Author: Dr. Byron Bridges
A thought occurred to me. suppose we were to teach ENGLISH and we MUST teach 100% immersion to our deaf kids. We all know that speaking only doesn't work. Right? For some Deaf kids maybe but for most.. Failure..We must have reading and writing to added to English as well as signing. I suspect that's why we have Sim-Com even though we don't like it. But it works for a few deaf kids I'll tell you that. Should we continue to stay 100% immersion teaching ENGLISH via speaking? Hell no, We know oralism don't work because its one way of teaching. Is it narrow minded to think that only one way works? Of course, we deaf people have seen it, and it doesn't work. So, why is it permissible to speak English and sign at the same time? This is... in English speaking society's thinking, it will help deaf kids understand English. Do this method works? I think that's why we have Total Communication back in the 70's. Nobody really understand how to teach us another language like we learned ASL..This is whats happening in EARTH. Now.. speaking of EYETH.. We all know that smaller class with a more immersion and the bigger class 25 plus with total immersion will face countless of challenges. Because of our school administrators seeking tighter budgets. Class room sizes grow to 30 sometimes 40. (I once had a class of 75 back in UCLA) Do total immersion works? No. We need to accommodate and make it work somehow. Most of the sign language book/video from one company use functional notion approach. This is a philosophy that was developed in the 80's and being 100% immersion in the mix does not work for many of the lesson because it is functional notion approach. Function notiional approach is an old old methods.. Yet we still use it. You ask yourself why)
Our goal is to continue spread ASL and deaf culture but flexibility must be accommodated depends on factors of class itself. Enforcing full immersion is risky and creates room for errors especially for a huge class. College level and High School levels are different. You don't have nagging parents, IEP, principal and block days. Both have a total different way of looking at how ASL is taught.
We all MUST remember something.. ASL is the language for the DEAF. It was not meant to turn hearing people into being DEAF and sign like us. We do want all hearing people to learn it and sign it correctly. A total 100% immersion is an excellent idea for all class, but it does not work in a different setting. We should require total immersion for those who want to work with DEAF people but to be honest, 98 percent of the people are required to take it because of Foreign language courses. Let us help make student learn faster and understand better. We can later change it to a natural approach just like we know how the teachers should be teaching us ENGLISH. Let's not lose the sight of how wrong ENGLISH was taught toward us with our lips. Let us remember that sign language is unique. It is OUR language. We will share what we can but Just because you feel it should be done one way, and other think it should be done another way, doesn't make you right and them wrong and vice versa. Let's work together and support each other. Everyone has a system to teach. We all believe in spreading our language and culture in teaching. Let our experience guide us. Thank you and peace out..
A thought occurred to me. suppose we were to teach ENGLISH and we MUST teach 100% immersion to our deaf kids. We all know that speaking only doesn't work. Right? For some Deaf kids maybe but for most.. Failure..We must have reading and writing to added to English as well as signing. I suspect that's why we have Sim-Com even though we don't like it. But it works for a few deaf kids I'll tell you that. Should we continue to stay 100% immersion teaching ENGLISH via speaking? Hell no, We know oralism don't work because its one way of teaching. Is it narrow minded to think that only one way works? Of course, we deaf people have seen it, and it doesn't work. So, why is it permissible to speak English and sign at the same time? This is... in English speaking society's thinking, it will help deaf kids understand English. Do this method works? I think that's why we have Total Communication back in the 70's. Nobody really understand how to teach us another language like we learned ASL..This is whats happening in EARTH. Now.. speaking of EYETH.. We all know that smaller class with a more immersion and the bigger class 25 plus with total immersion will face countless of challenges. Because of our school administrators seeking tighter budgets. Class room sizes grow to 30 sometimes 40. (I once had a class of 75 back in UCLA) Do total immersion works? No. We need to accommodate and make it work somehow. Most of the sign language book/video from one company use functional notion approach. This is a philosophy that was developed in the 80's and being 100% immersion in the mix does not work for many of the lesson because it is functional notion approach. Function notiional approach is an old old methods.. Yet we still use it. You ask yourself why)
Our goal is to continue spread ASL and deaf culture but flexibility must be accommodated depends on factors of class itself. Enforcing full immersion is risky and creates room for errors especially for a huge class. College level and High School levels are different. You don't have nagging parents, IEP, principal and block days. Both have a total different way of looking at how ASL is taught.
We all MUST remember something.. ASL is the language for the DEAF. It was not meant to turn hearing people into being DEAF and sign like us. We do want all hearing people to learn it and sign it correctly. A total 100% immersion is an excellent idea for all class, but it does not work in a different setting. We should require total immersion for those who want to work with DEAF people but to be honest, 98 percent of the people are required to take it because of Foreign language courses. Let us help make student learn faster and understand better. We can later change it to a natural approach just like we know how the teachers should be teaching us ENGLISH. Let's not lose the sight of how wrong ENGLISH was taught toward us with our lips. Let us remember that sign language is unique. It is OUR language. We will share what we can but Just because you feel it should be done one way, and other think it should be done another way, doesn't make you right and them wrong and vice versa. Let's work together and support each other. Everyone has a system to teach. We all believe in spreading our language and culture in teaching. Let our experience guide us. Thank you and peace out..
