Target group: deaf sign language instructors; deaf people aspiring to become instructors
Prerequisites: courses A1- A6 , B1
Type of course: seminar
Level: intermediate
Language of instruction: German Sign Language
Length: 2 x 2 weeks, 7 hours of instruction daily plus internship
Total hours: 140
Proportion of independent work: appx. 100 hours
There is a great demand for sign language courses and therefore for qualified sign language instructors all over Europe. This demand is growing quickly due to changes in schools and adult education for the deaf. In contrast, the development of appropriate sign language course concepts is in many areas still in very early stages due to the lack of appropriate lesson material and qualified sign language instructors.
In the past 20 years it has been necessary to simultaneously develop course concepts and to train instructors, although there were few well developed course and training concepts available in Europe. This situation has changed for the German-speaking areas. The GSL basic course, developed at the Center for German Sign Language on the basis of the VISTA program, serves as a foundation for the training of sign language instructors.
Participants in this seminar must have successfully completed course B1 or have equivalent previous knowledge. Course B1 offers a look at the structure, the multi-media materials, the didactic concept as well as the actual composition of a GSL basic course and its realization.
The goal of this seminar (B2) is to train deaf persons to be sign language instructors. In the seminar, the participants will be prepared to teach single lessons of the GSL basic course independently as sample lessons. Following the lessons, the future instructors will discuss and evaluate their experiences in a group setting. In this way the participants will achieve the necessary knowledge to work independently as a sign language instructor and to use their own experiences in training other instructors.
In addition to the training in using the GSL basic course, the participants will take part in internships at different training institutions in Germany. In this way they will become acquainted with the practical application of the GSL basic course as well as with alternative course concepts. Internships in Hamburg, Zwickau and Stuttgart are planned.
A further goal of these internships is to learn how the GSL basic course can be suited to the different dialects in the German-speaking areas and how it can be further developed. In this seminar the participants will not gather enough experience to conceive and realize sign language courses independently. For those participants interested in achieving such a level of knowledge, we recommend participation in the cooperation project B3, designed for experienced sign language researchers who are well-versed in the contents of the courses A1 - A6 as well as B1 and B2. The goal of this project is to achieve an international cooperation over a period of years.
Instructors' qualifications:
The seminar will be led by experienced deaf instructors who developed and tested the GSL basic course and who have been sign language instructors for many years.