Is American Sign Language a "foreign language?"

The Chicago Tribune reported today that while some universities allow students to count American Sign Language classes towards foreign language credit, some do not, citing their belief that ASL is either not "foreign" or not a "language." This is absurd.

ASL is a foreign language in that it is both different from the standard language – English – used in American public schools, and is a formal means of communication between a large section of the populace. Languages do not require a formal written component to be valid, although ASL does include it's own form of translation from English, called a "gloss."

Kate, a Montana resident who has studied ASL off and on for over a decade, notes that ASL has markedly different syntax from standard English.

"Signing or finger-spelling to English syntax is often called "pidgin" and frequently seen in drama productions. The grammar difference is especially noticeable with things like adjectives, for example, when and English speaker says I am glad, an ASL user would be much more likely to sign "Me +Happy +Me."

As in English, ASL also has homonyms but they can be surprising. You would use different signs for "deliver" depending on whether you mean "to rip something off," "rescue" or "to give birth", and some signs are easily confused - the grinding motion for "coffee," done wrong, suddenly means "will you make out with me?" and the sign for "pregnant" becomes "log cabin" depending on finger movements."

Also, "foreign" is not defined based only on geographic distinctions. It is defined as something that differs from a particular subject or group's norm. Similarly, "language" does not require spoken words to be relevant. It merely requires a standard and recognizable set of signs of symbols, such as written characters, drawn glyphs, or finger movements. Technically, ASL does also has an oral component, except the it uses fingers and gestures.

Sheila, a former high school and grade school teacher in Virginia and Pennsylvania, agrees, stating the following:

"It is a very special case, but I would agree that it is a foreign language. After all, Latin is a foreign language whose spoken form has virtually no practical application. It's still useful for communicating (so to speak) with the ancient Romans. ASL allows you to communicate with another special group -- not people from a different country, perhaps, but people from another culture. And it has MORE applications than many foreign languages. You could study Russian and never meet a Russian person who didn't speak English, but the chances of meeting a deaf person are pretty high."

On another note, ASL does have a cultural component, as it is used by members of the deaf community as well as their family and friends. To treat people as if their widely used method of communication is somehow irrelevant is like telling them that they are irrelevant. It is an arrogant stance to take and a close-minded slap in the face.

What do you think, reader? Does American Sign Language count as a foreign language?

Buy the Book?: Texas Conservatives Seek to Rewrite History Textbooks

And the battle continues, both over what points-of-view get play in history textbooks and over whether a handful of people in one state with a large student population - Texas - should be allowed to decide the textbook foundation for the majority of public school curricula throughout the country.

It's a fascinating debate and conflict with valid points on all sides. But education really should not be at the whim of changing political tides, as idealistic as that may sound to some. This is a goal and point that really should be reached for as much as possible.

As for the debate going on in Texas right now, it's one thing to advocate a certain measure of balance to textbook curriculum (i.e. the quoted proposal to add info on conservative organizations and public figures, or even comparing Jefferson Davis' ideas with those of Lincoln's, for context), but it's quite another to eliminate and replace existing historical events and context (i.e. American imperialism in its early and middle development, the neutral description of the different political and economic systems at play, and the goals, however idealistic, of minorities during the Civil Rights Movement).

(photo credit: Darren Heater - http://morguefile.com/archive/display/625322)

PHILADELPHIA & TRENDS: Gardening in the Classroom

Published on Friday, September 4, 2009 in THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER.

Classrooms go green to teach nature's ways

By Heather J. Chin
Inquirer Staff Writer

It is midday at Khepera Charter School in Mount Airy, and about two dozen middle schoolers are standing on the grass, staring at trees. Their science teacher, Kim Johnson, offers clues as they try to identify Japanese maple, sugar maple, pine oak, and spruce.

Such excursions are common at the school, where the lawns and a small vegetable garden have been an "outdoor classroom" for five years. English teachers read poems and have kids write essays in the sunshine. In math class, students measure the lawn's perimeter or solve problems while watching squirrels play.

