The Learning Center for the Deaf

[Frisky Feline]

The Learning Center for the Deaf school located in Framingham, MA.

SORRY for NO CC that used ASL. This link is about that they do provide BOTH ASL and speaking. I know this school and I have been at that school many times years ago. I know several Deaf teachers who work there. I really hope that they do hire MORE Deaf teachers that would be great for Deaf/HOH kids who lives in East Coast. Too many Deaf people moves to the west coast because of seeking for more ASL. I do think this TLC is a great school as long as they are welcome to both ASL and speaking therefore Deaf/HOH kids would have to access to a full box of language.

thought this link is good for hearing parents who are familiar with school in the east coast.



[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED2fXgd5zNc&feature=share]The Learning Center for the Deaf - YouTube[/ame]



p.s. I saw the cute kid who have parent as a member on AD.

 

[GrendelQ]

That's my girl! I was so happily surprised to see that, thanks FF!

But, I have to correct one thing -- in this video they all emphasize that ASL is THE language of instruction and interaction, this place is for Deaf culture. There's no spoken language after 1st grade, it's all voices off. They have spoken language for a small group of 4-5 kids who are hearing with other disorders or who have CIs in each of the 20+ preK and K and 1st grade levels, and only for half of the day (mornings). After 1st grade, the CI kids are integrated into regular classes, voices off -- all ASL. Interpreters are used for visitors.

As a parent of a deaf child with CIs -- I LOVE this school.

The Learning Center for the Deaf school located in Framingham, MA.

SORRY for NO CC that used ASL. This link is about that they do provide BOTH ASL and speaking. I know this school and I have been at that school many times years ago. I know several Deaf teachers who work there. I really hope that they do hire MORE Deaf teachers that would be great for Deaf/HOH kids who lives in East Coast. Too many Deaf people moves to the west coast because of seeking for more ASL. I do think this TLC is a great school as long as they are welcome to both ASL and speaking therefore Deaf/HOH kids would have to access to a full box of language.

thought this link is good for hearing parents who are familiar with school in the east coast.



The Learning Center for the Deaf - YouTube



p.s. I saw the cute kid who have parent as a member on AD.

 

[Frisky Feline]

Thanks for the posting more information about this school, GQ.

 

[AlleyCat]

Great video, I enjoyed it! The school and surroundings look beautiful, very cozy.

 

[Jane B.]

That's my girl! I was so happily surprised to see that, thanks FF!

But, I have to correct one thing -- in this video they all emphasize that ASL is THE language of instruction and interaction, this place is for Deaf culture. There's no spoken language after 1st grade, it's all voices off. They have spoken language for a small group of 4-5 kids who are hearing with other disorders or who have CIs in each of the 20+ preK and K and 1st grade levels, and only for half of the day (mornings). After 1st grade, the CI kids are integrated into regular classes, voices off -- all ASL. Interpreters are used for visitors.

As a parent of a deaf child with CIs -- I LOVE this school.

Just curious as I have no kids (and at 70 will not be having any). Why no spoken language for the CD kids after 1st grade? They are bound to encounter places where only spoken language is used during their life.

 

[Frisky Feline]

Send them to Hearing school, if they are in desire of using voice.

 

[Jane B.]

Send them to Hearing school, if they are in desire of using voice.

Your answer doesn't say anything about why no use of spoken language at all after 1st grade at this school!

I have no argument with the use of ASL but why eliminate spoken language completely for this group of kids?

 

[Frisky Feline]

Your answer doesn't say anything about why no use of spoken language at all after 1st grade at this school!

I have no argument with the use of ASL but why eliminate spoken language completely for this group of kids?

Im sure that GQ would answer your question.

This school is for deaf peope therefore they use ASL to communicate in learning anything without a struggle.

 

[GrendelQ]

Just curious as I have no kids (and at 70 will not be having any). Why no spoken language for the CD kids after 1st grade? They are bound to encounter places where only spoken language is used during their life.

As FF says, if you want your child's classes to be taught in English and his/her interactions with other children to be in English, why send them to a bi-bi School for the Deaf where most teachers are deaf and all but 2 or 3 children in a grade of 20-30 have no access to speech sounds even if they wear HAs/CIs (which most don't)?

I sent my daughter to a Deaf school primarily to learn and interact in ASL and attain fluency we couldn't provide at home.

 

[GrendelQ]

Your answer doesn't say anything about why no use of spoken language at all after 1st grade at this school!

I have no argument with the use of ASL but why eliminate spoken language completely for this group of kids?

These are profoundly deaf kids. Spoken language isn't accessible for all but a very few (let's say 2-3 of the 20-30) students in each grade. To teach that handful who can hear some sounds using some form of technology (HAs/CIs) in English would be impractical given that volume, and given the philosophy of the school, which is to teach and learn and interact in ASL. They would have to hire English-speaking teachers in various specializations across several grades just to instruct those 2-3 kids in isolation, replicating a typical local school environment. There would be significant gaps even if they could create this little school within a school, segregating these kids: no student language models or peer group of English-speaking children, a key component of learning a language. If those few students can access their studies effectively using spoken language, why not just place them in an optimal environment for that purpose: a school with English-using teachers, language models, peers to learn from?

