Cheri

I come to noticed that Jillio and Shel90 supports the Bi-Bi program, not sure who else does, while I never heard of this program for the deaf. But, rockdrummer and I were talking about it today, he says Bilingual-Bicultural education of deaf and hard-of-hearing children allows children to use American Sign Language as their first language and English as their second, my question is this program is only available in deaf schools and not in the public schools?

And my second question is what if hearing parents of deaf children do not know any signs, will this program would be diffcult for those who are not culturally deaf, do not uses their first language as ASL?

And lasted how would this affect mainstreaming?

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Interpretrator

Good questions all. Generally speaking bi-bi education, to be successful in the way it is intended, does require a commitment from the child's family to communicate in sign language. The idea is that ASL (in this country; of course there is bi-bi education in non-ASL-using countries but I'm going to stick with the U.S. for this) is a deaf child's natural first language, and he should be able to acquire it the way hearing children acquire their first language -- naturally.

(Studies supporting this have shown that when deaf children are raised by native deaf signers, their language develops in almost the exact same way as hearing children; i.e., it doesn't matter whether the language is signed or spoken as long as it is acquired naturally. This is usually easier with ASL and deaf children but of course not in all cases.)

So having learned sign language naturally, the deaf child is then in a good position to learn English as a second language because he can transfer what he knows instinctually about language to the second language. This is a very, very important point about languages: it is much, much more difficult to acquire other languages when a first one has not been acquired by the "critical age" (usually around age 12, I think?)

This is one problem with bi-bi education: many children going into it did not fully acquire ASL, usually because they were the only deaf child in a hearing family that did not commit to learning and teaching sign language. So people point to failures of bi-bi education as a problem with the theory, when really it is a problem with the inconsistency of the language that children grew up with. Another problem is that programs that call themselves bi-bi often do not employ staff who are fully proficient in both languages. So children do not get good role models in one or both languages. This is a problem with the implementation of bi-bi education, not the theory.

I know I rambled a bit and didn't answer all your questions but hopefully some of this is helpful.

Cheri

Ok, so this program is found in residential deaf schools am I correct?

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jillio

It is a newer concept, and is replacing many of the TC programs at
residential/day schools for the deaf. I don't know of any self contained public school programs that can be called bi-bi, usually for the reasons that Interpretator has already cited: lack of fluent ASL signing staff.

Ther problem that Interpretator cited for bi-bi approaches is true.....some children coming into the program have langauge delays becuase they have not been in an environment that allows for acquisition of either ASL or sufficient Englsih. However, this problem can be remediated through the use of early intervention programs that utilize a bi-bi approach and employ native or near native signers. As well, a preschool that utilizes a bi-bi approach will reinforce that which begins in the early intervention program. Inthat way, even a deaf child of a hearing parent is exposed to native or near native signers, and is allowed to acquire their L1 languge naturally despite the parents' less than fluent use of ASL. Parents who have made a committment to this apporoach can improve their signing skills along with the child's developing need for more sophisticated langauage. The exposure to native signers in an early intervention and preschool program will help to fill the gaps while the parent is developing fluency.

Cheri

Me either had heard that bi/bi program in public schools so I was assuming that this program could be in residential schools of the deaf.

What I want to know is, since this program teaches ASL as their first primary language and English as their second, does that including spoken/speech language? Would the deaf children learn to speak well enough to be understood, or not to be understood with this kind of program?

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shel90

Oh, BiBi programs have speech departments for those kids who benefit from developing oral skills. Even us, at Deaf schools, recognize the valuable benefit of learning oral skills.

The concept of BiBi started with using English as a 2nd language for many foreign students especially those who spoke Spanish as their first language.

Not all Deaf schools use it yet...I wish!!

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jillio

Yes, it does include spoken English, but through the use of ASL as the first language. And this is where early intervention and preschool programs would be especially beneficial as early support for both L1 langauge development, and L2 language development. Children at this age are quite capable of acquiring an L1 language while learning an L2 langauge. When bilingualism is acquired in early childhood, the benefits for other cognitive are evident. And while ASL would be the L1 langauge (native), when English as an L2 language is introduced in the early ages, fluency develops very naturally and easily.

jillio

You and I both wish! It holds the greatest promise for improvement of deaf education in a way that will provide deaf students with all of the linguistic tools they need to be successful not just academically, but socially as well.

jillio

I'd like to point out that not just deaf of deaf are examples of the benefits of bi-bi education. CODAs are also the product of a bi-bi home atmosphere if the parents are signers. The CODA infant, even though hearing, acquires ASL as their L1 langauge, and English is learned as an L2 langauge.

Cheri

Watch this video between ASL/bi bi vs oralism

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jillio

Excellent video, Cheri. Thanks for the link. I agree with the points he has made in his comparison of Bi-Bi and oral education. These are exctly the points on which I support Bi-Bi education.

deafdyke

Have ESL (English as a Second Language) techniques been used in bi-bi education? It would be neat to see if ESL techniques would work for bi-bi. Bi-bi seems to be more of a philosophy....and its a GOOD one.

Interpretrator

Yes, as I said, the current problems with bi-bi education are problems with its implementation, which can be solved in many different ways. I brought them up to explain why some people claim bi-bi education does not work. It has been shown (more anecdotally than definitively but there just isn't enough research yet) that students have good success in true bi-bi programs that follow the linguistic principles, have properly qualified staff, etc.

This is basically what I'm doing, although at more of a rescue stage than a developmental stage. My MA (thesis pending) is in TESOL and I am applying those techniques to my college classes in English writing and grammar for deaf students. We have deaf teachers and tutors in the program and students are required to take ASL as well as English. They also have the option to take math from a deaf teacher but that classroom also has hearing students (which is cool in and of itself!). They do a lot of reading and writing on topics related to Deaf culture although not exclusively. And we do our best to keep the classroom language ASL, but with the wide range of communication methods used by the students, that isn't always possible but at this point we are long past being language models for most of them so it's less of an issue than with young kids. We're using ESL textbooks which we adapt as needed.

I have absolutely no doubt that TESOL techniques are exactly what is needed in teaching English as a second language to young deaf ASL users. I pretty much spent my graduate work focusing on TESOL and deaf education and my thesis will be on my work with the college students.

jillio

Actually, English as a second language is the basic premise behind bi-bi education; using ASL to teach English as one would use Spanish or French to teach English to Spanish/French speaking people.

jillio

I would love to read your thesis when completed. I have no doibt that you will have come to some valuable insights during this teaching experience.

I agree that implementation is the biggest obstacle for Bi-Bi programs. My previous comments were more of a proactive stance for the inevitable naysayers.

deafskeptic

I'd be interested in reading your thesis when you're done, Interpretrator.

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