Still Wiggling…..

Today I began searching online databases. This was a struggle. I started with EBSCOhost and the Academic Search Premier database. I found several articles from popular news sources such as U.S. News & World Report and People. These articles continued to stress the benefits of teaching babies sign language. After this initial search I also added the words infant and child to my key word search. Again….I was going back to Lamb’s Webbing stage. These first articles actually got me excited at the prospect of teaching my child sign language. The article in U.S. News & World Report stated, “Kids who signed as babies scored 12 points higher on IQ tests taken in the second grade than kids who hadn't signed.” Maybe there are no downfalls to teaching sign language.

I needed to get serious and look at some studies so I pulled up the ERIC database. This allowed me to search academic journals. When I conducted my initial search for baby sign language, I had 243 hits. HOLY COW!!! I instantly became overwhelmed. However, as I began skimming the titles, a majority of the articles dealt with deaf children. I immediately narrowed my search to “not” include the word deaf or hearing impaired. I completely see how Lamb’s stages are recursive. I have gone back and forth between the webbing and wiggling stage several times now narrowing and redirecting my search strategies.

I found several studies about teaching infants sign language. All of the studies show a positive relationship between early speech development and teaching sign language. Now I begin wondering again…..if teaching sign language is so great why are more people not aware? I am going to begin asking some moms to see if they have heard of teaching their child sign language.

I also joined an online discussion at babycenter.com to see if anyone had any tips. I posted my own message to see if anyone had noticed any verbal speech delays from teaching their children sign language. I also enjoyed reading through some of the other posts. Several of the moms have noticed their child is a lot less frustrated now that he/she can communicate. One mother was really struggling to get her child to sign, but several posts encouraged her to keep trying. It seems that like with any other part of child development, they just “do it” one day.

my search begins

I started with the babycenter.com website. With my notebook by my side, I began taking notes on what I found. Lamb recommends keeping a journal during this “wiggling” phase. I also looked to Eisenberg’s and Berkowitz’s BIG6 model once I began searching since I had explored this model for one of my trailblazers and knew that it contained good search strategies. The Big6 suggests taking notes during step 4 which is where I am at in the process.

I found several articles on the babycenter website, most of which talked about the benefits of teaching sign language. Most parents noted that it helped ease the frustration of not being able to communicate with their children. I also found out that Joseph Garcia is the developer of the first baby sign language program.

These articles actually took me back to the “webbing” stage. Within the articles I identified several key words that will help me as my search continues: communication, speech development, motor skills, and cognitive development. I recorded all of these new phrases to help me as I continue “wiggling” through the information.

With just reading a few articles, I can tell that there is going to be a lot of information available. However, I was only able to find out about the benefits. I think I may have to do some digging to uncover an repercussions teaching sign language might have. I am definitely realizing that there is a lot of work to be done, but I have confidence. Kuhlthau says these feelings are right on track in her Collecting Information stage.

Webbing

O.k….so now I need to start thinking about where I am going to get my information. I previously mentioned that I would start with the babycenter website. This is the beginning of Lamb’s “webbing” stage. However, before exploring, Lamb suggests that I ask myself some questions

Q: What kind of information do I need?

A: I need information on how to teach babies sign language. How old do they have to be? What are the benefits? Are there any down sides to teaching sign language to babies? How long does it take? How many people have tried this? Does it depend on the child as to how fast he/she learns?

Q: Where can I find this information?

A: Internet, books, online databases such as ERIC and PsycInfo, parents, magazines

Q: What format will the information take?

A: articles, studies, videos, interviews

Q:How do I find the specific pieces of information I need?

A: Since I mainly want to know the benefits and risks I probably am going to have to focus on finding some studies that have been done. My best bet is to look at journals for this.

Wow!! This is a long list. I can definitely relate to the feelings of confusion, uncertainty, and doubt that Kuhlthau says will come when you are exploring information. I am really worried that I will not be able to find the information that I need.

Wondering.....

I seemed to have moved through Lamb’s second step, “wondering,” very quickly. Is this normal? The night my son was crying inconsolably, is when the process began. I began wondering about his abilities to communicate and my ability to understand him. This quickly made me think about the discussions I have heard about teaching babies sign language, and I immediately narrowed down my topic. Did I make a rash decision? According to Kuhlthau, people often feel uncertainty and doubt when they have finally made a decision about a topic to research, so I am glad that what I am feeling is normal.

Watching..

Having read over my last two posts, I realize that I have definitely begun the inquiry process.
In my first post, I was definitely feeling some apprehension and uncertainty. According to Kuhlthau's ISP model, this feeling is completely appropriate when beginning the inquiry process.

Annette Lamb's 8W's model begins with "watching." Without even realizing it, I was already beginning the watching process in my first post. One subject that Lamb encourages people to investigate when starting the inquiry process is their family. For me, since I am home with my son and dogs all day, my family is an obvious place for me to begin "watching."

By my second post, I was continuing the watching process by observing my son's inconsolable crying. Lamb suggests sharing your thoughts during the "watching" step and I have begun the process of discussing my observations with my husband. I told my husband how frustrated I was during our son's middle of the night episode and also talked about how during the day he will be completely happy playing with his toys in his bouncy chair and then two seconds later begin crying hysterically. We talked over dinner about how we both wish that he could communicate. I shared with him my thoughts about sign language and he seemed very excited that I was going to research this topic.

What does he want?

After being up for 3 1/2 hours with my screaming 10 week old last night, I got to thinking about how babies communicate. I tried everything to console the little guy, but there seemed to be nothing I could do. I kept thinking, "I wish he could tell me what he wanted." This got me thinking about teaching babies to learn sign language. While my son is too young, this might be something I want to consider as he gets older. However, I wonder if this will hinder his ability to speak? I think this is a topic that I want to investigate. Is teaching sign language to babies beneficial? I am going to start investigating to see if this is a worthwhile topic. I think I will start my investigation on the Internet. I visit the site babycenter.com frequently to get advice so I may start there. I also am going to search my local libraries shelves to see if there are any books available. I received a Baby Einstein video that teaches sign language which I will probably view soon. I am excited to begin this investigation.

In the beginning.....

My blog is created.....now comes the hard part. What do I want to research? I can definitely see why inquiry is a skill that needs to be taught. When I was in school I was never given the opportunity to openly choose a topic to research. Sure, I did research papers, but a general topic was always assigned. I am excited and nervous as I begin my quest. I now know how some of my students feel when they are given an assignment with limited guidelines.

The first topics that come to my mind are babies (since I just had my first child this summer) and dogs (we have two energetic canines that are always needing attention). However, I know that these two topics are too broad. I am wondering how I can narrow them down. I think I will go talk with my husband and post a message on oncourse to see if anyone has some ideas.