Fifteen Eighty Four

The book is the result of over 25 years of teaching experience, shaped by numerous interactions with students who were eager to improve their skills in British Sign Language (BSL). Over the years, I have received countless questions and requests from students, and these interactions have been instrumental in shaping both my teaching approach and the content of this book. The work presented here is directly informed by those experiences and reflects the needs and challenges students faced during their learning journey.

There are three primary factors that motivated the creation of this book, each of which has been central to my teaching approach.

The first factor is related to the challenges many students face when trying to deepen their understanding of BSL. I often recommended academic articles and specialised resources to my students, believing they would help improve their comprehension and linguistic competence. However, these resources were frequently too technical and complex for students who did not have a strong academic background. The language used in these articles was often academic, with a focus on research methodology, which was not particularly relevant or useful to students who were more interested in practical, everyday applications of BSL. While these articles offered valuable theoretical insights, they did not effectively address the practical needs of the students. My students needed theory that was not only academically sound but also easily applicable to their learning and communication practices.

This realisation led me to reassess my teaching methods and seek ways to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. I started to focus on presenting BSL theory in a more accessible way, ensuring that it was relevant to students’ real-life experiences and needs. I aimed to offer them a clear understanding of the theory behind BSL that they could apply directly in their interactions, fostering both their theoretical understanding and practical competence.

The second motivating factor was my experience providing feedback during both group sessions and one-on-one tutorials. Providing constructive feedback has always been an integral part of my teaching. I would review students’ language production, offer suggestions for improvement, and explain the theoretical principles behind their errors. However, I noticed that many students struggled to internalise these concepts and continued to make the same mistakes. This pattern suggested that simply pointing out errors was not enough. Students were not fully absorbing the linguistic theories, and as a result, they were unable to apply them consistently in their own language use.

In response, I began to use students’ errors as a teaching tool. Rather than merely correcting mistakes, I started to analyse them together with the students. By discussing the reasons behind the errors and exploring the correct usage, students became more aware of their linguistic choices. This approach helped them develop a deeper understanding of the language and led to greater retention of the theoretical concepts. By focusing on error analysis, I was able to turn these mistakes into learning opportunities, allowing students to make meaningful progress.

The third factor that led to the development of this book was the frequent questions students asked after receiving feedback. They often inquired, “What exercises can I do to avoid these errors and improve my competence?” This question highlighted the need for practical exercises that would help students reinforce the concepts they were learning. While theoretical knowledge and feedback were important, students also needed structured opportunities to practice and apply what they had learned. This need for targeted practice was a significant driver in the development of the exercises and activities included in this book.

I began designing exercises that would address the specific errors students were making, helping them practice the correct usage of linguistic structures and reinforcing the theoretical principles behind those structures. These activities were carefully crafted to provide students with the opportunity to engage with the material in a way that would strengthen their understanding and improve their overall competence in BSL. The exercises aimed to foster active learning, allowing students to apply the theory they had learned in real-world contexts, thereby enhancing their linguistic skills and boosting their confidence.

Through the combination of error analysis, the creation of targeted exercises, and the application of theoretical principles in a practical context, I was able to develop an approach that helped students improve their competence in BSL. This process allowed me to create effective teaching tools that not only addressed students’ errors but also provided them with the resources they needed to make continuous progress in their language learning.

The creation of this book is a direct result of these insights and experiences. It is designed to offer students a structured approach to learning BSL, with a focus on understanding the theory behind the language, identifying and correcting errors, and providing practical exercises for reinforcement. The aim is to offer a comprehensive resource that can support students in their learning journey, helping them improve their competence in BSL in a practical and accessible way.