demonstrating it is the best.
Agreed!
I'd suggest it's best to just mime the swimming stroke as it's:
1) Easiest when seen in the water/from a distance
2) Is a reminder for ALL the children which stroke is being talked about
3) Easier for a hearing person with no sign language experience to "remember" since all the have to remember is "mime the stroke you are talking about"
Hope that helps!
The only other thing I might suggest is that the teacher learn a few signs (or gestures) such as:
STOP
(useful mainly for if they're doing something such as timed treading of water, etc where it's easy to miss "stop" being speechread at all/in the proper context)
INDICATED BY: Either the sign "STOP", or using the gesture of raising a hand& arm up with a "5 hand"
HEY!
(aka How to get someone's attention)
Demonstrate the correct way to get her attention at:
1) A distance
INDICATED BY: raising arm and waving side-to-side
2) A few feet away
INDICATED BY: raising arm slightly &waving up&down
3) From behind or close approximately where she's close enough to touch, but not in "eye sight"
INDICATED BY: using a 'deaf tap' on the shoulder/side of arm
FOCUS -
(used before starting to give instructions if students are 'chatting' or not prepared to receive instructions)
INDICATED BY: Raising both "B hands"to eye level, palms facing each other, then moving the hands slighting closer and farther from the face a few times (
aslpro.com under F in the left hand menu)
The advantage of the teacher knowing a few of these type of signs is that it allows a speech-reader in the water to know there will be "cues" they can expect to catch out of the corner of their eye prior to any important instruction etc being said.
Something that really helped me as a Hoh/Deaf swim student was having a few swimmates in my class set up as "swim buddies". My swimbuddies made sure that if I didn't see or know that the teacher was talking, or that a whistle etc had blown (which as a Hoh person,I couldn't hear) that they would automatically tap me on the shoulder or swim over to me to get my attention.
Having swimbuddies "set up" who she and the teacher can rely on to "tap" her on the shoulder if the teacher (or someone else) is trying to get her/the class's attention also is helpful - even if the system never has to be used. To prevent singling her out - the teacher can make it so EVERY kid has a "swim buddy" who they watch out for to make sure they are paying attention, "hear" any whistles etc.
Hope that helps!!
