58-In-Mind

A highly practical and engaging resource for current and future teachers, 58-IN-MIND describes and demonstrates theoretically-driven, research-based, and classroom-tested best practices for using American Sign Language and English in instruction across the curriculum. The multilingual and multimodal instructional strategies presented here are embedded in approaches that aid learning and foster well-being. This book will support teachers in creating meaningful educational experiences for Deaf students in all grades, from early childhood education through high school.

Each chapter is written by a team of researchers and P–12 teachers with at least one Deaf coauthor. With seventy-five percent of the authors being Deaf, this is the first teaching methods book to harness the expertise of Deaf professionals at this level, highlighting their vital role in Deaf education and in shaping inclusive and effective learning environments. This book meets the need for a resource that recognizes the diversity of Deaf students by creating space in the classroom to honor their home/heritage languages, cultures, races, genders, abilities, hearing levels, and other multiple and intersecting identities. Written in a conversational tone, the book includes core recommendations for instruction of the targeted subject area, examples of key strategies, lessons and real stories from those working in the field, suggestions for practice, and recommended resources.

“58-IN-MIND” in the title refers to the version of the ASL sign "stick" that is made on the forehead, which is equivalent to the English idiom “to stick in one's mind.” As in, when students learn in a culturally responsive manner, the learning is likely to stick. The title also alludes indirectly to the collective aspirations of the chapter authors that the practices discussed in the book will also stick in the readers’ minds, and thus have a transformative impact on the way Deaf students are taught.