My Learning Plan
Learner Name: Nibras Syed Mahmood | Semester: Spring 2021 |
Language: ASL | Course: SDLC 105, 110 |
Where are you now? What can you do? What do you know?
Use the Levels of Competence document and the LinguaFolio® checklists to assess your current abilities in your language. For more information, see the SDLAP Wiki.
Interpersonal Communication
Beginner, no ASL experience.
Interpretive Listening
Beginner, no ASL experience.
Interpretive Reading
Beginner, no ASL experience.
Presentational Speaking
Beginner, no ASL experience.
Presentational Writing
Beginner, no ASL experience.
What is your ultimate goal? What is your goal for this semester?
What do you want to be able to do with this language at the end of this semester and in the future?
My goal for the semester is to be able to have a brief conversation in ASL with either native or non-native speakers. My ultimate objective is to be proficient enough in ASL to have a deep conversation with a native speaker.
What tasks will you complete and what activities will you do this semester to meet your goals? How will you document and evaluate your progress?
Novice learners should consult the ‘Language Tasks’ page of the SDLAP Wiki and incorporate the required tasks in their learning. Be as specific as possible when planning activities, e.g., “I will watch YouTube videos to learn how to talk about the family.” or “I will consult a grammar text to learn about possessives.” Make sure you include some tasks that are relevant to your interests, e.g., “I will learn to understand soccer commentary.” or “I will learn to talk about the stock market.” Culture and language are, of course, inseparable. It is expected that all your language will be culturally appropriate and that every task will contribute to your cultural competence.
Task 1 | Learning the ASL alphabets |
Type of Task | ___ Interpersonal Communication ___ Presentational Speaking |
What do I need to learn to complete this task? (goal) | To accomplish this task, I will meet my language learning partners twice a week to follow lectures or other alphabet learning tutorials. We will work with each other to practice signing the letters and any new words or phrases. |
How will I learn? (learning activities and resources) | I will learn by practicing what we go over in each class separately with my partners. Additionally, I will utilize resources such as the assigned textbook, online resources like https://get.goreact.com/ and https://www.italki.com/ to improve finger spelling. |
How will I document what I have learned? (artifacts) | Given the nature of ASL, documentation of my learning will be difficult to do in a physical or written context. Alternatively, I plan to record my lectures and practice sessions over Zoom and upload that material to https://richmond.app.box.com/folder/131103279141 which I will share the link to later. |
How well can I accomplish this task? (self-assessment) | This task should not be too difficult as it is the foundational aspect of sign language and also draws from existing norms in the English language, making it easier to pick up. Learning to fingerspell is a vital component of learning to speak and interpret ASL. |
Task 2 | Greetings and introductions |
Type of Task | ___ Interpersonal Communication ___ Presentational Speaking |
What do I need to learn to complete this task? (goal) | I need to meet with the language instructor and practice signs specific to introducing oneself or greeting another. I also need to research and practice signs on my own outside of the classroom. Repeated exercise will help make these aspects concrete and make me familiar with certain terminologies or phrases. |
How will I learn? (learning activities and resources) | Websites such as YouTube and Goreact will help me explore many concepts as I continue to progress on my language journey. Our instructor Ms. Reba has said that she will assign us an ASL book soon. |
How will I document what I have learned? (artifacts) | Given the nature of ASL, documentation of my learning will be difficult to do in a physical or written context. Alternatively, I plan to record my lectures and practice sessions over Zoom and upload that material to https://richmond.app.box.com/folder/131103279141 which I will share the link to later. |
How well can I accomplish this task? (self-assessment) | At first, I thought that this task would take some time to learn as we do not yet know the basics. However, I am passionate about picking up the language and learned to briefly introduce myself during our first-class meeting. I know how to say, “My name is Nibras.” |
Task 3 | Conversation basics |
Type of Task | ___ Interpersonal Communication ___ Presentational Speaking |
What do I need to learn to complete this task? (goal) | I need to learn to be able to integrate ASL into my daily routines and not just in the classroom. Only by putting it into practice in everyday contexts can I hope to one day become proficient in it. I will try to schedule meetings/conversations with my two peers to practice the concepts we learned in class and by ourselves. |
How will I learn? (learning activities and resources) | One of my more experienced peers recommended I try the following website http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-layout/concepts.htm. Our language instructor is also going to assign us a book to reference. |
How will I document what I have learned? (artifacts) | Given the nature of ASL, documentation of my learning will be difficult to do in a physical or written context. Alternatively, I plan to record my lectures and practice sessions over Zoom and upload that material to https://richmond.app.box.com/folder/131103279141 which I will share the link to later. |
How well can I accomplish this task? (self-assessment) | To accomplish this task, I need to be proactive and really focus on learning the language as opposed to studying it. Given my limited exposure with ASL on an everyday basis, it might be a little difficult to keep practicing but I will try my best to ensure that I make the effort to keep talking to my peers about everyday occurrences in ASL. |
Task 4 | Discuss soccer games and news |
Type of Task | ___ Interpersonal Communication ___ Presentational Speaking |
What do I need to learn to complete this task? (goal) | As a huge fan of soccer, I would like to be able to combine my interest in ASL with my passion for soccer. I would need to connect with someone who also shares these passions so that we may discuss the latest games, upcoming tournaments, latest transfer news, etc. |
