A Shift to the Middle: Redefining the Community of Practice for Deaf Educators

Autor/in	Maiorana-Bases, Michella
Titel	A Shift to the Middle: Redefining the Community of Practice for Deaf Educators
Quelle	In: Odyssey: New Directions in Deaf Education, 19 (2018), S.4-9 (6 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1544-6751
Schlagwörter	Communities of Practice; Deafness; Hearing Impairments; American Sign Language; Beliefs; Language of Instruction; Educational History; Oral Language; Holistic Approach; Communication Strategies; Oral Communication Method + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Community; Gehörlosigkeit; Taubstummheit; Hearing impairment; Hörbehinderung; Belief; Glaube; Teaching language; Unterrichtssprache; History of education; Bildungsgeschichte; Oral interpretation; Mündlicher Sprachgebrauch; Holistischer Ansatz; Kommunikationsstrategie; Oral communication; Mündliche Kommunikation
Abstract	Since its beginning, the education of deaf and hard of hearing individuals has been steeped in a debate around language, as professionals have clashed in a debate on whether signed or spoken language should be used as the primary language of instruction and communication with deaf and hard of hearing individuals. This has created a condition in which many professionals feel compelled to choose a side. Attempts at philosophical unification have been ongoing, and an important step toward this unification will be the recognition that regardless of beliefs, philosophy, or approach, all stakeholders are part of a single community of practice. The author noted the impact of this conflict on her students and their parents and on her relationships with deaf and hard of hearing individuals. She made a deliberate choice to create a mindset that accepted a different narrative. She joined with a few colleagues to create a community of practice in which individuals from a diverse swath of communication approaches and professional experiences could engage. They called it "The Radical Middle Project." The project's goal is to to encourage scholars who are representative of a wide range of educational, cultural, and linguistic philosophies to learn and work together through research and collaborative scholarship, holding a common goal of doing what is best educationally, culturally, and linguistically for each deaf and hard of hearing child and his or her family. This professional online community respects all communication and educational philosophies and encourages participation by parents, deaf and hard of hearing individuals, researchers, and experts. In a section titled "STEPping Toward a Radical Middle," the author provides the steps toward becoming part of The Radical Middle community of practice. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center. Gallaudet University, 800 Florida Avenue NE, KS 3600, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-526-9105; Tel: 202-651-5340; Fax: 202-651-5708; e-mail: odyssey@gallaudet.edu; Web site: http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01