What Then Is Topic-Signing?

Topic-Signing Project
During the last month of class, we will be having topic-signing for three minutes on the topics chosen from among the topics posted on my s-Portfolio (www.asleportfolio.blogspot.com). In the class, you will be using ASL to the best of your ability for one of those topics. There are several parts to this topic-signing project:

1.    Choosing a Topic - I will assign a topic to students.

2.    Class Lesson - your group will be responsible for leading one topic-signing session.

3.    Required meeting with me - meetings will be scheduled later in the term.

o    At the meeting, you should be prepared to use topic-signing that will be videotaped.

The Topic-Signing Plan
For your topic, think about what major point(s) are most interesting/important and focus on those in ASL. Your lesson plan for the day needs to include each of the following elements:



Topic-Signing Tips

• To get a topic-signing started: I've found that it helps if you open with a question about one's personal experience (e.g., "How many of you remember your first class?") or, at least, a question that does not have an obvious right or wrong answer (e.g., "Do you think men sign differently than women do?"). It also helps if you open with a question that is small in scope. For example, asking "So, what IS the meaning of ASL?" as your first question will probably result in silence. Once the ball is rolling, you can begin asking larger questions about the topic material.
• Be prepared to re-phrase the question if the initial phrasing is not understood.
• Try to ask questions that go beyond the material presented in the e-portfolio rather than asking questions that simply review the information. If it becomes clear that a key concept is poorly understood by the class, you can back up and clarify that concept.
• Your class needs to have had in-depth discussions of the material and the questions you've decided are most interesting. Things generally go poorly when you ask the class to consider discussion questions that you, yourselves, have not worked through.
• For each of the questions you plan to pose during topic-signing, imagine what a student's answer might be. Then, think of a follow-up question to that answer (one that will extend or deepen the conversation). In this way, you will be thinking in-depth about the issues and you will be prepared to really lead an actual discussion, rather than read a list of questions.
• Let the topic-signing flow freely, but also don't be afraid to reel it back if you've wandered too far from the topic you'd wanted to discuss).
• Don't feel that YOU must be the one to say something after every comment someone in the class makes... asking other classmates to respond or add to an initial answer can help prevent the discussion from becoming a tennis match (the class, you, the class, you).

o    Also remember that 3 minutes of topic-signing feel like an hour when you are nervously standing in front of the half of the class waiting for a response.

General presentation tips:

·                     PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

·                     PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

·                     PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

·                     PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

·                     PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

·                     PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.