Auslan (Version 8.4)

Understand how Auslan works

Introduction

As a native user of Auslan, and as an advocate for the language and for the Deaf community, I am thrilled to see a national curriculum in Auslan come to fruition. For the first time, deaf children will have access to a formal first language learner pathway for acquiring Auslan, acknowledging their status and strengths as visual learners and offering a ‘Deaf gain’ perspective to their lives.

Rationale

The formal study of Auslan contributes to the overall intellectual and social enrichment of both first language (L1) and second language (L2) learners by providing:

opportunities for engagement with the Deaf community and insight into its rich cultural heritage

Aims

The Australian Curriculum: Languages – Auslan aims to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to enable students to:

communicate in Auslan
understand language, culture and learning and their relationship, and thereby develop an intercultural capability in communication

Learning Auslan

Some linguistic features of Auslan are similar to properties found in spoken languages and others are not. For example, the 26 fingerspelled letters of the Auslan alphabet are based on the 26 letters of English.

Learner diversity and learner pathways

Pathways
There is diversity in the background of learners of Auslan. Learners may be deaf, hard of hearing or hearing, and may be learning Auslan as a first language or as a second language.

Developing teaching and learning

Sequences of learning
The Australian Curriculum: Languages – Auslan has two learning sequences: one from Foundation to Year 10, and another from Year 7 to Year 10 (Year 7 Entry).

PDF documents

Resources and support materials for the Australian Curriculum: Languages – Auslan are available as PDF documents.
Languages - Auslan: Auslan glossing conventions and principles
Languages - Auslan: Auslan Glossary

Glossary

Context Statement

Years F–10 Sequence

The second language learner (L2) pathway caters for students learning Auslan as a second or additional language. This will usually be students who are not members of the Deaf community; typically, hearing students who may or may not already know a second language. The L2 pathway may also include deaf or hard of hearing children already fluent in another language, such as a different signed language in the case of a recent immigrant, or spoken English for some deaf children who have residual hearing or access to speech. These students are introduced to Auslan as a language to add to their existing linguistic repertoire. Teachers will use the curriculum to cater for learners of different backgrounds by making appropriate adjustments to differentiate learning experiences.

The first language of most L2 students will be a spoken language, and this pathway gives them an opportunity to study a language that is very different from a spoken language. If L2 learners are learning in a school attended by deaf students, they will have a unique opportunity to use their new language on a daily basis in an authentic context.

L2 programs occur with constant involvement from a variety of fluent signers from the community. A key expectation is that students will have opportunities to interact with elders and members of the Deaf community.

Years 7–10 (Year 7 Entry) Sequence

The second language learner pathway Years 7–10 sequence offers students the opportunity to learn Auslan as a second or additional language commencing in their first year of high school. These learners are typically hearing students with little prior exposure to the language or to the Deaf community; but many will have learnt an additional language in primary school and some have proficiency in different home languages. They consequently bring existing language learning strategies and intercultural awareness to the new experience of learning Auslan. This cohort also includes deaf or hard of hearing students already fluent in another language, such as different signed languages in the case of recent immigrants or spoken English for deaf children who have residual hearing or access to speech. These students are introduced to Auslan to add to their existing linguistic repertoire. Teachers will use the curriculum to cater for learners of different backgrounds by making appropriate adjustments to differentiate learning experiences.

The first language of most L2 students will be a spoken language, and this pathway provides an opportunity to study a language that is very different from a spoken language. L2 learners learning in a school attended by deaf students have a unique opportunity to use their new language on a daily basis in an authentic context.

Years 3 and 4

Years 3 and 4 Band Description

The nature of the learners

Learners at this level are developing their cognitive and social capabilities and their communicative repertoire in the language, as well as becoming increasingly aware of their social worlds and their membership of various groups, including their Auslan class. They are more independent and less egocentric, enjoying both competitive and cooperative activities. They are able to conceptualise and reason, and have better memory and focus. They benefit from varied, activity-based learning that builds on their interests and capabilities and makes connections with other areas of learning.

Auslan learning and use

Learners in this band engage in a range of activities in Auslan and share ideas about the language. They respond to teacher-generated questions about texts, participate in games and give brief presentations about topics such as family, pets, or a favourite game or object. They continue to build vocabulary for thinking and talking about school topics. The language used in routine activities is re-used and reinforced from lesson to lesson in different situations, making connections between what has been learnt and what is to be learnt. Learners follow instructions, watch stories and participate in creating short texts on topics relevant to their interests and enjoyment, such as family, pets, favourite activities or food. They recount experiences, interact with visitors, follow directions, negotiate roles in a group and retell important information.

Contexts of interaction

Learning occurs largely through interaction with peers and the teaching team in the language classroom and the broader school environment, with some sharing of their learning at home. They also have some access to the wider Deaf community and resources through virtual and digital technology. The familiarity and routine dimension of the classroom context provide scaffolding and opportunities for language practice and experimentation.

Texts and resources

Learners typically interact with teacher-generated materials, games and songs, and materials produced for learning Auslan, such as computer games or online videos. They may be exposed to texts developed for deaf children as a way of developing their cultural awareness.

Features of Auslan use

Learners at this stage are increasingly aware of differences between Auslan and English. They are developing a wide range of vocabulary and can use simple clause structures to generate their own ideas in structured tasks. They use depicting signs to talk about simple movements and shapes, and with support can represent the viewpoint of a single participant through constructed action. They begin modifying more indicating verbs for present referents and use specific time marking incorporating numerals in their recounts. They are learning to use NMFs to mark manner on verbs or to express negation. Students at this level explore cultural constructs and practices and the language associated with these. Metalinguistically, learners can describe differences between how to show or tell about an event, understand that adverbs modify verbs and that clauses contain what happened, who was involved and surrounding circumstances.

