Pre-Assignment

Student Name:
Mentor:

PLACE

PARTICIPANTS

PERSPECTIVE

POINT

PURPOSE

PERSONAL

Accept the
assignment?
Why/why
not?

6 Ps of Contextual Analysis
Laurel Dunlap
Chris Witczak - College math class

Date:

April 12, 2016

This assignment takes place in a small university inside a strip mall

in Colorado. It is expected that students do not interrupt the teacher
but they do call out answers when appropriate. Dress is casual and
varied as some people just got off work and are either more dressed
up, or are in military uniform. The room tends to be cold.
The people involved are the instructor, the Deaf student, the hearing
students, my mentor, and myself. The instructor is a black female,
the Deaf student is a white female, and my mentor and I are white
females as well. The class is a mixture but is predominantly white. It
is assumed that there is a variety of socio-economic statuses among
the participants. I know the mentor interpreter fairly well and I have
met and talked briefly with the Deaf student several times before.
The mentor interpreter has been interpreting this class so she knows
everyone on the acquaintance level. This is a basic, lower-level
math class so the students are weak in math. The teacher has the
knowledge and the power here.
It is assumed that the teacher and the hearing students know very
little, in any, about deafness, sign language, and Deaf culture. The
Deaf student knows about hearing culture just by virtue of the fact
that she lives in a hearing world and probably has hearing family
members. The mentor interpreter and I both know both hearing and
Deaf cultures well, but not as well as a Deaf person involved in that
culture. The two of us are the only ones that can utilize both English
and ASL.
The point of this class is to provide a needed credit or prerequisite to
help the students on their path to graduation.
The purpose of this course is to educate the students about basic
math skills needed to continue in their academic pursuits.
The Deaf student has failed this class previously online so she is
taking it again in an actual classroom setting with an interpreter.
This may influence the fact that she always has a very scared look
on her face when Im interpreting. This is a little unnerving because
I keep wondering if she is understanding my signing or not. Also I
really like my mentor interpreter, but I dont get much feedback from
her at all. She always says Im doing great. Also, sometimes I look
up for a feed or just affirmation that I am doing okay, and she is
looking at her phone and not really watching me. Another personal
aspect is that I tend to be distracted because my daughter is with a
babysitter. I never have to leave her with anyone, but my husband
sometimes works at night and I dont have a choice.
I would definitely accept this assignment. I have many years of
experience interpreting math at all levels but mainly high school. I
have taught high school math as well.

Interpersonal

Environmental

Environmental

Environmental

Pre-Assignment DC-S
DEMAND

CONTROL

The room is
tends to be cold.

I will bring a
sweater or a
light jacket that
is a dark solid,
color so I can
wear it while
interpreting.

I will not be
distracted by
being
uncomfortably
cold.

The room is
small and the
interpreters are a
little cramped in
the corner.

I will arrive early

to position the
chairs
appropriately to
best see the
Deaf consumer
and also allow
her to see the
teacher at the
same time.

Everything will be
set and the class
will not be
disrupted while
we maneuver
around to set up.

There are terms

that I know a
sign for, but the
mentor
interpreter could
have set up a
different sign for
it.

I will use my
team to feed
me a sign if it is
different than
the one I use.

The interpretation
will be more
consistent and
easier to follow
for the Deaf
student.

The teacher
might ask for
students to
respond but
ignore the Deaf
students hand
up to answer.

This is college,
so I will expect
the Deaf
student to
advocate for
herself. I will
watch her
carefully to look
for anything I
can use to voice
a comment to
get the
teachers
attention.

+ the teacher
calls on the Deaf
student to
respond

DEMAND

CONTROL

CONSEQUENCE

RESULTING
DEMAND
I could get too
warm and start
sweating while
interpreting.

ALTERNATIVE
CONTROL
Wear lots of
deodorant and
use powder
when getting
dressed.

The interpreter
could be looking
down and not
notice is I need
a sign.

I will fingerspell
or use a different
sign if the
student seems
not to
understand.

RESULTING
DEMAND

ALTERNATIVE
CONTROL

- the teacher
continues to
ignore the Deaf
student

CONSEQUENCE

Interpersonal
Interpersonal
Interpersonal
Paralinguistic
Paralinguistic

It is possible that
the Deaf student
could cheat off
another student
during classwork
or a test.

The teacher is
responsible for
monitoring this
classroom of
adults. It is not
my place to say
anything so I
dont.

The student gets

away with
cheating just as
her hearing peers
would have since
the teacher was
not watching.

I will feel
uncomfortable
since the
student is being
dishonest.

I need to
remember that it
is not me who is
being dishonest
and she has a
right to her own
choices.

I have not
worked with this
Deaf consumer
before and I am
unfamiliar with
her signing style.

I will arrive early

and engage in
casual
conversation
with the Deaf
student to get
used to her
signing style.

I will be better
able to match her
signing style
through my
interpretation
making the
information more
accessible for her.

