Week One: Speaking, Writing, and Inquiry. English Education, K-12

Citations for readings
- "What Teachers Need to Know About Language" - by Lilly Wong Fillmore and Catherine E. Snow

- "The Structure of Language: Why It Matters to Education", Ray Jackendoff, Ph.D.
Talk for conference on Learning and the Brain, Cambridge, November 5-8, 2003
www.edupr.com

- Chapter 3, from the book, "An Unquiet Pedagogy" by Eleanor Kutz and Hephzibah Roskelly

Language and the Classroom

In chapter 3 of Eleanor Kutz and Hephizibah Roskelly's book, "An Unquiet Pedagogy", the authors concern themselves with the stigma of "home" language versus educational language. They explain "home" language as a form of dialect in which a student expresses themselves outside of school. Most often, this way of speaking is regarded as something that should be changed or that is inappropriate in a school setting. The authors argue that by assuming this, educators are ignoring what students bring into the classroom and are therefore assuming that these students are "empty vessels" to be filled with "proper" language. This of course ignores many cultural needs and leads many students to believe they are "stupid" if they do not speak Standard English. This is especially disconcerting for second language learners or those students who have parents or caretakers who do not speak Standard English.
Kutz and Roskelly go on to explain that every learner, despite there background, has a different dialect. Standard English has many variations, and most people speak differently at home than they do at school or at work etc. As Dr. Ray Jackendoff states "Language is an important proxy for group identity. Attitudes toward another group are reflected in attitudes toward their language. To stigmatize a person or a group, stigmatize their language.To help suppress a group’s sense of identity, suppress use of their language (examples: Catalan, Welsh, native American languages). Conversely, to reinforce one’s own group identity, adopt
distinctive language (not necessarily consciously!)." In other words, language helps us form our identity, and by ignoring or trying to change a students' language, is an insult to their cultural background.
It is not ignorant of education systems to assume and assign a certain level of literacy among the student population, as it is understood that in order to succeed in certain areas, such as business, or to prepare for college, a certain level must be achieved. However, it is also important to understand the linguistic variations students bring to the classroom so that we can bridge the gap between home and school language without ignoring the cultural and social background of the students.Moreover, researchers like Fillmore and Snow believe that an engaged and successful classroom can not exist without this bridge.
Unfortunately there is a major lack of discourse over this issue. In Fillmore and Snow's article, "What Teachers Need to Know About Language", they state that "The U.S. teaching force is not well equipped to help these children and those who speak vernacular dialects of English adjust to school and learn joyfully: Too few teachers share or know about their students cultural and linguistic backgrounds, or understand the challenges inherent in learning to speak and read Standard English." the authors blame a lack of professional preparation within teaching programs for this.
While this is certainly true (and hopefully changing) the social ideas and stigma behind "proper" speech must certainly be a factor in how we educators view those people whom we do not see as "linguistically fit". The idea that school is supposed to "properly" socialize children is a strong belief among many people. But is that the purpose of school? I hope not, if only for the fact that I have no idea what "proper" is, or should be. I do, however, believe that school should be a time for change, growth, and acceptance, both intellectually and socially.
So, perhaps, (like many other changes) the change of how we view language should start within the classroom.