Then why are schools moving away from this method and replacing it with bi-bi?
I am still trying to grasp exactly how different a TC program is from a Bi-Bi program. I get the bicultural aspect--it does seem true that the idea of Deaf culture is not always introduced in other types of deaf programs. But I am trying to understand the bilingual concept when comparing TC to Bi-Bi. From what I have learned so far, it seems that a TC program would always have both speech and sign, as well as printed materials. From what I have learned about Bi-Bi so far, it seems that there is more emphasis on ASL even though there is still some speech, too--and, of course, printed materials.
As I picture a TC environment, I see that the kids who rely on ASL definitely need someone who is fluent in ASL--a teacher, an interpreter, or both. I get that, for kids who need a full ASL language(not just signs), nothing less than a fluent ASL teacher/interpreter would do--they need the FULL language system. And, I also see that the kids in this same program who rely on spoken English need a teacher(and maybe an oral interpreter?) who is fluent in THEIR first language. They need someone who can speak to them fluently and communicate completely with them in English--if not, they are going to miss a lot--just as ASL only kids would miss a lot without someone fluent in ASL around at all times. In this situation, there would need to be BOTH at all times, right? I guess, from what I have seen, that often takes form by having both a teacher for the deaf and an interpreter in class at all times--or a teacher who is very fluent in both English and ASL who can use both according to who she is communicating with at the time. Example: teacher speaks to oral deaf students, interpreter signs to ASL students--both happening at the same time. Another example: teacher speaks to oral deaf students at times, teacher uses ASL with ASL students at other times, depending on who she is communicating with at the time. I have observed both of these situations--they seem to work because both groups are being presented all info in their language. When I observed classes at FSDB, it seemed to be the second example--I heard teachers speaking(including some oral deaf teachers), I saw the same teachers signing also--maybe a "double presentation" style where they often present the same info twice(once in each language). I know I am not describing it well--I am just trying to explain what I saw--some students were speaking to the teachers, some were signing--the teachers were speaking at times and signing at times--both going on during each class. While I understand how difficult it would be to follow BOTH languages at the EXACT same time--that would be hard to do if not impossible to do with ANY two languages being used at the exact same time--the staggering of two languages(use one and then the other back and forth) may work. Still, those fluent in one language are focusing on their language, and vice-versa. I don't know how much ASL the oral deaf kids are really picking up this way--they are busy concentrating on their own language--but they are being exposed to ASL, so they pick up some. And, some kids who use ASL more but lipread some may also be picking up some things from the spoken English--some may pick up more than others. This is all gathered from my observations of what I would say are TC programs.
Now, I have never really seen a Bi-Bi program in action--I am trying to grasp what a Bi-Bi program is really like for deaf kids. Once again, I get the cultural aspect--that is good--they are learning to love and accept themselves as deaf/Deaf and are getting comfortable with their "deaf identity." What I am wondering is, how does the bilingual aspect work in the classroom? If there are deaf kids whose first language is ASL and deaf kids whose first language is English in the same class, how does it work? If the teachers are ASL only sometimes, do the kids who aren't fluent in ASL get left out--or, would an oral interpreter be needed? As kids are learning ASL, how do they keep up(before they are fluent)--does the teacher present everything in print(like maybe with real time captioning), or does she also present things in spoken English, or is there someone always there to interpret the teacher's ASL into English for those who are not fluent in ASL? I am just wondering how Bi-Bi works for kids who are not yet fluent in ASL--I imagine there are accommodations, but I am wondering exactly how they "bridge the gap" while these kids are still learning ASL. I am assuming that Bi-Bi programs ALSO use spoken English, but I am wondering how much and in what way? I am trying to picture a child, whose first language is English, trying to learn in ASL only situations--in the reverse situations when an ASL only child is in a classroom where spoken English is used they usually have an interpreter who signs everything that is spoken so that they won't miss anything--I am wondering if a child whose first language is English would also get an interpreter to translate all ASL into English for them(in a Bi-Bi classroom). Does anyone know how this works in Bi-Bi programs?
Having said all of that, I am trying simply to truly understand the difference between TC and Bi-Bi. Once again, I understand that Bi-Bi means bicultural and bilingual. I understand the bicultural aspect--that is good and will be great for the self-esteem of deaf children. What I am trying to understand is how the bilingual aspect works in Bi-Bi programs--surely there are many students who are just learning ASL--I am wondering how Bi-Bi programs teach these kids. If there are interpreters or teachers who can help translate ASL into English so that they can keep up--just like in TC programs that have people translate English to ASL--then I can see how that would work. If not, then I can see a problem if kids who are not fluent in ASL are presented ASL only classes--surely there are accommodations to help them. Are teachers in Bi-Bi programs truly bilingual--do they present all of their lessons in BOTH languages--or are there interpreters making sure that English speaking kids get complete translations of all things presented in ASL? Once kids ARE fluent in ASL, then this translation may not be needed--but it can take a while to become fluent--and an English speaker may be more likely to learn SEE instead of ASL, right? I am just trying to understand how English speakers can learn to be fluent in ASL--and, until they are, how do Bi-Bi programs help them bridge the gap?
