Jump to content

  • BSL Forum
    Fingerspelling
    Game
    Create an
    Animation
    Print a
    Word
    Make a
    Word Search
    Fingerspelling
    Alphabet
    Online BSL
    Course

Practice methods - best way to consolidate learning

Paddy

By Paddy
in BSL Practice Zone

 Share

Recommended Posts

Paddy Newbie

Paddy

Posted
Posted

What is the best method to practice independently, and consolidate what I learned in the classroom?   Is it:

- watching signed videos, like the signed section on the iplayer
- memorising vocabulary lists
- interpreting from spoken/written English to BSL?

The best method is other people (hearing or deaf).  Unfortunately, I simply don't have access to enough people to consolidate what I learn.

I have a natural gift for sign languages.  I learn several times faster than the rest of my Level 1 class; so I find the rate of learning frustratingly slow.  After two lessons, the mother of a deaf adult asked if I was deaf such was my fluency.  There is nothing more challenging locally.  My exams finish this month (June 2019).  Level 2 does not begin until September 2019.  Intensive courses are not available here in Northern Ireland; and I cannot afford the travel & accommodation of doing one in England.

How do I progress this?  I mix with the deaf community locally.  However, I feel that it would be unreasonable to ask people to give up their time every week or more for the sake of random conversation to help me practice.  (I am recently off work, so I have a lot of time.)

After years of training, I want to be an interpreter.  I enjoy sign, there is big demand for it, and what I really love? 

Deaf people are direct.  I have Aspergers; I find it ridiculously confusing to understand the social rules of hearing people.  Deaf Culture has social rules too, I have found it much easier to navigate.

AK Morris Newbie

AK Morris

Posted
Posted

i could not relate more i too have aspergers so now that i have found something i enjoy doing i want to do it a lot and practice and get it perfect but am struggling to be able to practice and become really good at it 

Paddy Newbie

Paddy

Posted
  • Author
Posted

 

On 08/06/2019 at 20:03, AK Morris said:

i could not relate more i too have aspergers so now that i have found something i enjoy doing i want to do it a lot and practice and get it perfect but am struggling to be able to practice and become really good at it  

Hi, AK.  Looks like we're in the same boat.

For speaking practice, I will start by 'interpreting' something on the radio, which I can pause, sign a bit, then continue.

For receptive, it's more difficult to get practice material.  I'll stick with the iplayer for now.

Where do you live?  Which stage are you at in your BSL journey?

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Latest Posts

    • remark.uk
      BSL LEVEL 1 - THURSDAY EVENINGS - Starting 1st October 2026 - CENTRAL LONDON

      By remark.uk · Posted

      Few spaces left on our next BSL Level 1 Evening course with Kat.   Starting in October 2026, running for 18 weeks.   For more details, visit our website: www.remark.uk.com/bsl-courses/level-1-thursday-eve-oct-2026   Let’s start your BSL journey with Remark!   #BSL #Level1 #BritishSignLanguage
    • remark.uk
      BSL LEVEL 1 - TUESDAY EVENINGS - Starting 22nd September 2026 - CENTRAL LONDON

      By remark.uk · Posted

      Few spaces left on our next BSL Level 1 Evening course with John.   Starting in September 2026, running for 22 weeks.   For more details, visit our website: www.remark.uk.com/bsl-courses/level-1-tues-eve-sept-2026   Let’s start your BSL journey with Remark!   #BSL #Level1 #BritishSignLanguage
    • MarkPos
      How to sign my job?

      By MarkPos · Posted

      Hi all, I've just started a BSL Level 1 course, and next week we're going to sign about work. I'm trying to work out in advance how to sign what I do, but struggling a bit, so I hope the community here can help. I'm a Satellite Communications Engineer (communications as in telecommunications). Looking on SignBSL there are multiple signs for satellite. I rather like the one with the dominant hand index finger orbiting a closed fist, as it invokes the satellite rather than the dishes. I'm struggling to work out how to sign Communications (in the telecom sense). Engineer seems fairly straightforward, fingers on both hands meshed and rotating like cog-wheels. Any advice as how best to sign my job please? Obviously, I'll discuss it with my teacher too, but would like to have some idea before the class if I can. Many thanks! 
    • Julie King
      Why I am learning BSL

      By Julie King · Posted

      Hi  My name is Julie. I have been fortunate enough to be able to access the British Sign Language course via Nerve Tumours UK, a national charity which provides support and advice for families living with Neurofibromatosis. I was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2) in 1994 when I was 30 years old. I am fortunate to be mildly affected by the condition with only slight hearing loss in my right ear following surgery 30 years ago. I have made many friends over the years who are profoundly deaf and I have always wanted to learn but never had the time or opportunity. Learning about this course through the charity gave me the impetus to set aside the time to learn. I want to be able to communicate with my friends and family and future proof my life if I lose my hearing further down the line. I am finding it quite hard to set aside the quiet time to learn as we are in the process of relocating to Devon, but I am determined to succeed.
    • Hannah-Mae Trow
      Loving learning

      By Hannah-Mae Trow · Posted

      Hi there, I am Hannah-Mae and I am enjoying learning more sign language. I grew up with a partially deaf sister, and now my Dad is profoundly deaf. It always struck me how isolating the world still is for the deaf community. I unfortunately will be blind in a few years time but I know that both people's attitudes and modern living is much more accommodating of visual impairments than hearing ones. Because people don't see it they don't consider it. I work in communications for a charity, and am pushing for more sign language inclusion. All our videos have subtitles as standard but we can go further both on recorded and live events. I also am really behind BSL in the curriculum. Whilst I can still see I want to help make it so that the communities we live in are more inclusive.  
    • Lysander
      Signing number 3 alternatives

      By Lysander · Posted

      Thank you so much!
    • Qriti
      Signing number 3 alternatives

      By Qriti · Posted

      try the three versions i sometimes see being used
    • Lysander
      Signing number 3 alternatives

      By Lysander · Posted

      Hi, got a slightly odd issue - I find that signing the number 3 very difficult because of my tendons. The sign I've learned in the online course i'm doing is the index, middle and ring finger up, thumb and pinky down. It is currently impossible for me to have my pinky finger go down without my ring finger also going down unless i use my thumb to hold my pinky finger down manually, and on my primary hand it is difficult for me to get my thumb to hold my pinky finger down for long and without hand pain both while i'm doing the sign and for an amount of time afterwards. Is it permissible to switch primary hands for a single sign? it's a lot easier to hold my pinky finger down with my secondary hand without pain. if not, is there another sign that's able to be used for 3? or am I ok to just do thumb + index + middle finger for 3 and the context will be enough to confirm for someone I'm signing 3?

  • Fingerspelling Scoreboard

    (top 10 - past 24hrs)

  • Fingerspelling Animation Maker

×
×
  • Create New...