British Sign Language Immersion Weekend
Friday 13 – Sunday 15 June 2008 (Residential)
Course evaluation summary
Number of Participants: 17
Number
of Respondents: 17
Overall Assessment:
How will you use what you have learned in the activities you
selected (please specify which ones these were)?
Conversational skills and describing skills and new vocabulary. (Museum
of childhood and Zoo).
I have a better understanding of BSL and feel I can give a more informed
choice to parents of newly diagnosed deaf children. I will be able
to use BSL a little more accurately when working with pupils and can
explain how to transcribe into signed English or SSE or the written. Vocabulary
extension has been a real plus too and learning other signs for same
word.
Overall improvement of my signing. Better understanding of classifiers,
organisation of signing space and order of details from general to specific
in giving information or telling story.
Shopping Tour, Deaf History Tour. Practising BSL and learning new
signs and ways of using them can only improve my own signing with clients.
As basis for further development and practice, descriptions of objects
etc, using structures set out in Museum workshop.
Visited the museum. Tour showed students how to explain objects,
how to start, position of person going into detail. Made the exercise
fun and interesting. Thought the tutors were great interacting
with students at all times. Deaf Heritage Tour gave great knowledge
of dedicated people to the deaf in the past up until now. All tutors
knowledge is firstclass.
Museum of Childhood, Deaf Heritage Tour. To enhance vocabulary
and grammar.
Museum and Tour. Museum - excellent learning environment. Well
thought out and informative. Helped clarify a lot of misunderstandings.
Tour - excellent info. Would be good to have John do tours for
secondary pupils. I'm sure they would find it most interesting. Could
that be arranged annually - would ensure deaf pupils had opportunity
to do Deaf Studies to some degree?
My first activity was 'Shopping' with Beth Harte. I
learned how to describe and sign about clothing items in a different
way, and I also learned some new vocabulary, which I will remember and
use in the future. In the afternoon I was on 'Deaf History
Tour' with John Hay, which was excellent. It was very interesting
and he was very knowledgeable and I will go and read more about it when
I’m home.
Deaf Tour - John Hay, very interesting, really knowledgeable, would probably
read more info. Showed and discussed lots of things about Edinburgh
- really enjoyed tour. Zoo - Tracey and Christine - Both really
nice girls helped to improve my use of BSL and descriptions of animals.
Zoo - my class will be studying animals next term - we will probably
go to the zoo. Museum of Childhood - general signing, descriptions. Class
topic next term - things from the past.
Shopping - will practise clarifying signs (describing objects). Deaf
Heritage Tour - Very interesting and informative (knowledge may
be of use for upper school).
Very good morning with Ronnie - learned lots of grammar points and order.
Also will use these to explain DVD sign stories with my pupil.
My skills have globally improved which will impinge on my teaching -
more vocab, better usage. It is difficult to keep skills up when
isolated so this is great opportunity.
Be more aware of structure, grammar of BSL. Encourage BSL tutor to focus
on this to embed skills. Use this as a base for further development.
(Shopping and Museum of Childhood).
John Hay (Tour) Zoo (Tracey and Christine). Great to be with BSL
signers and have great conversation that hopefully I will be able to
pass on to everyone I meet.
Deaf Heritage Guided Tour - New vocabulary. Museum of Childhood
- Refresher on BSL lip patterns and order of description of objects.
What was best about the course/event?
Ronnie Harte - Very clear presentation and made it make sense.
Learning so much in an enjoyable and meaningful way. Networking. The
venue, meal out etc were all superb and it's been a real break.
Been fantastic meeting such lovely deaf tutors on a social level too.
Quality of tutors, especially Ronnie Harte, and the manner in which the
content was delivered. Excellent opportunities to see, practise,
repeat. Good number of people/students to allow for different abilities
and to give support to each other. Activities encouraged natural
use of BSL, not artificial classroom situation, plus conversational signing.
Also good to meet other BSL users and assess own ability/improvement
especially when not in contact with many BSL users at work or home.
In two days I have been signing more than in the last three years - and
with deaf people who had great BSL.
Interaction with other professionals. Tutors were well prepared. Welcome
received. Meal/socialising Saturday evening.
Tutors were excellent, made students feel at ease. Tutors were
very patient when explaining things. Meeting people from other
working backgrounds.
Meeting other post level 2 learners, getting to watch deaf BSL users
for extended periods of time.