This could be
seen as
unprofessional
some Deaf
consumers do
not like to
engage in
conversation
with the
interpreter.

If I get the sense

that the Deaf
consumer
doesnt want to
chat, then I will
stop trying to
talk to her and
be sure to not
initiate it in the
future.

The instructor
could be in a bad
mood and act
irritated
throughout the
class.

I will portray
that in my
interpreting.

The Deaf
consumer will
have the same
information as the
hearing students
and will know to
tread lightly.

I have noticed
that this Deaf
consumer
sometimes uses
initialized signs
sometimes this
throws me off
and it takes a
few seconds to
register with me.

I will watch the

Deaf
consumers
mouth to see if
the word is
being mouthed,
I will use
context clues,
and I will look
for help from
my team.

This will make it

easier to catch
what she is
signing and
improve flow of
communication.

It is sometimes
hard to hear the
students answer
in class.

I can ask the

teacher to
repeat the
answers that
the students
say.

This will allow

equal access for
the Deaf student.

CONTROL

CONSEQUENCE

RESULTING
DEMAND

ALTERNATIVE
CONTROL

DEMAND

Paralinguistic
Intrapersonal
Intrapersonal
Intrapersonal

The teacher
tends to talk
really fast and
mumbles at
times.

I will look to my
team for
information I am
missing.

The student will

have access to
the information
even if it is fast.

The Deaf student

always has a
very scared look
on her face when
Im interpreting.
This is a little
unnerving.

I will remember
she hates math
and that she is
probably
reacting to that
and not me.

This will help

reduce my
anxiety and
produce a more
accurate
message.

Sometimes I look
up for a feed or
just affirmation
that I am doing
okay, and my
mentor is looking
at her phone and
not really
watching me.

I will have to
use context
clues to try to
get what I
missed

+ That worked
and the
information was
conveyed.

I tend to be
distracted
because my
daughter is with
a babysitter

I will remember
that it is only for
a short time and
that she is with
someone I trust.
I will focus on
the work and try
to put that out
of my mind.

- That didnt work

During Assignment DC-S

I will be able to
focus on the task
at hand and
interpret
accurately and
without
distraction.

My team could
not be paying
attention to
feed me.

I will ask the

teacher too
repeat as
needed.

I am missing
information
necessary for
clarity of the
message.

I will stop and

ask the teacher
if needed.

Environmental
Environmental
Environmental
Interpersonal

DEMAND

CONTROL

CONSEQUENCE

Some of the
terms I didnt
know signs for.
(Example bank
statement.)

I looked to my
mentor for help.

She wasnt paying

attention and
didnt see me
look to her.

The mentor
interpreter used
an incorrect sign
for formula.

Even though the

mentor signed
first and had set
up that sign, I
chose to use the
correct sign
when I
interpreted.

The sign itself and

the related
information was
accurate.

At one point the

mentor knocked
over my IPad
that was
recording me.

She apologized
profusely while
she fixed it
back. I signed to
her to push the
red button to
record again.

There are a few

seconds of
unusable
footage.

The mentor
interpreter
actually became a
note taker while I
was interpreting.

I interpreted long
than my turn
because was not
taking over her
self-imposed
notetaking task.

The student got

much needed help
for this class that
goes way too fast
for her to keep up.

CONTROL

CONSEQUENCE

DEMAND

All consumers
expectations of
interpreters has
been skewed.

RESULTING
DEMAND
I still needed a
sign for the
term/concept.

ALTERNATIVE
CONTROL
I signed match
and then
fingerspelled the
term. This was
better anyway
because those
specific words
were on a later
worksheet and
she needed to
see the
fingerspelling.

Makes it
awkward for
when I am in the
support role
because I am not
going to become
a note taker.

Remember that I
am empowering
the Deaf adult to
hopefully take the
initiative to let
the teacher know
that she is unable
to watch the
interpreter , take
notes, and work
problems out for
classwork all at
the same time.

RESULTING
DEMAND

ALTERNATIVE
CONTROL

Interpersonal
Paralinguistic
Paralinguistic

I focused more
on the content
than the affect
because the
student looked
overwhelmed.

She got as much

as she could at
that pace.

The teacher had a

slight accent that
made it difficult to
understand her
from time to time.

I looked to my
team for help.

She was not

watching me at
the time.

I needed to know
what the
instructor had
said.

I increased
processing time
to get context
clues to decipher
the message.

The students
spoke very
quickly (and often
ran words
together) when
reading the
problems out for
the class.

I waited for the

teacher to repeat
what they said.

She never
repeated what the
students said.

I still didnt
understand the
student
comments an
my team wasnt
paying attention
to help me.

I signed what I
could understand
and dropped what
I felt was
unimportant.

I felt
uncomfortable
because the
mentor was
working out all
the problems for
the student while
I was interpreting.

