Deaf ESL Students - Gallaudet University

O News
PHOTO: ANGELA FARRAND
“We are excited about working with Gallaudet University,
one of the premiere national organizations in the education
and disability field,” said Rayna Aylward, director of
Mitsubishi Electric America. “The TecEds project promises
to pave new trails in the creative application of technology
to teaching children who are deaf.”
“The Mitsubishi Foundation’s support will enable a larger
cadre of K-12 teachers at our two demonstration schools
to successfully use technology to reinforce and enhance curriculum,”
said Phil Mackall, director of Information Services
and Computer Support at the Clerc Center. “In turn, we will
disseminate what we learn in this project to educators across
the nation, encouraging them to share their comments and
successes with us via the power of the Internet.”
NTD Summer Program
Students, Teacher Enjoy Acting Workshop
Matthew Vita and Betsie Delaune, students from the Model
Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD) and MSSD performing
arts teacher Angela Farrand were among those who
attended the first intensive theater training summer program
for high school-age deaf students and their teachers
offered by the National Theatre of the Deaf (NTD).
The two-week course held last summer in NTD’s home
office in Chester, Connecticut, introduced students to a variety
of performing techniques and theater history. Courses
were taught by NTD artists, directors, and acting teachers.
The students practiced abstract movements, improvising a
tug of war with mime teacher David Yeakle; they rehearsed
scenes with Shanny Mow. They enjoyed and learned techniques
for visual storytelling with Bernard Bragg. With
teacher Dennis Webster, students created a timeline on the
history of stage lighting from early centuries to the present.
Sachigo Ho instructed students in the art of Japanese NOH
Theatre, Kabuki dance, and drumming.
“One of the most important things that I came away with
was an understanding that the process of producing a theater
production is as important as, or perhaps even more
important than, the final product itself,” said Farrand.
“In one of the NTD workshops,” Farrand said, “our student
was given an assignment of how a deaf/blind character
could communicate on stage. At first our student tried to
change the character. ‘Why can’t the character be just deaf?’
But the instructor challenged the student to follow the assignment.
The student figured out a way for the deaf/blind character
to sign into the hand of another character and have
that character interpret for the other players.”
This experience was put to good use in fall when
Farrand directed the MSSD students in a performance of
James and the Giant Peach. The earthworm in the play was
deaf and blind. This spring, NTD plans to send an artist-inresidence
to MSSD. The two MSSD students will help the
resident artist lead workshops.
Clerc Center Reading Project
Explores ESL Issues
The Gallaudet University Laurent Clerc National Deaf
Education Center will soon issue the first evaluation report
on the Shared Reading Project, the national endeavor to
encourage parents to read to their deaf and hard of hearing
children through working with tutors who are deaf and
LEFT: MSSD student Betsie Delaune, foreground, leads the way in an
improvisation exercise at NTD’s summer theater program. TOP RIGHT: The
MSSD drama team, students Betsie Delaune and Matthew Vita, and performing
arts teacher Angela Farrand, revel in the opportunity to participate
in the NTD summer workshop for young dramatists.
46 Spring 2000