The point, said Johnson, whose students call her Mama Omatayo or Mama O. (to foster a sense of family, faculty are referred to as Mama or Baba), is to provide learning experiences outside the four walls and to connect children with nature.

Rita Stevens, a special-education teacher at Philadelphia's Huey Elementary School at 52d and Pine Streets, takes a similar tack. She has been using the school's vegetable and flower garden to motivate her third to fifth graders to learn to read and write. Between weeding and watering, the kids label both the plants ("tomatoes" and "peppers") and their parts ("stem," "leaves" and "fruit").

"The kids are hands-on and they will learn how to read words associated with something," explained Stevens. "They'll make the effort to learn about what they're working with."

Learning experiences like these are why Johnson and Stevens joined 48 fellow educators at the third annual Green City Teachers workshop in July, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. The two-day event trains educators in safe and best planting practices through hands-on work in one school's garden.

This year, Luis Muñoz-Marin Elementary School at Third and Ontario Streets in North Philadelphia was the host. On patches of soil behind the school and in the parking lot, teachers weeded, swept, built wooden frames for seed beds, tested soil for lead, applied mulch, and planted trees and vegetables. They also bonded over shared goals, challenges, and a desire to spread the word: Whether indoors or outdoors, large or small, gardens are a valuable educational tool.

Read the full article here.

COMMENTARY: Cuban Students Expelled For Appying To U.S. Scholarships

U.S. Scholarships get Cuban College Students Expelled

"A sample of the actions taken by the current U.S. administration in its efforts to ideologically permeate university students is to offer them scholarships through the Interests Section to train them in the area of leadership," reads an internal document of the Ministry of Higher Education obtained by El Nuevo Herald.

"Applying for such scholarships reveals, at least, an unacceptable ideological inconsistency. More serious yet is the case of students selected by the Interests Section who upheld their decisions even after a political discussion with them."

The document, released in July, acknowledges that students and professors longed "to obtain personal benefits" and suffered "a confusion and poor understanding of the basic pillars that sustain the ideology of our revolution."

--> So if I understand this correctly, the "ideological inconsistency" is one of seeking personal benefit through education, versus faith in the Cuban Communist Party's ability to provide an education that would benefit the people over the individual. ... Okay, I recognize the pride issue, but ideologically, wouldn't the creation of a widely educated populace potentially benefit the people they would grow up to serve? Or is my reasoning tainted by its support of a global education versus a tightly controlled national education?

This issue makes me wonder: is the reluctance and resistance by some U.S. citizens to consider the idea of our students - and leaders - going abroad for part of their education or career experience as a good thing.... is this a sign of "ideological inconsistency" with our own nation's ideals? Or is this a sign of the rigidity of thought that is so clearly displayed by the Cuban government here?

Philly Local: High School Health Fellowships

Published June 10, 2009 in THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER.


Fellowship seeks to give ninth graders a boost

By Heather J. Chin
Inquirer Staff Writer

A new fellowship program will pair about two dozen low-income ninth graders in Philadelphia with professional mentors this fall to prepare them for careers in health care and science.

The Karabots Junior Fellows Program will offer traditional mentoring from physician experts over three years as well as field trips, extra classes, college prep, internships, video seminars, and online networking. It is funded with an initial $800,000 grant from the Karabots Foundation in Fort Washington.

"You can't fulfill a dream unless you have the dream," said George M. Wohlreich, chief executive officer of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, a professional society that is hosting the fellowship and providing mentors. "Our goal is to help them create a dream and show them how to fulfill it."

As the need for health care rises, the demand for qualified candidates is growing, too. But many low-income minority youth lack academic and familial support to keep up with their better-off peers.

Read more here...

Yay Frogs!

So Pine Magazine issued a challenge to its readers a couple of weeks ago: take the Frog Leap Test (an exercise they say is used to test spatial reasoning, it seems), pass it, take a screenshot, and send it to them. I did it on the second try.

