Request for information - Teaching opportunity

[TKDHomeSchooler]

My Instructors have asked my Wife and me to consider becoming co-teachers (until we obtain our black belts and can teach) a new class they are considering. Our school specializes in Home Schooled kids and our adult class is comprised of many of the parents of the children they teach, so when my family got involved with this school and we begin to befriend the instructors and other class members, they learned that we know American Sign Language and are involved in the Deaf community.

The new class they are interested in starting is teaching deaf kids TKD, and then branching in to other disabilities.

What I need to know is does anyone have experience in this realm? Again, I am fluent in ASL, but many of our basics and forms won't translate in to ASL very easily without A) finger spelling everything or B) making up our own signs for ex. square block upset knifehand reverse punch or C) learn form someone else who already has signs created for TKD, especially if they are already standardized.

Any tips, links, suggestions, etc. would be great. I have sent an Email to the people at American Martial Arts Association of the Deaf in hopes they will have something for me. I am even willing to travel to someone's Dojo to learn from them if that is offered.

 

[Stac3y]

We have several deaf and hearing-impaired students who participate in classes at our school. Since none of the instructors are fluent in ASL (I'm proud of myself just for knowing how to say "thank you"), we are fortunate to have a community college that offers ASL certification. Students working toward that have to do a certain number of hours of volunteer translation, so we have them come in and interpret for us.

The deaf students learn primarily by watching the instructors demonstrate techniques--just as most of the other students do. The interpreters handle translation of explanations and questions from the students more than anything else. I'm not sure how they translate the names of techniques, but they are quite efficient. Since our technique names are descriptive and not at all fanciful or complicated, and are in English, they probably have an easier time than they would with Korean technique names.

I've found that performing as a "mirror" for students with hearing problems is very helpful. There is also usually an increased need for physical adjustment of hand/foot position, counting using fingers raised, and awareness of keeping one's face turned toward the student at all times. We also have a sign for "break" in sparring that all the instructors have learned (a big two-handed motion that looks like a baseball ref making the "You're out" sign), and we know to step in between the sparrers when we do it--not always easy, but necessary.

On an interesting side note, we actually have a blind black belt in our organization, also. I would love to pick his brain about how he was taught (he's from before my time) and how he teaches.

I hope this is useful.

 

[ATC]

You don't even need to speak at all to teach. My GM is from Korea and he gave all the BB instructors a course in how the Masters of yesteryear spread out to different countries and taught without knowing the language of the lands they spread to. It was indeed eye opening.

He only spoke in his native Korean tongue and walked around with a stick in hand. He would demonstrate a move and then point to us and we understood that we were to also do the move. He then walked around and use the stick to correct things. We actually learned faster. If we continued to do the moves incorrectly the stick corrected with a little sting. Nothing to bad, but enough to make you correct yourself in less repetitions than talking would. You also paid more attention as you had to make sure you were doing what you saw, and you knew there would be no explanation, so you also began to understand the application, as you had to think about the move, the what and why of it. I was even taught a complete form that was new to me in less time than our normal ways of teaching.

He gave this lesson as a teaching aid to us. He wanted us to know that sometimes we can be more efficient with less communication. Sometimes we tend to over explain things making it more difficult to learn.

I think you will be quite surprised at how fast your hearing impaired students learn compared to your non hearing impaired ones. Have fun and make sure they are having fun too. Even though it won't be needed, good luck.