Teachers are learning Auslan alongside their students as growing numbers of schools adopt the visual language as part of their curriculum.
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More than 200 Catholic teachers from western Victoria were in Ballarat this week to learn more about Auslan and how to use it in their classrooms.
The move to teach Auslan as a second language in schools is growing rapidly. Seventeen of Catholic Education Ballarat's 52 schools in the diocese, including four in Ballarat, now teach Auslan, with many government schools and some early learning centres also opting for the language.
"We are all used to seeing it now on emergency services announcements and through the pandemic it gained prominence - this is recognition it's also a language being used in Australia all of the time," said Catholic Education Ballarat learning and teaching leader Joe Ewing.
"For those in the mainstream hearing community it's not something we are used to using, but something we are getting more used to seeing."
St Francis Xavier Primary School Auslan coordinator Dan West said it was the second year the school has been learning Auslan and both children and teachers had "absolutely embraced" it.
"We felt that it was a language that can promote inclusivity and it was a language that, being a visual language, was an opportunity for all children," Mr West said.
Auslan is not only used throughout the Deaf community, but many parents of non-verbal children and toddlers are increasingly using the sign language to give their children a voice.
Mr Ewing said engagement was high among teachers and students learning Auslan.
"One of the really important things we have done as a system is to use the teacher as co-learner model so teachers are learning as the kids learn," he said.
Each school employs a language assistant, a native signer and member of the Deaf community, to ensure lessons are culturally sensitive and reflect the language used.
Teachers follow a planned curriculum and the language assistant leads them in their learning, with additional professional development opportunities to gain more knowledge and skill in signing.
"It really is at its core a co-learning experience where teachers are developing their skills with the children," Mr West said.
Rather than learning a new language through a dedicated lesson once a week, as has been in the case in many schools for years, teachers give students instruction in smaller "bite size amounts" regularly throughout the week building up daily practice of the language.
Mr Ewing said the number of teachers at the Ballarat professional development day on Monday was about 50 per cent higher than the same time last year, and the number of Catholic schools adopting Auslan in western Victoria had grown significantly over the past two or three years.
"One of the things that has come out of these (PD) days is so many people say they have never met a Deaf person before, and this helps open that communication with people who are deaf and engage with them," he said.
It also allows teachers to understand the cultural context of the language - something commonly taught in other language studies.
"Learning both English and Auslan - one auditory and one visual language - offers many social, emotional, and educational benefits," Mr Ewing said.
"We know that learning a second language helps students understand how languages work, which leads to improved literacy, critical thinking, analysis, and problem-solving skills."
Ms Watkins' Emma Memma incorporates Auslan sign language into her performances and works with artists and consultants from the Deaf community.
"The reason we include it in our show in particular is to allow every child to have access to visual communication," she said when she visited Ballarat.
"They may not use Auslan as their primary language but we show everyone what the actions are for that song so everyone is on the same playing field."
