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MLEDC in outline ( you can also go direct to Reading List, Assignments, Homework, Session Outline or Acknowledgements from here or use the buttons on the left to go to Lecture notes, additional resource papers and other web sites) The text below provides the official course unit specification. Aims and Rationale Theories of Bilingualism
and the extensive research literature will be examined in lectures and tutorials. Practical work/homework will deal with the analysis of
spoken, written and signed discourses from bilinguals to enhance students awareness of the
complexity and depth of bilingual approaches to minority education. Report data indicates the benefits of heritage
teaching in a bilingual framework. The aim is
to apply this work to the Deafness field. Unit Objectives This unit aims to
provide students with a broad understanding of the processes of becoming bilingual,
growing up bilingual and the educational implications of a bilingual classroom. These issues will be explored within the field of
Deaf Studies. Learning Outcomes Successful completion of
this unit will enable students to appreciate the complexity of Bilingualism both from the
individual, as well as the educational response perspective. This will enable students to engage actively in
the field of Deaf Education in contexts of
teaching literacy, numerical skills and other school based activities within the Heritage
teaching framework. Unit Background and
Principles In this Unit, the topic
of bilingualism is explored and the research in spoken languages is applied to the
situation of sign language use by deaf and hearing people.
There are a number of points to consider: What do we know about
bilingualism in spoken language and the patterns of family and education which support it? What are the unique
circumstances of families with Deaf children? To what extent are
Deaf
people bilingual? To what extent can hearing
people become bilingual in sign and speech? The answers to these
questions are vital for education and for careers like interpreting and the two areas are
very closely related. If Deaf people become
bilingual through good education by bilingual hearing people, then hearing people trained
by bilingual Deaf people can become good interpreters, teachers and so on.
As long as this situation is not perfect, then the application of
bilingualism will not be perfect. ·
Deaf people can be bilingual in two sign languages.
Deaf people may act as
interpreters for other Deaf people - a group of British Deaf visitors to America might use
another British Deaf person to mediate in ASL.
This bilingual Deaf person might become a relay interpreter between a
hearing person speaking English, an American sign interpreter and the British visitors. ·
Deaf people can also be bilingual in signed
language and in spoken language. Each of these situations
can be compared to similar circumstances in hearing people’s languages. ·
Deaf people can also be bilingual in written and
signed language. For many deaf children
in school, this may be the best option. For
others, spoken and written languages may be achievable.
In this course, we will separate out the bilingualism which occurs
naturally when parents and others in the environment use two languages, from the
bilingualism which is formalised in a school setting.
Both are important. But the
means by which we achieve each one may be different. We will also need to
separate out the bilingualism which has to be achieved in adult life. Hearing people learning sign
language usually do so when
they are adults. Often they have to do this
beyond the ideal age when most theorists believe languages become very hard to learn. Sign language involves different articulators
(hands, body, face, rather than voice) and this may create special problems. By the end of this
course, participants should understand a great deal of the research on bilingualism and be
able to apply it to their own bilingualism and to that of Deaf people. Deaf Sign Teachers should find the sections on the
assessment of bilingual skill very important and interpreters should find the issues of
language and society of great value. All
students should be able to use the findings on bilingualism for a range of purposes. There is a good deal of
reading to do. As well as the set book,
students should be able to consult widely: In the Masters course, the
key texts are: You should also aim to
read sections of Freire (1972)[1] and also some chapters in
Kyle (Sign and School, 1987 & Growing up in Sign and Word, 1994). Although there are quite extensive notes, you will
find out that there is a great deal which has been written about bilingualism. This is important as people in the deafness field
can learn a great deal from it. Where there
is additional reading the course tutor will refer to it at appropriate points. By the end of the unit,
participants should be familiar with both theories and research in this field. It should be possible to apply the knowledge to
any area of work on deafness. The unit will
be useful for sign teachers, for hearing people learning sign, for those working with deaf
children or with families and for those who are sign language interpreters. The course has three
main components:
The topics to be cover
include: Bilingualism - what it is and how we can understand it in relation to sign language. How to measure bilingualism and how it can be used by bilingual people. How bilingualism can be understood in society. Cognitive aspects of
bilingualism which has been termed bilinguality. Issues for families Concepts of childhood bilingualism; Deaf children and reading. Bilingualism in Education - method or way of life, some principles; Finding a framework for bilingualism in Deaf children and for the training of interpreters. In the last session, we consider the ideal bilingual frameworks and how to achieve them. [1] Freire is a difficult text. However, it is important because it explains the situation of minority groups and shows us how language is part of the problem in the way minorities and majorities deal with one another.
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