Auslan: First Language Learner F–10 Sequence / Levels 7 and 8 / Communicating / Identity
Content description
Explore the relationship between identity, community and visual ways of being and the nature and significance of relationship between people, culture and place/space
Elaborations
creating and comparing individual biographies, including elements such as family origins, traditions, beliefs, experiences, and considering how these influence their sense of identity
identifying elements of visual awareness in deaf people, such as good observation skills of body language and alertness to hazards in the environment while walking/driving and signing
describing how the concept of Deafhood applies to them and to others by evaluating texts and media portrayals of deaf identity
discussing visual ways of transmitting and receiving information and how these influence group learning and information sharing among Deaf people
exploring how Deaf cultures around the world build shared group identity, for example through gathering formally as national and international communities through activities such as Deaf film festivals, performing arts or sporting events such as Deaf Way, Australian Deaf Games, Deaflympics
discussing when and how they learnt Auslan and how this contributed to their sense of identity
analysing ways in which Deaf people design and adapt spaces in cultural ways (‘Deaf space’), for example, by eliminating visual obstacles to signed communication; using circles or semicircles for meeting and learning spaces; and using open-plan areas, lighting and window placement to maximise visual access to information, with reference to Gallaudet University’s Deaf space design principles
considering how accounts by different deaf visitors to the classroom of their lives, work, education, interests and experience reflect a sense of identity and relationship with Auslan and Deaf culture
identifying ways in which members of the Deaf community demonstrate responsibility for relationships within the community and between it and the wider ‘hearing’ society, for example, describing past learning from deaf adults or other deaf peers about navigating relationships
investigating and explaining connections between rules, culture and community, identifying how these are demonstrated in Deaf culture through visual ways of being and using language, for example, exploring the values and beliefs which influence observable behaviours and social rules
suggesting how reciprocity works in relation to community members sharing responsibility for each other’s wellbeing, comparing examples of how they themselves negotiate relationships with each other and look out for each other
exploring the concept of ‘Deaf gain’ and providing examples of how wider society may ‘gain’ from the Deaf community, for example the benefits of captioning for groups such as elderly people or newly arrived migrants
describing how the Deaf community maintains Deaf places and keeps them relevant to new generations, for example by acknowledging Deaf pioneers in the naming of places and identifying historical links with places
discussing with elders how patterns of ownership and management of Deaf spaces and places impact on the Deaf community
describing their experience of moving between English and Auslan, comparing how this feels and considering changes in their sense of identity when communicating in either language
sharing their understandings of Deafhood and Deaf gain with Deaf elders and comparing these the elders’ views on these concepts