Now, this program may be used with Chinese students, but I doubt that their ability to solve it at a young age means “smarter than” compared to at least the Pine Mag. editors. It’s probably just a matter of how much training you have in spatial reasoning. Perhaps the students get a focus on this earlier than students with other nation’s curricula.

Still, I cringe at the thought of someone to suggest that my being able to solve the puzzle (see below) is due to my being Chinese American. Paranoia? Perhaps. But this twisted logic is hardly absent from discussion in an American society that seems to be experiencing an upswing in xenophobic thought. As usual, I’ll slough off this thought, though.

In my case, years of learning according to the NYC specialized math and science curriculum probably helped condition me to find this a rather straightforward exercise.

Whatever the case, I’m pleased! Woohoo!

Here's my screenshot:


S
O
L
U
T
I
O
N
S

The solution is:
Y (yellow)1 - R (red) 1 - R2 - Y1 - Y2 - Y3 - R1 - R2 - R3 - Y1 - Y2 - Y3 - R2 - R3 - Y3

NATIONAL: School Seeks To Connect Health Policy With Care

(previously published here at www.thebulletin.us)

By Heather J. Chin, The Bulletin

10/06/2008

After a spiritual retreat to Rome in which he met with Vatican leaders in healthcare from around the world, David B. Nash, M.D., M.B.A. returned to Philadelphia, and to Thomas Jefferson University, where he has been named inaugural dean of a new graduate school of health policy.

The establishment of the Jefferson School of Health Policy and Population Health (JSHPPH) was announced last week by University President Robert L. Barchi, M.D., Ph.D., who described it as building on Jefferson's expertise in health-care quality improvement and chronic care management and providing "a venue for this expertise that is recognized nationally and internationally."

The school, which will be housed in existing facilities, is an expansion of the Jefferson Medical College's Department of Health Policy (DHP). It will feature an interdisciplinary curriculum where medical, nursing and allied health students, as well as recent undergraduates and mid-career professionals, take classes together, both online and in traditional classrooms.

According to Dr. Nash, currently the Dr. Raymond C. and Doris N. Grandon Professor of Health Policy and chair of the DHP, this school was months in the making and its purpose is to "address the health-care crisis in the United States - its quality, safety, affordability and accessibility."

"One of the things we're going to teach in our new school is how important it is to take care of the underserved," said Dr. Nash, also a board member of Catholic Healthcare Partners, the non-profit health system that sponsored the Rome retreat. "We're going to pay a lot of attention to the meaning of the word 'mission' in health care."

JSHPPH's stated mission is "to prepare leaders with global vision to develop, implement and evaluate health policies and systems that improve the health of populations and thereby enhance the quality of life."

In Sept. 2009, the school will open for individuals interested in Master's degrees in Public Health and Health Policy, or Chronic Care Management and Healthcare Quality and Safety - two unique programs that are the first of their kind in the nation and region.

The range of programs are aimed at attracting individuals with a variety of interests and career goals. So while the Quality and Safety program may attract mid-career professionals and undergraduates with an interest in social organization and improvement, the Chronic Care program may appeal to people who interact with families - existing nurses, case managers and diabetes educators - and the health policy program students aiming for academia or the governmental process.

As the new school develops further, dual degree programs and two doctoral programs in Health Policy and Population Health Sciences will also be added.

In addition to Philadelphia's resources, JSHPPH is building partnerships with Widener Law School, the University of Delaware and other business schools in the area.

Cooperation will also come from Catholic Healthcare Partners, the American College of Physician Executives, and the American College of Medical Quality.

Key collaborators in the creation of JSHPPH include the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Kimmel Cancer Center and its Division of Population Science in the Department of Medical Oncology, the Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health, and the Jefferson School of Pharmacy.

For Dr. Nash, the opportunity to continue almost two decades of work at Jefferson, developing his interest in health policy and health care, has been rewarding.

"I'm waking up very, very early every day and thinking about the things I have to do," he said.

