ASL Curricula: Garland & Turpin

There is currently not one existing ASL curriculum meeting student needs in entirety. A well-planned curriculum that provides both the academic and humanistic foundations is imperative for providing an excellent education for ASL students. Examining in depth of how these humanist categories of diversity, cultural sensitivity and grammar foundations are taught in ASL curricula reflects  that specific curriculum’s effectiveness in ASL instruction. Thus, contextual effectiveness in each ASL curriculum has been measured by qualitative and quantitative feedback via an online survey shared on several social media platforms. We have employed a methodical, structured scientific method of dissecting and analyzing the patterns of the supplied feedback.

There is a need for such research and analysis as stated here:

That ASL teachers use different curricula suggests that they may not have an understanding of the theoretical, empirical, and pedagog-ical assumptions of the different curricula... The inconsistencies in these curricula raise questions about the teachers’ understanding of the principles of and practices in second-language curriculum development and instructional strategies. (Rosen, 2010, pp. 349)

Our hypothesis is that there will be qualitative and quantitative differences between Signing Naturally and True+Way ASL curricula, most notably in the level of exposure to Deaf Culture, and grammatical foundations as well as diversity in signers. We suspect that while Signing Naturally will show a stronger grammatical presence in its lessons, TWA will show more cultural diversity

.