How will I learn? (learning activities and resources) | I will ask the instructor if she knows anyone who is big into sports and also speaks ASL. I would need to learn the basic terminology first and then apply it within context. This website provides a lot of resources relating to learning about different categories of topics https://www.signingtime.com/dictionary/soccer/. |
How will I document what I have learned? (artifacts) | Given the nature of ASL, documentation of my learning will be difficult to do in a physical or written context. Alternatively, I plan to record my lectures and practice sessions over Zoom and upload that material to https://richmond.app.box.com/folder/131103279141 which I will share the link to later. |
How well can I accomplish this task? (self-assessment) | Given that this task focuses on a specific topic of interest which neither my peers nor instructor might share, it might be a bit difficult to get appropriate participation and guidance. However, I will continue to search in online discussion groups for soccer enthusiasts who I can connect to and learn from. |
Task 5 | Discuss news relating to the economy and financial markets |
Type of Task | ___ Interpersonal Communication ___ Presentational Speaking |
What do I need to learn to complete this task? (goal) | As an Economics and Finance major, discussions relating to these topics really pique my interest. I would need to read WSJ and NYT articles beforehand and then discuss their contents with the instructor and my peers. |
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How will I learn? (learning activities and resources) | News articles can be found at https://www.nytimes.com and https://www.nytimes.com. There are also websites like https://wecapable.com/tools/text-to-sign-language-converter/that will help me translate the text from English to ASL so I can follow along if I’m stuck. |
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How will I document what I have learned? (artifacts) | Given the nature of ASL, documentation of my learning will be difficult to do in a physical or written context. Alternatively, I plan to record my lectures and practice sessions over Zoom and upload that material to https://richmond.app.box.com/folder/131103279141 which I will share the link to later. |
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How well can I accomplish this task? (self-assessment) | Given that this task focuses on a specific topic of interest which neither my peers nor instructor might share, it might be a bit difficult to get appropriate participation and guidance. However, being able to discuss these topics is something I feel very excited about despite some of the challenges associated with describing specific models or theories. |
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| Task 6 | Learning about tense (past, present, future) | ||
| Type of Task | ___ Interpersonal Communication ___ Presentational Speaking | ||
What do I need to learn to complete this task? (goal) | I need to learn about the intricacies of tense within the context of ASL from the instructor. I will need to have enough facetime with her to be able to comprehend these concepts over time. |
How will I learn? (learning activities and resources) | The best way to learn is to do and https://www.dummies.com/languages/american-sign-language/how-to-use-tenses-in-american-sign-language/describes the use of time related concepts in ASL. I will need to incorporate these into my practice sessions with peers. |
How will I document what I have learned? (artifacts) | Given the nature of ASL, documentation of my learning will be difficult to do in a physical or written context. Alternatively, I plan to record my lectures and practice sessions over Zoom and upload that material to https://richmond.app.box.com/folder/131103279141 which I will share the link to later. |
How well can I accomplish this task? (self-assessment) | As we have not yet gone into details regarding ASL such as the concept of time, I am not sure how well I can accomplish this task. I am sure that my peers and I will put in the effort and we will improve which is the main goal in lieu of perfection. |
Task 7 | Grammar |
Type of Task | ___ Interpersonal Communication ___ Presentational Speaking |
What do I need to learn to complete this task? (goal) | Every language has its own syntax and rules regarding grammar. For me personally, I think this is the hardest part about learning a new language. Again, I need to focus on putting the language to use and incrementally improving on those grammatical details as opposed to aiming for perfection in the first attempt. |
How will I learn? (learning activities and resources) | Once my peers and I feel the sense that we are able to communicate via sign language, the next step would be to raise the standards of our conversations and uplift each other to try and get the grammar elements correct in our basic conversations. |
How will I document what I have learned? (artifacts) | Given the nature of ASL, documentation of my learning will be difficult to do in a physical or written context. Alternatively, I plan to record my lectures and practice sessions over Zoom and upload that material to https://richmond.app.box.com/folder/131103279141 which I will share the link to later. |
How well can I accomplish this task? (self-assessment) | In the past, grammar was an aspect I struggled with whilst learning another language. I’m not sure how well I can pick it up within a semester, but I will not be discouraged by grammatical errors and will keep doing my best to improve throughout this journey. |
Task 8 | Formal vs Informal communication |
Type of Task | ___ Interpersonal Communication ___ Presentational Speaking |
What do I need to learn to complete this task? (goal) | Interact with speakers outside of my classroom to gauge the differences between formal and informal communication within the context of ASL. I need to devote more time to research and finding material that will help me pick up on those nuances. |
How will I learn? (learning activities and resources) | I will try to incorporate both formal and informal speaking in our sessions with the instructor. Since this is a class, we will mostly focus on the formal aspect but resources such as http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-layout/grammar.htm will help me better understand sentence structure and thus help me better understand the differences between a formal and informal sentence. |
