My journey of learning Sign language has been completely independent as I wanted to go through the process of learning and failing given that one of my aims for my EPQ is learning to teach myself a skill.
I started with learning sign language using videos on YouTube created by the user Natasha Lamb. She and her Deaf sister created ten videos in the Covid lockdown so people could be inspired and learn the basics of sign language. I found these videos s very nice way to ease myself into learning BSL. Through these videos I learnt the basics such as the alphabet, numbers, food, animals, clothing and more. The negatives of this source was it only gave me one sign for each term despite for some signs there are a few options depending on the area of the UK you are from, and these videos did not teach you BSL grammar.
After I had finished with the ten videos I decided that an online course would fit better. I looked into two, free online courses: Doncaster Sign Language and British Sign. Both were courses for beginners and quite similarly formatted with mock tests and videos. However I ended up sticking with British Sign, given that it included the different ways a word may be signed. I completed the course in August last year and this is evidenced on my blog.
Now that I had completed Level 1 content, I needed to find a website where I could take my knowledge further. I then came across a course on the website Student Learning Portal. This course has the content up to Level 5, and like British Sign includes mock tests and a final assessment. As you go up the levels, the more sentence structure you cover - which is important given that sign language grammar is completely different to spoken English.
At the beginning of my project I wanted to qualify myself officially in Level 1 BSL. However, through doing my EPQ I have learnt this extremely expensive qualification does not need to be what defines what I have taught myself. Therefore for my final project I chose to do an artefact opposed to a written dissertation. I created two videos of me signing as an interpreter to children's TV programmes. Through this final project I was not only able to visually show what I had taught myself, it allowed me to improve the speed of my signing.
Through my journey of learning sign language I have learnt I learn best through watching short clips and being tested frequently on what I have learnt. I would say my two biggest challenges through this journey would be keeping up the motivation to do the lessons and the speed of which I was signing. I think both of these challenges come from that I had no one to sign to through most of this journey which made it difficult to track my own progress. Therefore through doing my final project and going on the day out with 'Hear me Out', it gave me that motivation to keep learning sign language and I felt the pressure that persuaded me to keep improving.
I am going to continue my BSL journey through the levels and maybe even one day get officially certified.
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