Bret Cummens

My ASL Philosophy:

It is my personal belief that American Sign Language is a "true" language, with a formal structure that can be compared to English and other languages. While teaching ASL, I explore methods that will benefit the students in their learning, and also that will help bridge the communication gap between the two worlds of Deaf and hearing people. American Sign Language is a gold mine of established research, theories, and methods of instruction - all of which help develop a better understanding of the language for the students, which, in turn, helps them become more fluent in American Sign Language.

I emphasize functional ASL that will help students establish and maintain social relationships. For example, I introduce ASL by showing the students how to be and say polite things in sign language. Then I show students how to tell about personal information, then impersonal, move from talking about things that are present to things that are not present, and begin by talking about concrete things to move to talking about abstract things. Grammatical structures introduced are determined by the function in each unit; that is, students learn grammar in the context of communicative activities. I strongly emphasize the development of cultural awareness and cross-cultural adjustment skills.

Community Learning:

Community learning includes collaboration with community partners in programs that integrate teaching, research, and service. We promote citizenship, leadership, and social justice through service learning, internships, and other community-based learning experiences. By doing so, we fulfill our obligation as a public institution to educate students to become good citizens of their local communities.

I believe that goal is accomplished when our university and local community work together to provide educational experiences that integrate academic, emotional, and social development by exposure to the culture and language of the Deaf people. Community involvement is a critical factor in every student's language acquisition to a solid competence and fluency in their ASL skills. With our ASL/Interpreting program, we hope to encourage every student to develop a high level of proficiency in language and cultural sensitivity, and in order to do this, we involved a frequent and sustained interaction with the Deaf community.

Student-Centered Teaching:

Student-centered teaching lies at the core of any effective classroom. Any teaching method, any instructional material, and any activity must be evaluated on its use of its principles if we want these teaching styles to be more effective. The core principle will lead to more cooperative learning, active learning, and the ability to put students at the center of their own learning. Students will have a higher motivation to learn when they feel they have a real stake in their own learning pace.

Instead of the teacher being the sole learner, the teacher shares control of the classroom and the students are encouraged to explore, experiment, and discover on their own. The students will not only retain memory, but work with, and process the information that is important to their understanding and social awareness of the Deaf community. Their diverse thoughts and perspectives are a necessary tool to every class. Why do I promote student-centered teaching? It helps me design effective instruction for every student of the classroom, regardless of their diverse background and/or learning needs. My teaching style is adaptive to focus on my students' pace and to bring out their maximum potential.

Special thanks to A.R.