media of teaching in one classroom, was explored in Bangor in the mid-1990s.
In 1994/95, in response to the challenge to Welsh-medium education due to
a reduction in the number of student admissions, an ‘alternative’ approach
of using both Welsh and English in the same classroom was explored in order
to maintain provision in both languages and ‘to encourage reflection and the
search for other means to ensure the continuation of Welsh-medium educa-
tion in colleges.. .’ (Williams, 1994–95: iii). However, it was acknowledged
that this would not be without its difficulties.
As a basis for exploring the use of two languages in one classroom,
Williams turned to Rodolfo Jacobson’s ‘New Concurrent Approach’ (see
Jacobson, 1981, 1983; Jacobson & Faltis, 1990), an approach developed in the
United States that used dual language use as a pedagogical tool. It urged
teachers ‘never to use intrasentential switches (those switches that occur within
a sentence and which are most common in bilingual communities), but
instead to use only intersentential switches (between sentences) as a way of
providing conceptual reinforcement and review’ (García, 2009a: 296) (see also
Chapters 5 and 6 for further discussions on code-swtching practices among
bilinguals). Jacobson (1983:120) encouraged teachers to switch languages
only in response to a number of acceptable and specific cues in a structured
way according to four criteria:
- using both languages for equal periods of time across the entire lesson/
period; - not switching languages in a way that interrupts the content;
- switching languages in response to specific cues only;
- switching languages in response to a specific educational aim.
Williams (1994–95) went on to outline some of the methods of teach-
ing in a bilingual situation or setting from the perspective of the teacher/
lecturer, based on the work of Jacobson (1981, 1983) and Faltis (1990).
These methods enabled every individual to learn through their own pre-
ferred medium, and they included (i) translating from one language to
another; (ii) switching from one language to another so that both lan-
guages are treated equally; or (iii) an arrangement where groups in the class
choose a language and maintain it with the teachers/lecturers responding
according to the medium of the last speaker or according to the language
of choice of the group that they are addressing at a given time (Williams,
1994–95: 4–5).
Following observation in classrooms and conceptual analysis, Williams
(1994–95) came to the conclusion that the teaching setting described in (iii)
above – with other possible adaptations – was the optimal solution. Having
weighed up the arguments for and against the setting, he came to the conclu-
sion that this methodology – if implemented in a sensitive manner that is
fair to both languages:
176 Part 4: Bilingual Education