Whitney, Jessica. "Five Easy Pieces: Steps toward Integrating AAVE into the Classroom." The English Journal. 94. 5 (2005): 64-69. Voice of Democracy. 27 March 2009.
Aimed at an educational audience, Whitney talks about different strategies to embrace AAVE versus eliminating it completely and replacing it with Standard English. Whitney discusses using outside sources to help teachers and students understand AAVE and SE and their differences.
Wilson, Marilyn. "The Changing Discourse of Language Study." The English Journal. 90.4 (2001): 31-36. 27 March 2009.
A qualitative study done to show different aspects of language and looking more in depth of the negative attitudes of AAVE but positive attitudes towards SE. Also, why this occurs. Argues that teachers should not only learn the basics of writing and composition but also how to handle different dialects and the different attitudes toward them.
Wheeler, Rebecca. "Teaching English in the World: Code-Switch to Teach Standard English." The English Journal. 94.5 (2005): 108-112. National Council of Teachers of English. 27 March 2009. Qualitative data taken by a middle school teacher to better understand where her class was having trouble with SE and how to fix the errors of their culture. "They aren't making SE errors they are using AAL correctly." The teacher should look at the situation from the outside to have a better understanding of the inside.
Young, Gary. "Speaking My Mind: Shame on Whom?." The English Journal. 90.4 (2001): 20-22. National Council of Teachers of English. 27 March 2009. Oppositely argues that SE is Superior and is MORE important for the teacher to be teaching SE rather than use both their home language and SE. The author agrees that there should be a positive attitude toward AAVE and the speakers because then the students will have a better look on it also.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
DW3b
African American Vernacular has been an ongoing topic for centuries. We just can not see to come to an understanding about how to incorporate the usage of AAVE into the everyday classroom. My linguist have presented ideas to what they feel might bring us closer to doing just that, incorporating AAVE into the classroom and using it to help teachers of students that use the dialect to use it as an advantage. Five Easy Pieces: Steps toward Integrating AAVE into the Classroom, written by Jessica Whitney, discusses how to effectively get the students involved with learning Standard English without eliminating their home language. Whitney extensively explains 5 key steps that teachers should go through or follow to make teaching SE easier for them while at the same time making it easier to learn.
*Step One: Teacher, Educate Thyself
In this section Whitney presents the idea of the teachers learning more about AAVE and having a better understanding of the language. She states that most teachers' downfall is "ignorance." Ignorance leads to judgements of on dialect or language being more superior to the other and it's definitely not AAVE. "Working with a student’s home language, instead of against it, is crucial to ensuring students’ academic success"(Whitney 65).
*Step Two: Incorporate Multiculturalism into the Classroom
Here Whitney discusses presenting "non mainstream varieties" such as rap lyrics and fictional articles. With doing this she quotes Kim Brian Lovejoy with his ideas and how he effectively does this in his class. He suggest having the students bring in their own example of non mainstream varieties and that they present these things to the class for a class discussion. This draws the students in more because everyone has a piece of the project to incorporate. She goes on to talk more about how Lovejoy presents this to his class and his ideas about this exercise. "Multicultural texts can connect people of diverse backgrounds and can be used as a starting
point for deeper examination and discussion of our experiences. Students can draw on class discussions to reflect on appropriate uses of home language and school language, as Lovejoy detailed"(Whitney 66).
*Step Three: Create a Learning Environment Rich in Oral Language
"Children acquire language through practicing the skills of speaking and listening"(Whitney 67). Step three talks about not only teaching students to write in SE but also having them speak out loud and making them feel comfortable to do so. By doing this they can listen and hear the differences in the way that they and others speak. "'Allowing children’s home language to serve legitimate functions within the classroom, allowing their home experiences or street experiences into the classroom ‘could be a starting point for crucial and truly enriching discussions’ of relationships among language, knowledge, culture, identity, politics” (Gilyard, qtd. in Sorace 76)"(Whitney 67). She also talks about how the students will be able to go home and translate something in SE to their family in their own dialect.
