British Sign Language for Beginners

About this course

The course introduces BSL through everyday topics including greetings, fingerspelling, numbers, family, home, work, routines, hobbies, time and weather. Learners practise communicating about people and activities, while developing an understanding of basic BSL linguistic features and Deaf experience in a hearing world. Teaching combines signing practice with verbal communication, pair and group activities, dialogue and information-gap exercises, individual tasks, and guided discovery of grammatical rules. Tutor feedback and informal assessment take place during class activities.

What you'll learn

• Use greetings, polite conversation, numbers, fingerspelling, time and dates in everyday BSL situations.
• Construct and follow short BSL narratives about familiar topics such as home, family and leisure.
• Describe people, activities and weather using basic BSL terminology and structures.
• Recognise and apply basic linguistic features of BSL.
• Recognise implications of being Deaf in a hearing world.

Is this course right for you?

This course is designed for complete beginners and learners with limited knowledge of BSL. Participation includes signing practice, pair and group activities, individual tasks and verbal communication. Learners should be prepared to attend all classes and complete short home-learning tasks between sessions.

• Suitable for complete beginners or those with limited BSL knowledge.
• Includes collaborative pair and group work alongside individual tasks.
• Requires attendance at all classes and completion of home-learning tasks.

Before you go

• Learners should be prepared to complete short home-learning tasks to revise and consolidate their knowledge.