Reading Methodology for Deaf Children
Supalla
reader . She read the gloss passage with accuracy for the most part . Some predictable reading behaviors such as skipping a word and making a self-correction occurred , but they were not enough to hamper the reading process . The child used the RB once for an unfamiliar word that she encountered , which was IN-A-HURRY . The English word identification was successful , and the child signed the word and continued reading the rest of the gloss passage .
Closing Remarks
The research reports for deaf children using the glossing approach for reading instruction at the word and sentence levels have ramifications for the field of deaf education . The various reading behaviors point to the reality of signed language reading . The skills are measurable or observable , at least preliminarily . The key concepts associated with sounds , phonics , phonemic awareness , reading-aloud , and sounding out are internal to signed language reading . It is important to keep in mind that the research reports discussed in this paper cover the glossing approach to reading instruction partially . What has yet to be discussed ( based on the data ) is how deaf children experience a full transition to English literacy through the perusal of comparative analysis and the teaching of English language lessons on regular basis . This component is integral to the glossing approach as much as the gloss books and the RB . A future paper will need to include the comparative analysis lessons as taught in the classroom and demonstrate how deaf children participate and learn about English .
In addition , any coverage on how deaf children make progress with signed languagebased reading skills over time is lacking . Publishing a doctoral dissertation work on this topic ( Cripps , 2008 ) will be an important step , as the results can be positive and insightful . For now , while the number of deaf students whose data is included in this paper is small , it is still appropriate for understanding the feasibility of signed language reading . As a whole , the signed language reading research is in its infancy , yet primed for expansion .
The importance of signed language reading cannot be further emphasized . Easterbrooks ( 2010 ) explained that " the evidence base in deaf education tends to be woefully lacking " ( p . 111 ) is a serious matter . Because reading has been equated with spoken language , teachers of the deaf are stymied in what they can do about reading instruction . This environment is not conducive to creating or gathering evidence for best practices when reading is tied to hearing ability . With this paper , deaf education experts can now consider the glossing approach for teaching reading to deaf children , especially with its cross-linguistic features . The notion of deaf children using ASL to decode English ( as part of becoming literate in a language they do not hear ) is attractive in its own right . This option exceeds what reading theories offer ( as they focus on how children become literate in one language at a time ). Shaping the education of deaf children based on what hearing children experience with reading is inappropriate and restrictive . Reading theories need to account for all children , including those who are deaf and have a unique way of learning and mastering English literacy .
In retrospect , the basic idea of signed language reading first attempted in nineteenth century France where deaf children learned to read in French Sign Language is something that all teachers of the deaf should know and appreciate . The resurgence of signed language reading as reported for a charter school in the United States centers on a more complex framework connecting ASL to English literacy . This is where text manipulation comes into the picture and becomes the key component of signed language reading . The curriculum , instruction , and assessment alignment is also found to be necessary to ensure that deaf children experience a
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