Blog 1

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/15/AR2009101501373.html

I chose this above link because it talks about how some teachers are starting to use Sign Language in their classrooms to manage activities. Obviously, I am interested in American Sign Language, and this article grabbed my attention. It relates to me because every year I go into my mom's second grade classroom and teach her students basic signs. Just like the article mentions, it is an effective approach, for it doesn't disrupt class. Students can use signs or letter signs for different uses. For example, if they need to sharpen their pencil or use the restroom, they can use the sign designed by the teacher during a lecture. In that way, the teacher can nod yes or no and the students can continue to learn without having the entire focus be on that one student while disrupting classroom learning. I think if most teachers in younger classrooms, maybe kindergarten-5th grades, used this technique, managing a classroom would be way easier!! Not only would this make classrooms more controlled, but more students may even be compelled to learn more about Sign Language and its role in the world.