Auslan: First Language Learner 7–10 Sequence / Levels 7 and 8 / Understanding / Role of language and culture
Content description
Explore connections between language, identity and cultural practices, values and beliefs and the expression of these connections in Auslan
Elaborations
recognising that people from different places and backgrounds may use different languages and have ways of living and communicating that differ from their own
appreciating that culture and cultural difference means that people may value different things or live differently, noticing observable examples of ‘difference’, such as ways of greeting (bowing versus shaking hands) or conveying information (through words versus signs)
recognising how they as deaf people live in ways that may be different from how hearing people live and that these ways are primarily visual, for example by responding to prompts such as: Compare how deaf and hearing people get the attention of someone on the other side of the room; and How do deaf and hearing people make sure they wake up at a particular time in the morning?
recognising the importance of facial expression, eye gaze and non-manual features in conveying information in a visual-gestural language and culture
understanding that culture is more than the visible aspects of people’s lives, that it also includes invisible elements such as beliefs and values, how people think about themselves and others, how they relate to their social and physical environments; and considering how this understanding applies to themselves as users of Auslan
recognising that in each culture there are general rules for what to say and do, when, where and with whom, and that these rules differ from culture to culture, for example, the Deaf culture places greater importance on eye contact than cultures that communicate through spoken languages
identifying the importance of signing space and proxemics in Auslan, particularly in relation to a person passing between two signers, or the positioning of communication partners
recognising that shared experiences shape cultural values in Auslan and in other cultures, for example, the experience of deaf children being excluded from family and social discourse during dinner table conversations or social events gives rise to the value placed in the Deaf community on sharing information with each other
considering how some spaces make deaf people feel comfortable, for example, open-plan spaces with long sight lines allowing easy visual access
