Issues Concerning Sign Language Teachers and Beginner Signers

Activity 4.7 Online Discussion
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ACTIVITY 4.7 ONLINE DISCUSSION
1 What do you think of the conclusions in Willoughby et al. (2015) that many sign language teachers have a greater focus on form (e.g., error correction), as opposed to the use of language to accomplish tasks (e.g., using the language in context, communicating ideas)? This is a widely debated concept in language acquisition research—the focus on form vs. using language in context. Discuss your thoughts and make connections to the L2 literature. Some classic references are listed below if you are not familiar with the area.
It is indeed true that Willoughby et al. (2015) conclude by noting that sign language teachers focus on the form, such as error correction, and not the use of language to accomplish tasks. This is because these teachers need to focus on developing competence among learners. However, this is considered to be one of the discouraging experiences of L2 teachers since, in most cases, they end up correcting errors that recur in the production of learners. Although collecting errors is part of learning, teachers should utilize different correction strategies and focus on a learner's ability to communicate ideas (Pica, 1994). Lightbown & Spada (1990) note that the goal of L2 teachers is to help students learn and understand language, which is possible through error correction. This is because correcting errors is essential for improving learners' communicative and linguistic c...