Classroom Discourse Practices of a Deaf Teacher Using American Sign Language

This article describes the classroom discourse practices of an experienced Deaf teacher using American Sign Language (ASL) as the medium of instruction in a fifth-grade classroom in a residential school. The teacher is a native ASL user who has been teaching for more than thirty-five years. The analysis of three lessons illustrates the use of ASL linguistic features to encourage student participation. In constructing a teaching style using ASL, the teacher also employs discourse practices common among skilled teachers, regardless of the medium of instruction, such as maintaining a moderate level of control and selectively modeling naïve questions. The teacher's ASL fluency and teaching experience interact to yield an effective strategy for increasing student involvement. Implications for classroom practice and suggestions for further research are included.