Year 7 has been enthusiastically learning Auslan this term as their Language Other Than English. LOTE provides the opportunity for students to experience another culture, their language, history and geography. Auslan does not have its own geography however the history is fascinating and culture is important for us to understand.
Being deaf or hearing impaired is not a disability but rather a different way of being. Learning Auslan will make our students more skilled, empathetic and inclusive within their immediate community.
In class we have learned the alphabet, general hand signs and basic words and greetings. Students have loved learning this language and have put it to good use within their friendship groups as they strive to communicate visually as well as verbally. We had quite a fun time creating clues for a scavenger hunt that teams then had to interpret to find their way around the school. Students learned about the need to sign clearly and explain thoroughly for the best results!