I interpreted
longer - even
after my turn
was technically
over because I
did not want to
do math
problems for the
studentnot my
role. Also, what if
I did them
incorrectly?? I
tried to do a
good job even
though the
student wasnt
really watching.

The Deaf
consumer got all
the answers from
the mentor
interpreter. The
mentor interpreter
felt like she was
helping. I
interpreted longer
than normal. I
modeled
professionalism.
The instructor and
other student got a
wrong impression
of the interpreter
role and the Deaf
student appeared
to need to be
helped.

I still felt
frustrated and
unneeded if the
other interpreter
was signing and
working with the
student.

I tried to focus on
what I could
control my
interpreting.

DEMAND

CONTROL

CONSEQUENCE

RESULTING
DEMAND

ALTERNATIVE
CONTROL

Intrapersonal

The mood
seemed stressful
since the teacher
is moving too
quickly through
the material.

Intrapersonal
Intrapersonal

I was
embarrassed
because I had a
coughing fit
during my
interpretation.

I asked my
mentor to switch
with me and she
did until I could
compose myself.
I went and got
some more
water.

I was able to
compose myself
after a few
minutes and
resume
interpreting.

The Deaf
consumer had a
wide-eyed, scared
expression on her
face for much of
the time. I was
nervous that I
wasnt
interpreting
clearly or in a way
the Deaf
consumer
understood.

I continued
interpreting and
looked for any
questioning
expressions on
her face cueing
me that I need to
expand.

The student
seemed
overwhelmed but I
think it was
because the class
was too fast, not
that the interpreter
was too fast or
unclear.

Post Assignment DC-S

DEMAND

CONTROL

CONSEQUENCE

RESULTING

ALTERNATIVE

Environmental
Environmental
Environmental
Environmental

DEMAND

CONTROL

The instructor
might be
irritated that I
asked for a book
and notes.

I will remain
professional and
gracious. I will
reassure the
instructor that all
items will be
returned to her in
a timely manner.

The interpretation
continued and
provided an
equivalent
message.

The student
missed
information.

I got her attention

when the teacher
discussed
homework and a
quiz next week.

In the future I
will: I will ask the
teacher to
borrow a book
and get notes
preferably
beforehand and
study these.

This will help me to

be familiar with
the vocabulary and
to better interpret
ideas and
concepts.

The instructor
might be
irritated that I
asked for a book
and notes.

Remain
professional and
gracious.
Reassure the
instructor that all
items will be
returned to her
quickly.

CONTROL

CONSEQUENCE

RESULTING
DEMAND

ALTERNATIVE
CONTROL

Students read the

problems really
quickly in class
and the numbers
seem to run
together.

In the future I
will: talk to the
instructor about
getting a book to
use in class to
interpret the
numbers
correctly. Maybe
even get notes
with problems
and answers.

I will be able to
interpret correctly
and the student
will be able to
check her own
work for accuracy
and/or record the
correct answer to
redo the problem
later.

The instructor
came over a few
times, blocking
the camera when
I was recording.

In the future I
will: arrive earlier
and find a better
unobtrusive
place to set up
the recording
equipment.

My recording will
not be obstructed
in the future.

I was interpreting
but the student
was behind. My
mentor sat with
her and signed to
her about her
work, trying to
help her catch up.
This was very
distracting.

In the future I
will: focus on
interpreting and
try to hold any
vital information
to give her when
she looks up.

Some of the
terms I didnt
know signs for.
(Example bank
statement.)

DEMAND

Environmental
Environmental
Interpersonal
Paralinguistic

I wasnt sure how

to conceptually
sign bank
statement. I
didnt like the
interpreters sign
of sentence.

I didnt want to
use the sign the
interpreter used,
but I followed her
lead. I think this
was a good
decision.

This provided
consistency for the
student, but not
conceptual
accuracy.

At one point the

mentor knocked
over my IPad
that was
recording me.

Next time I will

arrive early and
put the
equipment in a
less obtrusive
place. I will ask
my mentors
opinion in this.

My recording will
be better and the
process will be
smoother
benefits everyone.

The mentor
interpreter altered
her role and
actually became a
note taker while I
was interpreting.

Next time will do

the same thing I
did this time: I
interpreted long
than my turn
because I was
not taking over
her self-imposed
notetaking task.

The student got

much needed help
for this class that
goes way too fast
for her to keep up.

The students
spoke very
quickly (and often
ran words
together) when
reading the
problems out for
the class.

Next time I will

ask the teacher
to repeat what
the students said
and I was unable
to hear.

This will ensure the

most accurate
message.

All consumers
expectations of
interpreters has
been skewed.

Assignment Interpreting Video Link:

Makes it
awkward for
when I am in the
support role
because I am not
going to become
a note taker.

Remember that I
am empowering
the Deaf adult to
hopefully take the
initiative to let
the teacher know
that she is unable
to watch the
interpreter , take
notes, and work
problems out for
classwork all at
the same time.

https://youtu.be/L03IWV8wJO4