In BSL groups there may be Deaf and Hearing Learners. Deaf learners will usually have a natural visual way of leaning sign language. Ten per cent have Deaf parents; the others from hearing families grow up lip-reading English.
Both groups may have had an Oral education. Deaf learners usually learn use BSL grammar instinctively. They will have opportunities to use BSL in their daily lives. Hearing learners who use speech instinctively and have an auditory-based language may be challenged by what is effectively a silent classroom and a visual modality of communication.
Learners’ characteristics will affect their learning strategies. In your groups you will have:
- Confident independent learners
- Motivated but unsure learners
- Strategic learners
- Learners who may give up
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