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A bilingual bicultural approach:
There seems to be quite a bit of discussion these days about using the bilingual (two languages) bicultural (two cultures) to teach English to Deaf children. The supporting idea is that Deaf children can readily learn ASL. We can use ASL as a foundation language from which to build an understanding of a second language (English).
This method has been tested with Deaf children and has shown promising results.
Which is to say, the student's native language (ASL) is being successfully used to help teach the target language (English).
What if we reverse the process and apply it to hearing students?
A bilingual-bicultural approach to teaching ASL to hearing students can also be effective. Just as the use of ASL can help Deaf students learn English, English can help hearing students learn ASL.
An issue though is that English and ASL use two different modalities. English is (mainly) a spoken language whereas ASL is signed.
The problem with allowing Hearing students to use their voice is that they tend to jabber away excessively and never seriously focus on signing and never develop fluent signing skills.
Two approaches to a bi-bi classroom:
1. A dual-modality class. This means allowing students to voice at least part of the time. If you decide to do this I recommend temporarily using an interpreter. If you have the resources, consider having an interpreter come in the first day and allow students to voice their questions and then sign your responses and have the interpreter voice your responses to the students. That can really get the class off to a fast start by making of the students' pre-existing linguistic foundation. Then dismiss the interpreter and require voices off for the rest of the semester.
Hearing instructors who voice the first day of class -- have a bigger challenge because on the second day of class the students know that the instructor can still hear thus creating temptation for the students to simply voice their questions. Such being the case, Hearing instructors might want to consider setting up an environment whereby if a student wants to use their voice they have to be wearing the "hearing necklace" or standing in the "hearing circle" or some other control method.
2. A completely no-voice class that makes use of a
limited amount of written or typed
English. If you are going for a
totally "non-voice" environment, make sure you have plenty of pre-made
slides
or visuals that are easy to understand pictures or are in the student's native language to provide quick linguistic
support at appropriate times in your teaching.
Don't like either of those ideas? Then consider holding separate voiced sessions only on certain days or have an ASL lab where students can use their native language to seek answers to questions that are on their mind.
Some general advice that I recommend to teachers which you may or may not
already be doing:
Memorize every student's name. If they voice in class contact the parents
and ask for a parent / teacher meeting.
Seat the students in a semicircle without desks. Use the Vicars' Responses
Per Minute teaching style to create a highly engaged / interactive
non-voiced learning situation.
Control who sits by whom. If a student voices, the next day that student
should be seated with and work with three or more students who are strong,
committed non-voicing students who will model appropriate signing behavior.
Change up the seating on a daily basis -- even several times per class.
Consider switching teachers every other day. That way every other day the
students are exposed to a Hearing teacher who can hear, catch, and document
which students voice and can "write up" those students for sanctioning
and/or removal from class for having cheated and engaged in disruptive
behavior.
Install web cameras and other video recording equipment. You can buy a
camera for $30 these days online. One semester when I was forced by the
administration to teach in a cramped classroom and needed to give a final
exam in that classroom I brought four video cameras during the day of the
final and had them aimed at each area of the classroom to help remind
students to keep their eyes on the teacher and/or their own paper and
no-where else.