... Just an
idea, I'm sure you have many.

The important thing is that they do their own writing - at least most of
the time.

Good luck,

Ingvild

SignWriting List <SW-L at ADMIN.HUMBERC.ON.CA> skriver:
>SignWriting List
>December 2, 2003
>
>On Nov 25, 2003, at 8:25 AM, Stefan Woehrmann wrote:
>> They have got the problem to formulate ideas, stories on their own.
>> Most of
>> the students started to interact in SL not until before they became 6
>> or 7
>> years old. Sometimes I am afraid that we lost this first
>> speachdevelopement - phase -- And now we are struggling ...
>> Nevertheless - I am curious to use any means to improve their
>> expressive
>> skills.
>
>Stefan and Everyone -
>It has been a holiday week here, so it is possible that the teachers in
>the US did not see your question...But attached is a nice photo of a
>Deaf child in Brazil writing rows and rows for practice...They produced
>some great handwritten documents later...Antonio Carlos posted them on
>his web site...go to:
>
>Brazilian SW Handwriting and Students
>http://gmc.ucpel.tche.br/signwriting/frei-pacifico/
>
>I do not know if writing SignWriting by hand will help increase your
>Deaf student's expressive skills...no proof of anything...but I can
>hardly see how it would hurt them?...When students only paste signs
>already written for them, in the dictionary in SignWriter, that keeps
>them from practicing how to write or type...that actually might be
>holding their development back...you never know until you test with and
>without....you may find their speech skills improve when they write
>SignWriting on their own, because some deaf students get so excited to
>express themselves in written Sign, that they rush over to a hearing
>person and start vocalizing...I have heard of this now several
>times...so I would suggest testing it...Albuquerque, as far as I know,
>is in the same boat with you, Stefan...they got dependent on pasting
>signs from the dictionary too, but there are some students who write by
>hand on their own, because they choose to...
>
>I believe you told me, Stefan, that a Deaf co-worker of yours writes
>pages of SignWriting by hand and faxes it to you? That is
>wonderful...if nothing more the handwriting is useful for those who do
>not have computers... Val ;-)
>
>
>
>