Teachers’ use of semiotic resources in the multimodal-multilingual language instruction

Teaching newly immigrated deaf and hard-of-hearing multimodal-multilingual learners requires the flexible and adapted use of diverse semiotic resources. This study adopts a linguistic ethnography approach to examine how three teachers use various semiotic resources in classrooms where German and German Sign Language (DGS) are taught simultaneously. The study analyzes (a) which semiotic resources are employed and (b) how teachers jointly use them to support students' languages learning. The findings reveal that teachers commonly draw on DGS, written (and spoken) German, and further semiotic resources: fingerspelling (manual alphabet of DGS), mouthing (German), and signing systems. Moreover, they may also incorporate student-initiated semiotic resources, i.e., students' heritage sign language and the manual alphabet of heritage sign language, to connect these to targeted languages. Furthermore, teachers calibrate additional semiotic resources, such as digital media, into their teaching to foster understanding. Overall, the study highlights teachers' strategies for supporting language development and facilitating understanding in a multimodal-multilingual learning environment.