Gallaudet University, located in Washington, DC, is a liberal arts university for the deaf whose mission supports bilingualism in American Sign Language (ASL) and English in the classroom. Using ASL in our English classes is important because, as noted by Tucker (1999), “individuals most easily develop cognitive skills and master content material when they are taught in a familiar language” (p. 1). Petitto (2009) discovered that students “arriving late to a bilingual context can and do achieve language competence in their new language” (p. 193). She continues by stating that “full mastery of the new (later-exposed) language needs to occur in highly systematic and multiple contexts that are richly varied” in home, community, and school environments (p. 193). Cummins (2006) asserts that “developing ASL proficiency goes far beyond its relationship to the development of English language and literacy skills” in that it is “a tool for thinking, problem-solving, and enabling” (p. 1) everyone to develop a strong sense of identity and relationship with others. Using ASL in our classes supports and harmonizes with the English assignments students complete in our visual bilingual integrated learning courses, which are the foundation for courses in the general studies program.

By “harmonizing” ASL and English, we instruct and require students to create products in both languages. In the past, ASL was the medium of instruction while English was the only, if not primary, language for products. Today, both ASL and English are integrated in our instructions and assignments. In order to harmonize both languages, we sign in ASL and write in English via handouts, PowerPoint, and on whiteboards. Our students sign in ASL and write in English for their assignments, which adhere to our student learning outcomes that list products in ASL and English. Occasionally, assignments require products in both languages; other times, assignments may require products in one or the other language. The goal is to use both languages, as they promote creative problem solving and identity development.

The relationship of bilingualism in ASL and English to identity plays an important role in students’ learning in both languages. Baker (2011) explained that deaf people have long been conscripted to learning the language of the majority, often at the expense of ASL (i.e., oral education or total communication education). As a consequence, deaf people often felt that a huge part of themselves was disregarded and they suffered low self-esteem. Baker stressed the importance of respecting the language of the deaf because “it is important to recognize that Deaf people (like many hearing bilinguals) form relatively disadvantaged language minorities and have certain things in common with hearing, language minority individuals and groups” (p. 371). At the same time, deaf people need and want to develop fluency in English in order to participate in the work world. As a result, Gallaudet University rewrote its mission in 2007 to stress the importance of bilingualism in ASL and English.

We teach a variety of courses in which we integrate or “harmonize” both languages. Someof the assignments are written in English while others are signed in ASL videos. Although this can be challenging (students are typically more competent in one language than the other), students create products that promote development in each language. Some of the most popular characteristics of assignments in ASL and written English include research or interviews done on videos with captions, digital storytelling also with captions, and research papers with PowerPoint presentations (which are often videotaped). In the following paragraphs, we present two examples of classroom activities where the harmonizing of languages has been done effectively.

In one course, students were assigned a research project related to ethics in ASL and English. They wrote a five-page paper in English and created a 5- minute video in ASL on the same topic, adhering to the American Psychology Association for citing and formatting. While students cited their sources in their written essays and on their reference pages, they cited those same sources when they created videos in ASL that included some captions. A list of references was shown at the end of the videos. Working on the same topic in two languages is cognitively divergent in that writing in English and signing in ASL use different parts of the brain (see Pettito, 2009). Additionally, using both languages compels students to think and frame their topic in two different ways. For instance, writing a paper and signing in ASL require different approaches to presenting the same information. Students often find presenting easier in one language than the other language.

In another course, students created a short digital story to introduce themselves to their classmates by describing information about their hometowns or favorite television shows. This assignment provided students with a way in which to showcase their ASL and English skills in one captioned video. Several students played with both languages as was evident in their humorous signs and captions. For example, one student from Texas stated that her state was the best, “duh, of course,” for many reasons, but her primary reason her state was the best was because of the delicious Texan food (C. Oberrender, personal communication, February 13, 2013). Another student’s digital story allowed him to “prattle on” about his favorite television shows, which included 30 Rock and Downton Abbey (A. Shitama, personal communication, February 13, 2013). Their ASL signs and their English words indicate how the students successfully integrated the use of both languages in their digital stories.

The assignments in our classes help students interact in ASL and English as a way to integrate and harmonize the two languages. A piece of sage advice we received as we were thinking about how to ensure “balanced” inclusion of both languages was to create a checklist consisting of all assignments, and check off those that included one language or both. As students create videos and write essays, they develop their individual identities they can use for a foundation to master both languages. We typically observe our students as they become more comfortable when creating videos in ASL and writing essays in English. When students play with both languages, then they become more proficient in each language, which is our major goal. We are committed to integrating ASL and English in our classes so that our students learn to master each language.

References

Baker, C. (2011). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism (5th ed.). Buffalo, NY: Multilingual Matters.

Cummins, J. (2006). The relationship between American Sign Language proficiency and English academic development: A review of the research. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto.

Petitto, L. A. (2009). Educational neuroscience: New discoveries from the bilingual brain and mind across the lifespan and their implications for education. Mind, Brain and Education, 3, 185–197.

Tucker, G. R. (1999). A global perspective on bilingualism and bilingual education. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. Retrieved from http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/digestglobal.html

Paige E. Franklin is an associate professor and chair of English at Gallaudet University. She teaches ESL and freshmen composition and research courses.

Jane Nickerson is a professor of English at Gallaudet University. She has taught many courses including reading, composition, introduction to literature, literature and film, and media studies. Dr. Nickerson has written articles for English Journal, The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, and other journals. Her most recent article, entitled “Film and Society: From Citizen Kane to Erin Brockovich,” is in Lesson Plans for Creating Media-Rich Classrooms, a National Council of Teachers of English publication.