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C Jonah E.

5(21)
USD $30/hr
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Learn American Sign Language from an Exceptional, Experienced and Terrific Teacher

Tutor Information

About

I have over two decades of experience teaching signing at all levels. I have been very successful in teaching students to learn and acquire good expressive and receptive sign skills. I am very passionate about the success of my students. I use strategies that make learning signing fun and very interesting. I keep my students very involved and engaged in my lessons. New sign vocabulary and sign structures I teach are immediately modeled and put into practice, which enhances students' retention. I pace my lessons to ensure the learning styles of the students are very well accommodated. I use approaches that foster deeper level of thinking and understanding of the use of signing in various contexts. I treat all my students with due regard, acceptance, and caring support. Their success in acquiring good sign language skills is very important to me. I provide one-on-one support to achieve that goal when required.

Location

Tualatin, United States

Language

ASL, English

Timezone

America/Los_Angeles

Levels

Elementary
Middle School
High School
College/University
Professional

Education

University of Alberta

1998 - 2004
Ph.D, Educ Psy/Special Edu
Completed advanced courses and dissertation.

Work Experience

Portland State University

September 2013 - present
ASL Program Head
Teaching all levels of ASL courses and coordinating the ASL program.

Reviews

Engaging, funny, so wonderful to learn with Jonah!

I highly recommend studying ASL with Jonah! You won’t regret it. I took ASL 1 with Jonah in summer 2024. I learned so much through his great teaching style! He took the time to make sure everybody understood the material, had time to learn any words we wanted, and could sign things that were specific to our interests and lives. He is funny, engaging and supportive, and answered so many questions. As a new mom, I often had my baby with me in class. Jonah was very supportive, always encouraging us and saying hi to my sweet baby. He would make sure that I was caught up with the class if I ever had to step away with her for a moment, and continuously encouraged me to sign to her.
By: Megan

Joyfully enthusiastic and encouraging

I was a student in Dr. Jonah Eleweke's American Sign Language Level 1 class at PCC in the summer 2024 term. I had long been intrigued by ASL, but was hesitant to jump into something so new and different for which I had no pressing need. I am glad I finally enrolled; Dr. Eleweke was the perfect teacher for me. I have seldom had an instructor - in any subject - who was as joyfully enthusiastic and engaging. I looked forward to, and attended, every class during the semester, and in retrospect am astonished at how much I learned. Dr. Eleweke carefully structured each class, introducing and reinforcing each new word or expression, patiently and happily answering every question posed, and giving each student individual attention and encouragement in the "practice sessions" that followed. The "no speaking aloud" format was a great pedagogical "forcing function", and the video recordings he made available after each class were invaluable in reviewing and clarifying the material during the ensuing week. As a result, I am now able to make basic conversation with confidence and have a new appreciate for the ASL language and culture. I was pleased to see that Dr. Eleweke is teaching a Level 2 class in the fall term; I did not hesitate to enroll.
By: David

Welcoming and Supportive

My place of work offers ASL classes for staff who want to better engage with visitors (I work at a museum), and I have had the pleasure of taking weekly classes with Jonah on-and-off for almost a year now. He is an excellent teacher! He is patient, thoughtful, and engaging. I am so impressed by how much I (and my colleagues) have learned! I also appreciate that Jonah understands things come up and students might not always be able to make class or practice as much as they would like. I needed to pause my own studies when work got busy, and when I was finally able to return, Jonah welcomed me back warmly. He was happy to review things and let me catch up at my own pace. I really appreciated this perspective, which encouraged me to continue. I was feeling very rusty, but Jonah put me at ease. If you are looking to start ASL for the first time, I highly recommend Jonah!
By: Leslie

Passionate and prepared ASL teacher that meets you at your level

Jonah is a phenomenal ASL teacher, who creates such a welcoming learning environment. He is always prepared for lessons and patient when teaching new signs; Dr. Eleweke goes above and beyond to make sure you are understanding and retaining the language and culture. He is so eager to teach, which makes me even more eager to learn. I could not recommend this instructor enough, as his passion for his students is evident (not to mention he has a great sense of humor during lessons, which will always keep you engaged)! If you want to take ASL Lessons that you can really look forward to, I would absolutely suggest Jonah.
By: Kenedi

Simple and Easy to Understand!

Jonah is the best ASL teacher I’ve ever had! He reviews things we worked on previously, gives helpful tips, and is genuinely a kind person! Jonah always makes me feel welcome and is always so helpful when I make mistakes. His tips and tricks help me to better remember and retrieve words in my vocabulary. Jonah is the one to go with!
By: Bonnie
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