British Sign Language (BSL)

Course details

Course Goal: To equip participants with a foundational understanding of British Sign Language (BSL) and basic communicative skills within the language.
Target Audience: Individuals with no prior knowledge of BSL who are interested in learning basic communication skills in the language.
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
Understand and use basic greetings and introductions.
Communicate basic personal information (, name, age, occupation, family).
Understand and use simple vocabulary related to everyday topics (, food, colors, numbers, family, animals).
Acquire basic BSL grammar including sentence structure, pronouns, and basic verb conjugations.
Develop basic fingerspelling skills for the English alphabet.
Understand and use basic BSL communication strategies.
Gain a basic understanding of Deaf culture and communication etiquette in the UK.
Engage in simple conversations with other learners and the instructor.
Course Content:
Module 1: Introduction to BSL and Deaf Culture
History and culture of the Deaf community in the UK.
Basic communication principles in BSL.
Introduction to fingerspelling the alphabet.

Module 2: Greetings and Introductions
Greetings and goodbyes (hello, goodbye, how are you?).
Introducing oneself and others.
Asking and answering basic questions (, "What is your name?", "Where do you live?").

Module 3: Everyday Vocabulary
Numbers 1-100, colors, days of the week, months of the year.
Family members, food and drinks, common objects.

Module 4: Basic Grammar
Subject-verb-object sentence structure.
Pronouns (I, you, he/she/it, we, they).
Simple present tense verbs (to be, to have, to do).

Module 5: Communication in Everyday Situations
Asking for and giving directions.
Shopping and ordering food.
Talking about hobbies and interests.
Basic travel vocabulary.

Module 6: Deaf Culture and Communication Etiquette
Eye contact and body language in BSL communication.
Turn-taking and appropriate conversational behavior.
Understanding and respecting Deaf cultural norms.

Teaching Methods:
Interactive lectures and demonstrations.
Group activities and role-playing exercises.
Use of visual aids (videos, pictures, flashcards).
Hands-on practice and peer feedback.
Deaf awareness discussions.
Assessment:
Class participation and active engagement.
Short quizzes on vocabulary and grammar.
Role-playing exercises.
Short presentations in BSL.
Informal assessments of communication skills. Updated on 27 January, 2025