Beginner Workshops – Course Structure

KWS 101-105                        Key Word Signing (Auslan)            Levels 1 – 5

Courses offered:                   Each school term

                                                Day-time, evening & week-end

Locations:                                 Central Coast: Ourimbah, Erina, Woy Woy and Doyalson

Lower Hunter:            Morisset

Northern Sydney: As per request

Also available through distance education

Description:                          Five progressive 3.0 hour workshops recommended for participants who want to learn basic skills, such as finger spelling with the signing alphabet, gaining confidence to sign with others and building a core vocabulary of everyday signs. 

Taught using a ‘key word signing’ style, the sessions are conducted at an easy pace, in an interactive learning environment.

Topics covered are especially designed for teenagers and adults who want to learn to sign for a broad range of reasons, including: signing with family, friends, babies, children or adult clients; signing in the home, workplace, school, child care centre or general community.

*includes course booklet containing photos of signs

** Distance Learning Study Package includes video footage of the information topics covered in the workshops and video footage of the signs taught.

Topics covered:  

a.       Sign Language in Australia

b.       Sign Alphabet and finger spelling

c.        Basic vocabulary of signs – meet and greet

d.       Overview of Baby Sign               

e.        Learning key word signing through songs

f.         Signs for colours, numbers, time

g.        Overcoming barriers for communicating with sign

h.       Key word signing for people with disabilities – developmental considerations

i.         Signs for places, food and mealtimes

j.         Opportunities to practice and use signing in the community

k.       Consideration of learning styles when teaching sign language

l.         Improving finger spelling (vowels)

m.     Signs for animals and people

n.       Helping others to build a signing vocabulary

o.        History of Sign Language in Education

p.       Improving finger spelling clarity

q.       Signs for thinking, questions and feelings

Outcomes:                              On completion of the 15 hours training, participates will be able to:

• Discuss the use of sign language in Australia, including knowledge of differences between Auslan, signed English and key word signing

• Spell and read finger spelling at a basic level using a two handed alphabet

• Greet others, introduce themselves and conduct simple conversations in sign with Auslan users

• Understand and discuss the history of sign language in education in Australia, including the impact of educational policies on members of the deaf community

• Use key word signing to communicate with young children, people with disabilities and people with a hearing impairment.

• Use an Auslan sign vocabulary of approximately 250 common signs

• Teach basic level finger-spelling and individual Auslan signs to a small group (with supervision)

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