Start with who is teaching
Wherever you can, learn from a Deaf teacher, in a class run by Deaf people.
ASL belongs to the Deaf community. Deaf teachers bring the language, the culture and lived experience of both, and they model the language as it is used every day. Teaching ASL is also one of the ways Deaf people earn a living from their own language, so choosing a Deaf teacher sends that income and that respect where they belong.
Some hearing learners feel nervous about a class with a Deaf teacher. They worry they will understand nothing, or that they will be rude by accident. Deaf teachers of beginners have seen that nervousness many times, and teaching people who arrive knowing nothing is exactly what they do. Nerves usually fade quickly.
The kinds of places that offer Deaf-led classes are described in where to learn. Deaf people you meet are also a good source, since they often know which local classes they would recommend to a friend.
What a good beginner class looks like
Class time is mostly signed
In a strong ASL class, the teacher and learners sign with voices off from early on. The first session can feel alarming. It is also the fastest way to learn, because it makes your eyes do the work. A class where the teacher explains everything aloud and then demonstrates a sign tends to produce learners who translate from English in their heads.
It teaches grammar along with vocabulary
A beginner course should cover grammar, the use of space and the face, and short conversations. If the course outline reads like a picture dictionary of colors and animals, be cautious. Why ASL is its own language explains why this matters.
It includes Deaf culture
A good class teaches how to get someone's attention, how introductions work, why name signs are given by Deaf people, and something of Deaf history and community life.
It gives time to watching
Look for a class that spends real time on understanding signing as well as producing it. Practicing receptive skills explains why understanding is the skill most learners are short of.
The group is small
Signing has to be seen. With twelve learners or fewer, a teacher can watch each person's hands and face and correct them during class. In a much larger group, individual feedback becomes rare.
Online or in person
Both can work well, and they have different strengths.
In-person classes show signing in three dimensions, which helps with the use of space. They put you in a room with other learners and often lead to local community events.
Online classes widen the choice considerably. If there is no Deaf-led class near you, a live online class with a Deaf teacher is usually a better option than a nearby class without one. Online courses on the where to learn page lists what to check before you join one.
Think about how you keep going with things, too. Some people attend more reliably when they have a room to travel to, and others do better when class fits into an evening at home. A class you attend every week will teach you more than a better class you keep missing.
Warning signs
- Promises of fluency in weeks. A course that promises this misunderstands the language or is overselling itself.
- Certificates presented as job qualifications. A beginner course does not prepare anyone to interpret. Interpreting is a profession that takes years of training.
- No Deaf people anywhere. No Deaf teachers, no Deaf guests and no mention of the community suggests a course about ASL with the community left out.
- A mostly spoken sample lesson. If the sample is mostly voice, the course probably will be too.
- Vocabulary with no grammar. Hundreds of signs and no conversation practice leaves learners unable to build a sentence.
If the teacher is hearing
Some learners live far from any Deaf-led class, or can only fit a particular course into their schedule. If the teacher is hearing, hold the class to the same standards. Ask how the course brings in Deaf teachers, Deaf guests or community events, and ask where learners usually go next. A good hearing teacher is open about those limits and encourages learners to move on to Deaf teachers.
Before you enroll anywhere, go through the questions to ask a class. When the course ends, keeping progress going after a first course covers what to do next.