How will I document what I have learned? (artifacts) | Given the nature of ASL, documentation of my learning will be difficult to do in a physical or written context. Alternatively, I plan to record my lectures and practice sessions over Zoom and upload that material to https://richmond.app.box.com/folder/131103279141 which I will share the link to later. |
How well can I accomplish this task? (self-assessment) | Differentiating between formal and informal communication takes a certain level of familiarity with the language. I will continue to develop that familiarity as I work with my peers. |
Task 9 | Work on facial expressions |
Type of Task | ___ Interpersonal Communication ___ Presentational Speaking |
What do I need to learn to complete this task? (goal) | Practice facial expressions with the instructor to better communicate different emotional states. I think we will go into more details regarding facial expressions and how they relate to ASL in the later weeks. |
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How will I learn? (learning activities and resources) | I would need to practice these facial expressions in class with the instructor, practice my peers outside the classroom, and finally just practicing by myself in front of a mirror or recording myself so I can get some self-feedback. |
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How will I document what I have learned? (artifacts) | Given the nature of ASL, documentation of my learning will be difficult to do in a physical or written context. Alternatively, I plan to record my lectures and practice sessions over Zoom and upload that material to https://richmond.app.box.com/folder/131103279141 which I will share the link to later. |
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How well can I accomplish this task? (self-assessment) | This task will be a little more challenging to comprehend. As a speaker of verbal languages, I am not all too familiar with incorporating facial expressions into conversations. These expressions can change the tone and meaning of a word so I will have to go slow, but I know I will make progress throughout the journey. |
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| Task 10 | Story reading | ||
| Type of Task | ___ Interpersonal Communication ___ Presentational Speaking | ||
What do I need to learn to complete this task? (goal) | To accomplish this goal, I need to incorporate what I have learned from all the other previous tasks. I need to diligently work with my instructor and peers to achieve a certain level of proficiency that will allow me to read a book to someone who might be deaf / Deaf. |
How will I learn? (learning activities and resources) | I will practice reading and speaking using all the resources described earlier. This is a sort of final project for me because it would incorporate all the earlier lessons into one final challenge. If I can successfully convey a few pages of a book to someone then I would have achieved a part of my ultimate objective. |
How will I document what I have learned? (artifacts) | Given the nature of ASL, documentation of my learning will be difficult to do in a physical or written context. Alternatively, I plan to record my lectures and practice sessions over Zoom and upload that material to https://richmond.app.box.com/folder/131103279141 which I will share the link to later. |
How well can I accomplish this task? (self-assessment) | How well I can accomplish this task depends to an extent to which I can accomplish the earlier tasks. I already feel good conveying certain phrases and ideas so I know I can do this if I put in consistent work. |
In addition to posting your learning plan to the Ning, provide brief commentary describing how you have organized your self-directed learning plan. What have you learned so far? Have you identified resources and textbooks to promote your task-based objectives? How will your studies allow you investigate your target language and culture more deeply? What first prompted your interest, and motivated you to start learning? What feedback have you received from your classmates? Dr. Marsh-Soloway will provide written feedback.
I have organized my self-directed learning plan into a three-stage process where the first stage involves learning the basic letters, a few words, phrases. The second part would be to start getting comfortable speaking using these signs before finally going into the third phase that deals with more advanced topics such as the grammatical intricacies, sentence structures, punctuations, reading articles/books, etc. So far, I’ve learned how to fingerspell the alphabets and certain words like happy, sad, baby, help. In the buildup to the SDLC 110, I learned that sign language is not universal and that ASL was originally adopted from FSL (French Sign Language) and that it incorporates facial expressions into the signs as well. Yes, I have identified resources and textbooks to promote my task-based objectives. Some of these resources were mentioned above but I think our assigned textbooks and Goreact will be some key resources. My studies will help me become more educated and empathetic towards people who cannot speak. I hope that it will act as a tool in my quest to learn more bout and explore the world around me. As it stands, I cannot communicate with an ASL speaker comfortably but once I am able to, I hope that will help me to learn more about these communities and what we as humans can do to facilitate better connections. What prompted my interest in ASL was initially to learn to be able to communicate non-verbally. I think that is an underrated skill that can have my practical applications on a day-to-day basis example using sign language to have a private discussion with our friend in a public setting. Based on the presentation of my learning plan, I generally had positive feedback from my classmates. One thing that they did ask was how useful I see ASL being in my career and how I can potentially keep practicing it at the end of the semester. That was a valid point that really made me think. As the weeks go on, I will get a better understanding of what it would take to maintain my ASL and then I hope to tailor my approach from there as to what techniques will work best for me.
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