Hello everyone!

In-Depth is an opportunity to learn a skill that interests you, which you are passionate about. You should be motivated to learn this skill because it coincides with your interests. You should have an in-depth plan for learning your skill in place before you begin so that you know exactly how you want everything to play out. This should include contingency plans, your goal and anything else that is important to the project and how you will complete it. To learn your skill you must recruit a mentor to teach you, this person should have an extensive knowledge of your chosen skill and be willing to meet with you at least once a month to teach you.

The In-Depth skill I have chosen to learn is ASL (American Sign Language) because for some, it is the only language they can verbally communicate in, and knowing how to speak it fluently can not only help me understand more about deaf culture and that group of people in our society but allow me to talk with others than don’t share my ability to hear. Also, it is a beautiful, almost artistic language that can be very expressive and it would be useful in conveying emotions when I don’t want to use only spoken words. I think it’s very interesting to learn a language that isn’t vocal as most are and how it works because of that.

I will learn ASL by learning from a mentor who has an extensive knowledge of the language as well as the culture so I can learn the actual signs, the grammar and structure, which will help me to better translate from English to ASL and vice versa, and deaf culture, so that I can be a respectful member of the signing community. The signs will include important words that are used in everyday life, and the grammar will help me to understand how to simplify an English sentence into ASL. I want to learn the culture, what is rude and what is considered respectful, as well as common phrases and “shortcuts” that fluent speakers use. I will meet with this mentor along with 4 of my classmates using video calls at least once a month until the end of May to learn as much as I can. I will review these lessons with my group to make sure that we understand and remember everything and we will help each other if we have any issues with the material. I will practice on my own, keeping the information fresh in my memory, as well as attempt to teach what I have learned to my family, ensuring that I understand it enough to do so.

Others can help me by allowing me to teach them some of the things I learn during the mentor-ship when they have free time, which will help me strengthen my comfort with “speaking” the language. By doing this they will also allow me to review what I have learned and giving me more practice.

In conclusion, I will be learning all the different parts of ASL to better understand the deaf community and because it is a beautiful language that is very expressive and interesting. I will meet with my mentor along with a group of others learning ASL as well and to practice I will use multiple methods that will help me comprehend the information better. Others can help me by allowing me to practice with them and possibly teach them so I become more comfortable with my abilities.

I’m really excited to learn this skill, wish me luck with my project and good luck to the rest of you with yours!