Auslan: Second Language Learner 7–10 Sequence / Levels 9 and 10 / Communicating / Identity
Content description
Recognise that the concept of identity is complex, dynamic and diverse, and consider how students learn more about their own identity through the exploration of other languages and cultures
Elaborations
reflecting on how identity is expressed across cultures and through languages, for example by considering the idea of ‘belonging’ as expressed in different languages
investigating how particular policies and practices may affect the sense of identity of deaf people, for example, through the prohibition of the use of Auslan in schools in the past
viewing excerpts of different footage in Auslan or other signed languages and identifying language or behaviour that appears to be either inclusive or exclusionary and could impact on identity development, for example, the representation of deaf teenagers in the TV program Switched at Birth or in documentaries such as Welcome 2 My Deaf World and Deaf Teens: Hearing World, making connections or comparisons with their own experiences as teenagers
evaluating documentary footage of famous members of the Deaf community discussing identity and the experience of growing up deaf, comparing their commentaries with their own experience, paying attention to identified factors that can influence identity, such as gender or race
creating vlogs or filmed texts designed to share their understanding or views about Deaf/hearing identity and to prompt the intended audience to reflect on their own views of Auslan and the Deaf community and of what it means to be ‘hearing’
viewing signed news and other media texts, such as episodes of See Hear or SignPost, and discussing examples of discrimination, oppression or rejection experienced by deaf people, reflecting on how these may shape or reflect mainstream society’s perception of the Deaf community
considering the concepts of ‘Deaf gain’, Deafhood and audism, and comparing their response to these concepts as second language learners of Auslan
discussing the impact of language and culture on the shaping of identity and a sense of wellbeing
considering connections and shared identity between local, regional and national communities of deaf people for example, by inviting a deaf guest to share their experiences of travel or international contact
