Level One Teacher Training

A series of trainings for Master ASL! Level One is offered to interested teachers and educational institutions. These trainings are designed to assist teachers to fully utilize the possibilities of the Master ASL! curriculum in high school or college / university settings.

The complete Level One training spans four 8-hour days. While it is strongly advised that training be completed contiguously to best benefit teachers, trainings may be spread out over time. Note, however, that the Day One and Day Two trainings must be paired together. To arrange a training, contact Sign Media, Inc. at 800.475.4756.

Master ASL! Level One training topics:

Day One: Standards & The Five C's

Provides a thorough understanding of the national foreign language standards developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), known as the Five C's. These standards have been adopted nationwide at all levels of instruction and are applicable to any language. The content and basisof each standard is examined in depth and is accompanied by application exercises to better assist teachers in combining standards theory and practice with ASL teaching.

In addition to national standards, this training covers state standards for K-12 teachers. Customized to each state's content requirements of teaching foreign / second languages, teachers will learn how to use Master ASL! to fulfill their local state standards for the teaching of ASL. For example, K-12 teachers in Virginia receive training on the Standards of Learning (SOLs), teachers in Florida on the Sunshine Standards (SSSs), etc. For teachers at the post-secondary level, the emphasis is placed on using the standards to gauge proficiency versus competency and ensure student success.

Day Two: Curriculum Overview

The philosophy, theoretical orientation, and design of Master ASL! is covered to acquaint teachers with the ins-and-outs of Level One. Content principles, topic sequencing, and each component of Level One is examined to understand how Master ASL! successfully relies on a second language teaching approach to foster communicative competence. The Curriculum Overview training encourages teacher confidence in fully using the special features and narratives of Level One to maximize student learning.

At the conclusion of the Overview, teachers have a clear understanding of how and why Master ASL! uniquely encourages ASL learning and how to best utilize the curriculum in the classroom.

Day Three: Pedagogy

In addition to reviewing the major second language principles involved in teaching a foreign language, this training focuses on how to use each major component of Level One, with special attention on the narratives, the Progressive Interactive Discourse™ technique, and the theoretical understanding of the communicative classroom. Special considerations are included, such as how to use Master ASL! in a block schedule format, a community college setting, or as part of a rigorous language program. Expansion, compression, and supplemental activities and materials are covered.

Day Four: Assessment

The fourth training focuses on assessment and includes analysis of benchmarks, rubric creation, and special emphasis on evaluating the prosodic elements of each narrative. The theoretical orientation of foreign language assessment is covered along with discussion on specific assessment models and opportunities present in Master ASL! Level One. Attention is given to the challenge of accommodating special needs and how students of varying motivation / aptitude levels can benefit from Master ASL!

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"I am impressed with Master ASL's emphasis on being user-friendly while building strong ASL skills. It has made me raise my own expectations for myself as a teacher as well as for my students. By the end of my first year using Master ASL my Level 1 students signed better than my Level 2 and 3 students!"

Daniel Allen
Denton, Texas