*Step Four: Encourage and Demonstrate Code-Switching in the Classroom
In this piece she explains the positive side of code-switching and why it is a good skill to obtain.
"When teachers work with students to contrast the differences between non-Standard English
such as AAVE and Standard English, students are less likely to use features of AAVE in
their writing"(Whitney 67). She explains the importance of teaching the students to be able to distinguish the differences between their home language, AAVE, and SE.
*Step Five: Allow Students to Write like Real Writers
Here she talks about teaching the students to have a purpose for writing and to know who they are writing for, specific audiences. They should know when something is or isn't appropriate. The teacher should allow students to write and speak in AAVe when appropriate. Whitney is basically saying that knowing your audience is the main idea for AAVe writers because when they do they will understand how to correctly revise their work to make it more appropriate.
All of the main ideas were summed up in the steps. I believe that this piece effectively discusses scholarship of AAVE because it is a layout for teachers of AAVE users. It explains effective tips to help engage the speaker into wanting to learn SE and to give both the teacher and the student of the opposite dialects. In this reading Whitney makes an argument that teachers shouldn't be afraid to teach students of other dialects other than SE. She pushes the idea that AAVE can easily be Incorporated into the classroom setting and be used as an advantage.
*Step One: Teacher, Educate Thyself
In this section Whitney presents the idea of the teachers learning more about AAVE and having a better understanding of the language. She states that most teachers' downfall is "ignorance." Ignorance leads to judgements of on dialect or language being more superior to the other and it's definitely not AAVE. "Working with a student’s home language, instead of against it, is crucial to ensuring students’ academic success"(Whitney 65).
*Step Two: Incorporate Multiculturalism into the Classroom
Here Whitney discusses presenting "non mainstream varieties" such as rap lyrics and fictional articles. With doing this she quotes Kim Brian Lovejoy with his ideas and how he effectively does this in his class. He suggest having the students bring in their own example of non mainstream varieties and that they present these things to the class for a class discussion. This draws the students in more because everyone has a piece of the project to incorporate. She goes on to talk more about how Lovejoy presents this to his class and his ideas about this exercise. "Multicultural texts can connect people of diverse backgrounds and can be used as a starting
point for deeper examination and discussion of our experiences. Students can draw on class discussions to reflect on appropriate uses of home language and school language, as Lovejoy detailed"(Whitney 66).
*Step Three: Create a Learning Environment Rich in Oral Language
"Children acquire language through practicing the skills of speaking and listening"(Whitney 67). Step three talks about not only teaching students to write in SE but also having them speak out loud and making them feel comfortable to do so. By doing this they can listen and hear the differences in the way that they and others speak. "'Allowing children’s home language to serve legitimate functions within the classroom, allowing their home experiences or street experiences into the classroom ‘could be a starting point for crucial and truly enriching discussions’ of relationships among language, knowledge, culture, identity, politics” (Gilyard, qtd. in Sorace 76)"(Whitney 67). She also talks about how the students will be able to go home and translate something in SE to their family in their own dialect.
*Step Four: Encourage and Demonstrate Code-Switching in the Classroom
In this piece she explains the positive side of code-switching and why it is a good skill to obtain.
"When teachers work with students to contrast the differences between non-Standard English
such as AAVE and Standard English, students are less likely to use features of AAVE in
their writing"(Whitney 67). She explains the importance of teaching the students to be able to distinguish the differences between their home language, AAVE, and SE.
*Step Five: Allow Students to Write like Real Writers
Here she talks about teaching the students to have a purpose for writing and to know who they are writing for, specific audiences. They should know when something is or isn't appropriate. The teacher should allow students to write and speak in AAVe when appropriate. Whitney is basically saying that knowing your audience is the main idea for AAVe writers because when they do they will understand how to correctly revise their work to make it more appropriate.