Heather J. Chin can be reached at hchin@thebulletin.us

©The Evening Bulletin 2008

LOCAL ARTS: Incubator Of Rhythm

(previously published here at www.thebulletin.us)

By: Erin Maguire and Heather Chin, The Bulletin

08/29/2008

There's nothing like a good African dance class to soak your shirt in sweat, blister your feet and make you wish you could shake your booty like a professional.

Inhaling the rhythmic drum beats helps, though, as does the sight of dreads flying, wrap skirts flapping and dancers circling their arms and pumping their chests. This is exactly what you'll find Wednesday nights at the Community Education Center in University City, where each 90-minute class requires $12 and all of your energy.

Djian Tie, an Ivory Coast native, teaches the Wednesday class, where live drummers tempt dancers to try faster, funkier moves. Mixed-level African dance classes are also offered by Cachet Ivey on Monday night and Maurice Edwards on Saturday afternoon.

Only a handful of venues offer African dance classes in the city and CEC is definitely the hub.

"We've been here longer than anyone in the city," Theresa Shockley, director of CEC, a nonprofit that has been around since 1984, said. "And we're more artist-friendly. CEC is kind of an incubator, supporting artists throughout their career and giving them a place to work."

Founded 24 years ago, CEC grew out of a public-school education facility. Today, the brick building in West Philly is a refuge for emerging artists, as a forum not only for dance - African, Latin and line dance - but also theater, music, martial arts and other forms of artistic expression.

Another part of what makes CEC unique is that it partners with teachers instead of paying them as would a studio. And while the center has resident dance companies, like Group Motion and Kumquat Dance Center, the companies do not overpower the overall structure.

"Artists are always trying to get space to teach and present their work," Ms. Shockley said. "We provide space for them to develop their work and present it."

CEC's New Edge resident artist program, for example, specifically caters to new choreographers and theater artists. Each year, three choreographers and two theater artists are granted a stipend, 100 rehearsal hours and a venue to showcase their final product.

Shavon Norris and Meredith Rainey, who were chosen this year from over 30 choreographer applicants, will start their residencies this spring.

Influenced by her Baptist upbringing, Ms. Norris's teaching style is based on "the African-American tradition of testifying" and storytelling. The dancers teach each other the movements they create, which allows for an "exchange of histories" and "insight into what the others' experience is," Ms. Norris said.

After interviewing potential dancers, Ms. Norris decides whom to cast in her pieces by observing their reactions to the taped interviews. For this project, she asked three men to perform improvisational dance based on what they remembered hearing in their youth.

"I'm not interested in putting work in people, but rather, pulling work out of them," Ms. Norris said.

Mr. Rainey, who is trained in classical ballet, takes "classical vocabulary" and adds "background" to make his pieces more than merely technical. He likes to train "dancers who don't have a voice yet and make them have a voice."

The theme of his project is voyeurism, stemming partly out of his TV addiction and partly out of his own "fear of getting older and not being good enough."

"Why am I so addicted to looking at someone else's life?" he asked rhetorically. The conceived focus of his project has ranged from "power" to "coveting someone else's life" and is now "about going out there and getting a life."

Of the resident artist program at CEC, Ms. Norris said, "CEC supports artists in any stage of your career."

Mr. Rainey agreed, noting that few dance residencies are offered in the city and only CEC allows choreographers to produce shows upon its completion.

Having such an outlet and bond between the city and the creative juices of its residents is key to the CEC's mission.

"Our goal is to connect artists and [the] community," explained Ms. Shockley.

The dance floor on Wednesday night was pulsing as rows of dancers of various backgrounds, shapes and experience practiced the newly learned routine, competed in a freestyle contest to outdo the drumbeats, and then bowed in thanks to the drummers.

As dancers streamed out, some rubbing their feet, the woman collecting the money at the door advised a first-timer, "If you get a pedicure make sure they don't scrape off the calluses. Then, your feet will be too soft."

Visit www.cecarts.org for a list of classes.


Erin Maguire can be reached at emaguire@thebulletin.us. Heather Chin can be reached at hchin@thebulletin.us.

