Book review of Critical perspectives on plurilingualism in deaf education. Kristin Snoddon and Joanne C. Weber (Eds.), Bristol: Multilingual Matters. 2021. 272 pp.
This resource establishes European standards for sign languages for professional purposes in line with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and provides an overview of assessment descriptors and approaches. Drawing on preliminary work undertaken in adapting the CEFR to sign languages, the project Signed languages for professional purposes (PRO-Sign) is the first to specify proficiency levels for sign languages establishing European standards for use in Deaf Studies and interpreting programmes offered at tertiary level across Europe and beyond. This website seeks to act as a point of reference for teachers, teacher trainers and curriculum developers of sign languages in tertiary educational environments. It may also support the work of international non-governmental organisations such as the European Union of the Deaf (EUD), the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), the European Forum of Sign Language Interpreters (efsli) and other relevant international organisations. This website provides ‘Can Do’ descriptors for reception, interaction and production from A1 all the way up to C2 level. The descriptions also include ‘plus levels’ (e.g. A2+).
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Part 1 of English as a Medium of Learning in Schools addresses key approaches and terminology related to teaching and learning subjects through English in primary and secondary schools. In addition, it presents a range of benefits and some challenges that teachers and learners face in EML contexts. Benefits include the development of teacher and learner language; active and interactive subject teaching and learning; effective thinking in both content and language, and subject resources that widen cultural perspectives. Challenges focus on the language demands of subject content, knowledge of subject content and rethinking how to teach subjects in EML