 

[Jane B.]

Grendel
It appears that I have misunderstood the definition of a bi-bi school. I was under the impression that they offered access to both ASL and spoken language.

I was not thinking in terms of all classes being in English as a spoken language but regular exposure to it beyond 1st grade.

As FF says, if you want your child's classes to be taught in English and his/her interactions with other children to be in English, why send them to a bi-bi School for the Deaf where most teachers are deaf and all but 2 or 3 children in a grade of 20-30 have no access to speech sounds even if they wear HAs/CIs (which most don't)?

I sent my daughter to a Deaf school primarily to learn and interact in ASL and attain fluency we couldn't provide at home.

These are profoundly deaf kids. Spoken language isn't accessible for all but a very few (let's say 2-3 of the 20-30) students in each grade. To teach that handful who can hear some sounds using some form of technology (HAs/CIs) in English would be impractical given that volume, and given the philosophy of the school, which is to teach and learn and interact in ASL. They would have to hire English-speaking teachers in various specializations across several grades just to instruct those 2-3 kids in isolation, replicating a typical local school environment. There would be significant gaps even if they could create this little school within a school, segregating these kids: no student language models or peer group of English-speaking children, a key component of learning a language. If those few students can access their studies effectively using spoken language, why not just place them in an optimal environment for that purpose: a school with English-using teachers, language models, peers to learn from?

 

[GrendelQ]

Grendel
It appears that I have misunderstood the definition of a bi-bi school. I was under the impression that they offered access to both ASL and spoken language.

I was not thinking in terms of all classes being in English as a spoken language but regular exposure to it beyond 1st grade.

It's tricky, bc some schools may interpret bi-bi differently. In this case, TLC teaches in ASL, and student interaction is in ASL, and yet they place an emphasis on English in all classes: written English, not spoken. There's also a strong emphasis on bi-culturality, respecting Deaf culture in equal part with the cultures most students come from at home or in their local communities.

The only place that spoken English comes into play is in a very small experimental early education auditory access program in which a handful of students in the 2 preK years (~10 - 12 kids), Kindergarten (4-5 kids w/CIs), and 1st grade (2 deaf kids w/CIs and one hearing child unable to speak) are taught in segregated classes, sign-supported spoken language environments, for 3 hours during the morning, and then integrated into the other voices-off classes during lunch and the afternoon. But that environment doesn't continue into 2nd grade -- those 'auditory access' children are then spread out across other classes. Using spoken language around the students in that 2nd grade+ environment would exclude the majority of students, which is why the 'voices-off' rule is applied..

 

[deafdyke]

It's tricky, bc some schools may interpret bi-bi differently. In this case, TLC teaches in ASL, and student interaction is in ASL, and yet they place an emphasis on English in all classes: written English, not spoken. There's also a strong emphasis on bi-culturality, respecting Deaf culture in equal part with the cultures most students come from at home or in their local communities.

The only place that spoken English comes into play is in a very small experimental early education auditory access program in which a handful of students in the 2 preK years (~10 - 12 kids), Kindergarten (4-5 kids w/CIs), and 1st grade (2 deaf kids w/CIs and one hearing child unable to speak) are taught in segregated classes, sign-supported spoken language environments, for 3 hours during the morning, and then integrated into the other voices-off classes during lunch and the afternoon. But that environment doesn't continue into 2nd grade -- those 'auditory access' children are then spread out across other classes. Using spoken language around the students in that 2nd grade+ environment would exclude the majority of students, which is why the 'voices-off' rule is applied..

Grendel, I think that's where we found ourselves disagreeing. TLC's interpretation of bi-bi almost sounds like a "Michigan Womyn's Fest" version of bi-bi, b/c there are a lot of voice off, unaided/unimplanted students at TLC. If TLC's demographics were different, then you'd most likely see a differet interprtation of bi-bi. I know at Maryland School for the Deaf they have periods where it's "voices on" There is also a growing trend of having oral training classes (not nessarily a segregated program, but a built in class, like a student would have fr English or history or whatever) at Sign using schools.

 

[CSign]

Grendel, I think that's where we found ourselves disagreeing. TLC's interpretation of bi-bi almost sounds like a "Michigan Womyn's Fest" version of bi-bi, b/c there are a lot of voice off, unaided/unimplanted students at TLC. If TLC's demographics were different, then you'd most likely see a differet interprtation of bi-bi. I know at Maryland School for the Deaf they have periods where it's "voices on" There is also a growing trend of having oral training classes (not nessarily a segregated program, but a built in class, like a student would have fr English or history or whatever) at Sign using schools.

Can you expand upone the bolded above? I haven't the faintest idea what you are referring to.

Also, have you recently been to the MSD and observed that they had periods that were "voice on", or is that something you've heard from
Someone somewhere along the way?

It seems that most schools for the deaf (unless it is an Auditory/Oral program) have minimal (if any) instruction in spoken language. The reason as Grendel gave above would seem to applicable to most of the schools for the deaf.