Level of support

The primary support for learners is the Auslan teacher, who provides instruction, explanation, examples, repetition, reinforcement and feedback. Learners create their own texts based on modelled language and teacher guidance. Form-focused activities, particularly those increasing metalinguistic awareness, build students’ grammatical knowledge and support the development of accuracy and control in Auslan. Tasks and activities are carefully scaffolded and resourced with supports such as pictures, flashcards, gestures, objects and multimedia. Discussion supports learning and develops learners’ conceptual frame for talking about systems of language and culture.

The role of English

Learners use Auslan for classroom routines and structured learning tasks, and for watching texts. They are supported by the teacher to notice and discuss aspects of Auslan and Deaf culture, and to compare Auslan to other known languages and cultures. English is used for class discussions when noticing, comparing and reflecting on both English and Auslan, as well as for accessing some printed material related to topics in the Understanding strand.

Years 3 and 4 Content Descriptions

Communicating

Socialising

Communicate with each other and with teachers about aspects of their personal worlds, daily routines, preferences and pastimes

[Key concepts: routines, interests, personal worlds; Key processes: recounting, describing, expressing preferences] (ACLASFC145 - Scootle )

Participate in shared learning activities that involve planning, transacting and problem-solving, using simple signed statements, questions and directions

[Key concepts: task, role, responsibility, clarification, encouragement; Key processes: collaborating, following directions, negotiating, asking for help] (ACLASFC146 - Scootle )

Respond to questions, directions and requests, using non-manual features and simple questions and statements to ask for help, to indicate understanding or agreement and to negotiate turn-taking

[Key concepts: instruction, clarification, turn-taking, back-channel, attention, eye contact; Key processes: responding, asking for help, turn-taking, using back-channel, gaining attention] (ACLASFC147 - Scootle )

Informing

Organise and summarise key points of information obtained from different types of Auslan texts

[Key concepts: sequence, information, format; Key processes: organising, summarising, identifying, surveying, retelling, recording] (ACLASFC148 - Scootle )

Present information associated with their home, school and community activities and routines, using signed descriptions and visual prompts

[Key concepts: recount, description, sequence; Key processes: presenting, demonstrating, recounting] (ACLASFC149 - Scootle )

Creating

Engage with different types of imaginative texts, identifying favourite elements, characters and events and responding through modelled signing, actions and drawing

[Key concepts: story, character, response; Key processes: responding, comparing, retelling, drawing] (ACLASFC150 - Scootle )

Create simple texts that demonstrate imagination and playfulness, using familiar signs, gestures, modelled language and visual supports

[Key concepts: play, imagination, character; Key processes: creating, performing, retelling] (ACLASFC151 - Scootle )

Translating

Translate high-frequency signs/words and expressions in simple texts such as repeated lines in a story, noticing which ones are difficult to interpret

[Key concepts: similarity, difference, meaning; Key processes: matching, noticing, identifying, translating] (ACLASFC152 - Scootle )

Create bilingual versions of texts such as English captioned recordings of Auslan phrases

[Key concepts: meaning, representation; Key processes: creating] (ACLASFC153 - Scootle )

Identity

Consider how their ways of communicating and responding to each other shape and reflect their sense of identity

[Key concepts: identity, similarity, difference, community, membership, communication; Key processes: observing, identifying, creating, noticing, discussing, comparing] (ACLASFC154 - Scootle )

Reflecting

Describe ways in which communicating and behaving when using Auslan are similar to or different from their use of their own language(s) and forms of cultural expression

[Key concepts: language, culture, values, similarity, difference, communication; Key processes: noticing, comparing, describing, explaining, questioning, reflecting] (ACLASFC155 - Scootle )

Years 3 and 4 Achievement Standards

Achievement Standard

By the end of Year 4, students participate in classroom routines and structured interactions with teachers and peers. They communicate about daily routines, interests and pastimes; recount personal experiences and classroom events; and describe people, experiences or activities using simple depicting signs, such as DS:run-around-oval THEN DS:sit-in-circle. They express preferences, follow directions and ask for clarification or help. They play games that involve making choices, exchanging information and negotiating turn-taking. They use non-manual features to indicate understanding, interest or lack of interest. They use culturally appropriate protocols, such as gaining attention by waving, tapping or pointing to alert third parties and maintain eye contact when communicating, for example PRO2 MEAN or … RIGHT PRO1? They identify, summarise/paraphrase and retell key points of information in signed texts such as announcements, directions for a game or presentations by visitors, for example PRO1 FIRST YOUR-TURN. They recount in correct sequence the main points of an event or favourite elements of a signed story, using modified indicating verbs, such as POSS1 FAVOURITE PART PRO3 TAKE MONEY THEN RUN-_that _direction. They present routine class information, such as weather reports or daily schedules, using visual prompts and signed descriptions. They create their own simple imaginative texts and retell wordless animations using familiar signs, gestures, modelled language and visual supports. They translate high-frequency signs/words and expressions in simple texts. They reflect on their own cultural identity and ways of communicating in light of their experience of learning Auslan.

Students compare fingerspelling with written English, noticing that it can be used for whole words or for parts of words. They recognise that there are signs that have no single English word equivalent, and know that signs can be displaced in space for different purposes, such as to show locations or different participants in a verb. They know that signing involves telling, depicting or enacting. They recognise variation in how Auslan is used, for example by recognising regional dialects and differences in signing space. They identify different ways Deaf community members communicate with each other and with members of the wider hearing community, for example, face to face, via technology, social media and interpreters. They know that culture is closely related to language and to identity and involves both visible and invisible elements.