Sign Language, Sustainable Development, and Equal Opportunities by Goedele A. M. De Clerck & Peter V. Paul

Author:Goedele A. M. De Clerck & Peter V. Paul
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gallaudet University Press
Published: 2016-03-17T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 8

Literacy, Literate Thought, and Deafness

Peter V. Paul

At first glance, it seems that the title of this chapter covers two major separate constructs—literacy and literate thought—but this is not completely accurate. I hope to make the case that literacy, especially print literacy, is only one avenue, albeit an important educational one, for facilitating the development of literate thought. At the abstract level, an individual who can engage in literate thought possesses the ability to think creatively, critically, logically, and reflectively. The development of literate thought in educational settings should apply to all students, not just to those who are d/Deaf and hard of hearing (d/Dhh) (see the Author’s Note at the end of the chapter regarding this terminology).

Let’s consider a few major questions to be addressed throughout this chapter:

1. What does it mean to be literate?

2. Should literate thought, rather than proficiency in print literacy only, be the main goal of literacy education or, indeed, the main goal of education in general?

3. Is the development of literate thought an equity or diversity issue?

There are no simple straightforward answers to these questions, but I hope to provide a few perspectives.

First a little background. Much of the focus in the education of d/Dhh children and adolescents in the United States has been on the development of language and literacy, particularly the official or dominant language of mainstream society; that is, English. Many technological-driven societies, including the United States, place a high value—indeed a mandate—that its citizens achieve at least a functional level of print literacy in order to participate politically as informed citizens.

There seems to be little doubt that print literacy is important, especially because much of the academic content in compulsory education and higher education settings requires the ability to access and comprehend print information. Nevertheless, given the challenges of a number of individuals, including those who are often labeled struggling readers or writers, it should be asked if alternative, comparable modes of accessing and interpreting information should be explored and valued. For example, the use of nonprint modes might be feasible for some individuals whose major mode of receptive and expressive communication and learning is through the use of a signed language or even a signed system and who, more often than not, struggle with acquiring the literacy skills in the spoken language of mainstream society.

It should be possible to use nonprint modes for developing critical literate thinkers, especially in this age of the so-called new and multiple literacies (for further discussion, see Paul & Wang, 2012). The phrase new and multiple literacies refers to the use of multimedia to access and interpret information from a variety of interactive sources involving print, video, and audio components. With the explosion of information via technology, many individuals need to develop the cognitive tools to navigate a number of avenues simultaneously. New and multiple literacies challenges our assumption of what it means to be literate.

Throughout this chapter, I provide a brief understanding of print literacy and suggest that perhaps the construct of literacy

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