©The Evening Bulletin 2008

LOCAL: Beginning The Journey

(previously published here at www.thebulletin.us)

By: Heather J. Chin, The Bulletin

08/11/2008

Philadelphia - Moments before reciting the Hippocratic Oath together, each member of Jefferson Medical College's incoming Class of 2012, aided by family and friends, donned their physician's white coat. The resulting "sea" of 255 white coats marked the beginning of their journey toward becoming physicians.

At JMC's annual White Coat Ceremony on Friday morning, family and friends gathered to take part in the event in the Wanamaker Building's Crystal Tea Room. Medical faculty, dressed either in alma mater robes or their own white coats, welcomed everyone and spoke about professionalism, the Jefferson Legacy, and the White Coat Legacy.

Mitchell J.M. Cohen M.D., associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior at JMC, who initiated the ceremony years ago, emphasized to students that the coming years would bring two transformations in their lives. The first would be medicine transforming from a job to work to a profession, and the second would be their personal transformation into physicians.

Keynote speaker Richard C. Wender M.D., alumni professor and chairman of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, delivered a rousing and highly entertaining address that highlighted the credibility that the white coat lends young men and women, "empowering [them] with the opportunity and perhaps even obligation to approach their newfound access to people with respect and care."

"High quality caring leads to high quality learning," he said.

Dr. Wender also stressed the importance of humor in medicine, both for the well being of the physician and the patient.

The coat - a familiar sight on hospital doctors - is a symbol of a physician's knowledge and responsibility toward the patient. As described by Dr. Cohen, its ancestry is tied spiritually to healing work, similar to the clergy. Like a judge's robe, the white coat, even in modern times, hopefully inspires the giving of justice, fair access and delivery of care to everyone.

After donning the white coat, students were read Maimonides' Prayer for the Physician and, along with family who were also doctors, recited the Hippocratic Oath, which provides standards and a core set of professional values to be followed by all physicians, including the critical value of confidentiality.

First-year student Tamar Berger, 23, of Stanford, Calif., said that the faculty speeches left her feeling "inspired, moved [and] ready to live up to everything this coat represents."

Parent reactions were similarly humbled and hopeful, with Ms. Berger's father, Jonathan, and grandfather Irving being left feeling "very proud." For Wynmore parents Bob Rhoades and Kate Winkler, whose son Ruben Winkler-Rhoades is also starting at Jefferson, the entire ceremony was an "incredible moment."

When asked what appealed to them about JMC, first-year students from around the country all noted a great sense of a community and camaraderie between students and faculty. For good friends Aaron Yung and Ben Pham, both first-years from San Diego, this especially stood out.

"It's like a big family," said Mr. Yung, 22. "I don't think I've ever seen any unhappy Jefferson faculty," added Mr. Pham, 25.

At Jefferson, the first year of study for medical students is broken up into three-month blocks during which students focus on one course at a time while also learning how to be a doctor through study of Clinical Medicine. First year classes begin today.

"It's been great," said fourth-year student and ceremony speaker on shared professional values Matthew Eldridge, JMC '09. "There's a certain aspect of community [with] classmates and teachers really looking out for each other... everyone is down-to-earth and [focused on] patient care."

Mr. Eldridge, who may go into either family medicine or internal medicine, also noted that for the new students, this is "a very exciting time" and to know that soon, their white coats will "get heavy," filled with tools, stethoscopes, books and snacks.

As Charles A. Pohl M.D., the associate dean for student affairs and career counseling said, "every day, we get to learn something, teach something and take care of people."

Jefferson Medical College, of Thomas Jefferson University, was the first medical school in Philadelphia to establish the "White Coat Ceremony," a tradition symbolizing the clinical beginning of every student's medical education. It has been part of the first year program at JMC since 1994. The college offers both traditional medical education and joint degree programs, and enrolls over 900 students each year.


Heather J. Chin can be reached at hchin@thebulletin.us.

©The Evening Bulletin 2008