Pedagogy and Instructional Practice for ASL
This domain tests how you plan, deliver, and reflect on ASL instruction for hearing L2 learners and deaf or hard of hearing students. Items ask you to choose an approach, design a task, or respond to a classroom scenario.
Frameworks and approaches
- Communicative competence (Canale and Swain): grammatical, sociolinguistic, discourse, and strategic competence; the goal is use, not sign lists.
- ACTFL's five Cs: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, Communities; proficiency levels and Can-Do statements guide objectives.
- Backward design: identify desired results, determine acceptable evidence, then plan learning experiences.
- Comprehensible input and sheltered signing: adjust pace, repetition, and context rather than translating into English.
- ASL-only or voice-off classrooms support visual access; semicircular seating, good lighting, and clear sightlines are non-negotiable.
Planning and delivery
- Teach grammar in context: non-manual markers, role shift, and use of space are taught through tasks, not English glosses.
- Use authentic texts (vlogs, ASL literature, interviews) and information-gap tasks; scaffold with modeling, repetition, and feedback on comprehensibility.
- Integrate culture: name signs, attention-getting norms, directness, and Deaf community resources.
- Record students on video for self-assessment and teacher feedback on production.
- Differentiate for heritage signers, L2 learners, and Deaf students with varied language backgrounds.
Worked example
You are planning a unit on ordering food. Objectives are written as Can-Do statements: "I can order a meal, ask about ingredients, and repair a misunderstanding." Input: a Deaf vlogger's restaurant story. Practice: an information-gap menu task in pairs, voice off. Assessment: an integrated performance assessment with interpretive (watch and answer), interpersonal (role-play ordering), and presentational (describe a favorite meal) tasks, scored with a rubric for comprehensibility, grammar, and cultural appropriateness. Avoiding an English-to-ASL translation worksheet is a deliberate design choice.
Traps
- Teaching vocabulary as isolated signs matched to English words.
- Using English word order as the model for ASL sentences.
- Neglecting non-manual grammar and role shift in feedback.
- Treating "no voice" as sufficient for communicative teaching.
- Assuming a fluent Deaf signer is automatically prepared to teach; content knowledge and pedagogy are separate.