That Roger ASL

Onto the next course! I started this blog with the course PIDP 3100 Foundations of Adult Education. Now, I am on my second course PIDP 3260 Continuing Professional Development. I'm profoundly Deaf since birth and fluent in American Sign Language (ASL).  I am currently working as ASL consultant for a TV show being produced here in Vancouver. It's been a great experience being in a such new environment. To teach the film crew ASL, I posted video clips on Instagram specifically for them:  ASL for film . I took the  Teaching Perspectives Inventory and my results show that my style is Apprenticeship and Nurturing. I agree with the results because as I teach ASL, I incorporate a lot of mentorship, patience and moral support!  Some of my Personal and Professional Values: - Being Deaf is a cultural identity, not a disability. Deaf people have their own language, culture and community. - ASL should be taught only by Deaf people. - ASL Students must also learn Deaf culture an...

You can get started with learning ASL right away online!  A Google Search for 'Free ASL Classes' led me to a post on Lifewire.com that lists sixteen different free resources  online! If you enjoy using Instagram, there are a lot of content creators that post "how to sign" video clips regularly, including a local Vancouver Deaf person Amar Mangat , his Instagram account is signwithamar .  YouTube has a lot of ASL Content from ASL Teachers like  Bill Vicars  in the video below! Enjoy!   ©  Roger Desmarais, 2022 

Photo from Arcana.com I met with a classmate, Hardeep Kaur, via Zoom to discuss Trends in Adult Education. Hardeep has a background in Chemistry and has seven years experience teaching. From our Zoom Chat, Hardeep shared with me: Trends in Chemistry: Hardeep recognizes that sustainability is a important trend in the Chemistry field right now. For our Earth's long term survival, there is increased emphasis of sustainability. There is a lot of biochemical waste as result of teaching and learning Chemistry, so the principles of sustainability also need to be applied in the classroom and learning process.  Trends in Adult Education: Hardeep stated that during the coronavirus pandemic, lots people found themselves isolated and because humans are social creatures, this affected their spirituality and mental health.  Now as a result, people are spending more time and energy attending to their spirituality and mental health.   Also, Hardeep recognizes that nowadays education...

 Photo from ListenwithLindsay.com While Googling ASL Education, I came across Lindsay Cockburn's website with a post outlining Tips on Learning Sign Language as an Adult I liked reading this because it gave me insight on the Adult Learner's perspective when it comes to learning ASL. The tips are really good and I agree with them. I especially like that the learner is encouraged to follow Deaf news. I have followed  The Daily Moth for many years, it is a great source of news in ASL. It covers both general news and also news that is relevant to Deaf community. It is a great way to observe ASL and also learn about the Deaf community!

Photo from Weforum.or g I remember around 2006 when I first learnt people could get Bachelor's Degree by doing courses by correspondence at Athabasca University in Alberta, I was extremely skeptical that it was legit! Now I realize that Athabasca University was simply the "first Canadian University to specialize in Distance Learning" ( Wikipedia ) and that my skepticism was only because it was a new concept to me.  Since then, Online Learning (synonymous with Distance Learning) has gained traction as a viable route for formal post-secondary education. In the last couple years enrollment globally has more than doubled, due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.   These 3 charts show the global growth in online learning The pandemic changed how the world looks at online education! When I do a Google Search "ASL Classes Online", I get results of many different online learning options within BC and Canada. I see that even now, online learning is an option even when the educat...

Photo from Newsweek.com ASL (American Sign Language) got a lot more exposure over the last couple years thanks to the Coronavirus Pandemic and the movie "CODA" Oscar win for Best Picture of 2022.  As a result, a lot more people are now interested in learning ASL.  ’It’s becoming more popular’: interest in ASL grows due to its visibility during pandemic During the coronavirus pandemic, there were constant updates in all major cities in North America. A lot of press briefings had ASL interpreters visible on screen- so that the information being shared was accessible to Deaf people. Because the press briefings were so frequent, ASL interpreters got a lot of screen-time, so people were exposed to ASL whenever they wanted to get updates on the pandemic. 'CODA' Oscar Wins Sent Sign Language Searches Skyrocketing in U.S. At the 2022 Academy awards, the movie "CODA" won Best Picture and also Troy Kostur won for Best Supporting Actor. The movie "CODA" featu...

Photo from Madi Bennett I was born Deaf and grew up understanding the world through my primary language of ASL (American Sign Language), which I used to acquire my second language of English. My educational journey consists of both Deaf and Hearing Worlds.  Note: "Hearing" indicates people and spaces that are not Deaf and the majority do not know ASL. In the Hearing World, an ASL Interpreter is necessary for access. - Attended Deaf Preschool - Deaf School, From Kindergarten to Grade 2 - Hearing Elementary School for Grade 3, with Interpreter - Deaf School, Grade 4 to 7 - Hearing High-school, Grade 8-12, with Interpreter - Deaf University (Gallaudet University) for 2 years - Hearing Institute of Technology (BCIT) for 2 years, with Interpreter   - Currently taking courses at a Hearing College (VCC), with Interpreter For me personally, being in the Deaf World where I can use my native language of ASL has been the best experiences of my educational journey. However, access to...