Relaxed environment. Well supported in activities by deaf tutors. Never
made to feel inadequate when signing. Days well organised.
For me because I have a deaf son and work with deaf children I loved
the Deaf Heritage Tour. I would like to see this weekend happening
ever year with maybe different events because I found everything about
it very enjoyable and valuable.
Generally being with BSL users was great opportunity to mix and improve
on skills I already have.
Ronnie Harte! Learned a lot in such a short space of time. Wish
someone had told me rules when I started signing eg, general classifiers
- specific - function. Brilliant!
Good opportunity to improve BSL skills in a relaxing environment.
Giving me confidence to try signing more opportunity to practise conversation
in a relaxed way. Met lots of interesting people.
Immersion. Good quality role models. Organisation - obviously
lots of planning had gone into it.
Museum of Childhood was excellent!! Mr Harte, very enthusiastic and excellent
explanations of BSL "rules".
John Hay tour.
Meeting other sign language students who have different jobs to learn
of their experiences.
How would you rate the following: Excellent = 1; Poor = 5
Enhancement to your expertise |
1.35 |
Content and supplementary material |
1.53 |
How would you rate the following: Excellent = 1; Poor = 5
Clarity of presentation |
1.41 |
Pacing of course/event |
1.47 |
What, if anything, could have been improved about the course?
I think it would be of benefit to have more voice off time but this would
be difficult to enforce.
Only thing is on the zoo trip, the learning experience wasn't as
good. More vocab exercise. However, very relaxed and enjoyable.
Felt that visit to Zoo was a lost opportunity. Compared to morning
visit to Museum not structured, basically turned into vocabulary exercise.
Both Catherine and Tracey friendly, pleasant, approachable but no effective
teaching or reinforcement of BSL features.
Maybe a bit less "walking" the next time. But I loved
signing in locations.
Friday evening finish a little late after working all day.
Nothing, the course was well organised. I thought that for the
first time it ran smoothly and everyone was catered for.
Perhaps a wider range of attendees and more group activities on Saturday.
Tour too long and difficult if weather is poor - holding umbrellas, bags
and trying to sign.
Maybe accessing more activities.
Friday night was very intense after working all day but it was good.
Shopping trip to be more structured - spent more time wandering about
than signing - maybe offer a different activity instead.
Nothing really.
More time as usual. Maybe less content to give more time.
Friday night ran very late, very difficult to stay focused, especially
after day's work.
I really liked being outdoors - this is the first time I have been on
a course like this.
I would like to see some fingerspelling practice (receptive) or better
still, a separate course for this skill.
Any other comments regarding the course?
Well planned and organised. Excellent!
When's the next one - I'll come again! How about other 'free'
venues around the city - galleries, gardens etc, - if this would keep
the cost down. Found signing around venue fantastic to encourage
joint focus. Wine
lovely idea/welcome at Friday meal but not expected - another possible
cost cutter?
Meeting other students and finding the quality of their signing and fingerspelling.
It gives me incentive to improve.
Great weekend. Well done Eileen! Thank you - thoroughly enjoyed
it. Hope to have a follow up.
Restaurant was fantastic on Saturday evening. Had a great time
in general and very impressed with tutors.
A most enjoyable way to improve my communication skills in a real setting.
As time for lunch became short a list of reasonable restaurants close
to Moray House would have been useful. Or may be arrange a packed
lunch?
Thoroughly enjoyed weekend - very useful mixing and meeting other deaf
adults/BSL users.
We had to get funding from Deaf and Dumb Society in Glasgow. Not
sure if we could get again, but I could not afford to pay myself.
I thought all the presenters were very patient and supportive, even in
their free time. If cost is too high for future courses, I would
be happy to provide own accommodation, meals etc, or only stay one night,
or one day course.
Location and Venue
Convenient location for this course: No Response 8; Yes 9; No
Excellent = 1; Poor = 5
Convenience of venue |
1.23 |
Quality of venue |
1.06 |
Likely to attend if venue was used again:No Response 1; Likely 16; Less Likely
Outcomes Assessment
If you are a teacher, how would you rate this course in relation
to the following "Chartered Teacher Standard" components:
Very useful = 1; not useful = 5
|
your professional values and personal commitment |
1.25 |
|
your professional knowledge and understanding |
1.14 |
|
your professional and personal attributes |
1.14 |