All of the main ideas were summed up in the steps. I believe that this piece effectively discusses scholarship of AAVE because it is a layout for teachers of AAVE users. It explains effective tips to help engage the speaker into wanting to learn SE and to give both the teacher and the student of the opposite dialects. In this reading Whitney makes an argument that teachers shouldn't be afraid to teach students of other dialects other than SE. She pushes the idea that AAVE can easily be Incorporated into the classroom setting and be used as an advantage.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
DW3a
The reading I chose to look at more closely is A Perspective on Teaching Black Dialect Speaking Students to Write in Standard English by Judith Nembhard. In this reading Nembhard is pushing the idea teachers sometimes look at Black Dialect users mistakes in writing as just small "surface errors" instead of seeing them for what they really are, errors. They are sometimes overlooked and the student isn't penalized for it because the teachers think "oh that's just the way they write." She quotes other linguist stating that " children without standard American English are handicapped directly"(Nembhard 434) Nembhard and others feel this way because they feel that it essential to know standard English and even if Black dialect is the dialect of choice knowing standard English will get you places in life. She states that some schools force young students to "disown" their native tongue and speak and understand standard English. According to James Sledd, a linguist quoted by Nembhard, students are expected to take on standard English as their second language. Sledd feels this is wrong and wants the "majority" race to not be prejudice. He states that the "differences between dialects are unlikely to hurt anybody much"(Nembhard 435)
Nembhard goes on to say that the students shouldn't be stripped of their native language but yet, given a reason to WANT to learn standard English. Help them understand that it is much needed and that they will go places knowing it and being able to write and speak it. She talks about the fact that students should be made aware of the possibilities and opportunities that come with the knowledge of standard English. Nembhard goes on to say that the teachers should not look over the simple grammar errors or the often placed -ed and -s or double the double negatives. Students should take responsibility and if they are not earning good grades the teachers should not be afraid to fail them. Towards the end Nembhard gives suggestions on how to help and student that uses Black Dialect learn to write in standard English.
* The teacher should demonstrate confidence in the students potential to learn.
*The teacher should have high expectations for the students success and not lower them because they feel the students can't meet them.
*The distinctions between the students oral speech and standard English should be made and clearly explained.
*The writing assignments should be graded fairly but at the same time thoroughly. (No errors should be looked over)
*The students should be required to write in class so that help can be given when needed.
*Students should be provided with out-of-class support when needed. (tutors)
*Teachers should give the grade deserved even if it is a failing grade when warranted.
This article discusses scholarships of AAVE in comp. studies by Nembhard stating her thoughts on how AAVE is perceived by teachers. She talks about P. A Ramey's quote "they're so different, therefore I can't teach them" and say she agrees with that statement. She talks about how teachers would teach writing to non-black students.
"take a positive approach, rightly emphasizing the importance of clear communication. Whereas the teachers of Irish or Jewish students with linguistic differences approach the task of teaching the standard forms with some disagree of equanimity, teachers of black dialect speakers oftentimes 'cringe in disbelief and disgust' and may try to 'forego as a wasted effort any attempt to teach language.'"
In this passage Nembhard discusses her perspective of how teachers feel about having to teach writing to students with black-dialect. They aren't enthused at all and it's not what they want to do.
I believe that this reading effectively make an argument about AAVE because in it Nembhard talks about AAVE being just another language and that teachers and the school district shouldn't require the students to completely disown their home dialect and to simply fully explain to them why they should want to learn standard English. The teachers shouldn't look over the students mistakes and at the same time they shouldn't be afraid to fail the students if their grades permit it.
Nembhard goes on to say that the students shouldn't be stripped of their native language but yet, given a reason to WANT to learn standard English. Help them understand that it is much needed and that they will go places knowing it and being able to write and speak it. She talks about the fact that students should be made aware of the possibilities and opportunities that come with the knowledge of standard English. Nembhard goes on to say that the teachers should not look over the simple grammar errors or the often placed -ed and -s or double the double negatives. Students should take responsibility and if they are not earning good grades the teachers should not be afraid to fail them. Towards the end Nembhard gives suggestions on how to help and student that uses Black Dialect learn to write in standard English.
