WHOLE LANGUAGE AND DEAF BILINGUAL-BICULTURAL EDUCATION - NATURALLY

This position paper discusses how the tenets of Whole Language and Dea f Bilingual-Bicultural Education complement each other. It stresses th at Whole Language is based on natural processes through which children can translate their constructs of personal experiences, observations, and perspectives into modes of communication that include written lan guage and, in the present case, American Sign language. The paper is b ased on two emphases: (a) Whole Language emphasizes a two-way teaching /learning process, teachers learning from children, and vice vera; and (b) Deaf Bilingual-Bicultural Education emphasizes American Sign Lang uage as a language of instruction and builds on mutual respect for the similarities and differences in the sociocultural and socioeducationa l experiences and values of Deaf and hearing people. Both Whole langua ge and Deaf Bilingual-Bicultural Eduction attempted to authenticate cu rriculum by integrating Deaf persons' worldviews as part of educationa l experience.