* The teacher should demonstrate confidence in the students potential to learn.
*The teacher should have high expectations for the students success and not lower them because they feel the students can't meet them.
*The distinctions between the students oral speech and standard English should be made and clearly explained.
*The writing assignments should be graded fairly but at the same time thoroughly. (No errors should be looked over)
*The students should be required to write in class so that help can be given when needed.
*Students should be provided with out-of-class support when needed. (tutors)
*Teachers should give the grade deserved even if it is a failing grade when warranted.
This article discusses scholarships of AAVE in comp. studies by Nembhard stating her thoughts on how AAVE is perceived by teachers. She talks about P. A Ramey's quote "they're so different, therefore I can't teach them" and say she agrees with that statement. She talks about how teachers would teach writing to non-black students.
"take a positive approach, rightly emphasizing the importance of clear communication. Whereas the teachers of Irish or Jewish students with linguistic differences approach the task of teaching the standard forms with some disagree of equanimity, teachers of black dialect speakers oftentimes 'cringe in disbelief and disgust' and may try to 'forego as a wasted effort any attempt to teach language.'"
In this passage Nembhard discusses her perspective of how teachers feel about having to teach writing to students with black-dialect. They aren't enthused at all and it's not what they want to do.
I believe that this reading effectively make an argument about AAVE because in it Nembhard talks about AAVE being just another language and that teachers and the school district shouldn't require the students to completely disown their home dialect and to simply fully explain to them why they should want to learn standard English. The teachers shouldn't look over the students mistakes and at the same time they shouldn't be afraid to fail the students if their grades permit it.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
IAR 2
I chose to do my IAR on Taking Black Technology Use Seriously: African American Discursive Traditions in the Digital Underground writteen by Adam Banks because i feel it was the easiest to understand and to realate to. It talks about things on Blackplanet.com that I see alot on Facebook everyday.
What is invention? (What activities did the writer have to engage in to create the text?)
What is invention? (What activities did the writer have to engage in to create the text?)
- Research African American Vernacular English(AAVE)
- Research how it is used in digital spaces
- Quote other linguist (Smitherman, Rickfords)
- Research on "The Underground of AA culture"
- Discuss a website that appropriate AAVE(i.e. blackplanet.com)
What is being invented? (What ideas, practices, arguments, etc. are created by the text?)
- Blackplant.com and other sites like it serve as "underground" networks
- The internet allows people (mainly those that use AAVE)to freely express who they are with out much worry of what people will think because there are millions of others doing the same.
- The internet was supposed to eliminate race and culture separation but that never really happened thus the "digital devide"
What is being arranged? (What is being put in relation to what?)
- The internets purpose --> AA
- AA --> The "underground"
- The "underground" --> AAVE use
- AAVE use --> digital divide
- Digital divide --> AA suspected use of the internet
- AA suspected use of the internet --> Purpose of BP(blackplanet.com)
- BP --> Breakdown of BP (discursive feat.)
- Breakdown of BP (discursive feat.) --> Rhetorical feat.
What is arrangement? (How are things being put in relation to one another?)
- General -->Specific (internet --> BP)
- Examples --> explanation
What is being revised? (What is the writer trying to change (e.g. what ideas, practices, etc.))?
- Eliminate the digital divide
- Eliminate the stereotype (assume all users are white)
- Accept the use as AAVE just the same as SE
What is revision? (What strategies are engaged specifically to help the writer achieve the revisions?)
- Quote other linguist
- Examples of real life situations (library's blocks)
- Thoroughly discuss an AAVE appropriated website (BP)
- Solutions to make the Digital Divide less intense
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