21.1978, Confs: English, Socioling, Applied Ling/USA

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LINGUIST List: Vol-21-1978. Mon Apr 26 2010. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 21.1978, Confs: English, Socioling, Applied Ling/USA

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1)
Date: 26-Apr-2010
From: Anne Charity Hudley < acharityhudley at wm.edu >
Subject: Language Variation in the Classroom: An Educator?s Tool
 

	
-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:40:05
From: Anne Charity Hudley [acharityhudley at wm.edu]
Subject: Language Variation in the Classroom: An Educator?s Tool

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Language Variation in the Classroom: An Educator?s Tool 

Date: 19-Jul-2010 - 23-Jul-2010 
Location: Richmond, Virginia, USA 
Contact: Anne Charity Hudley 
Contact Email: acharityhudley at wm.edu 
Meeting URL:
http://www.community.vcu.edu/programs/sws/classes/educationlanguage/index.html 

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics; Sociolinguistics 

Subject Language(s): English (eng)

Meeting Description: 

In this course/workshop, we will examine some of the major differences in the
speech and writing of students who are who are speakers of Southern English
and/or African-American English and students who are new learners of English. We
will share assessment tools needed to recognize language variation and
distinguish language diversity from student error in listening, reading, and
writing in students of all ages. We will also explore other aspects of
communication, such as word choice, slang, tone, silence, and loudness, and how
variation in their use can affect learners in the classroom. We will demonstrate
methods and activities that educators can use to address language variations in
their students' speech and writing. We will practice strategies designed to help
non-standardized English-speaking students approach reading and standardized
test taking.

Participants will develop a set of materials based on their new knowledge of
language variation, including lesson plans and project plans, that they can
incorporate into their own classroom materials. The creation of educator
journals, lesson plans, project plans, and presentations will help educators
develop their sociolinguistic knowledge and will serve as take-home materials
that educators can bring back to their classrooms and schools. 

Schedule and Topics:

July 19 	
Communication in U.S. Classrooms: New Diversity, New Challenges

Educating a growing and increasingly diverse population is a challenging task.
With the cultural heterogeneity of America's youth population comes linguistic
heterogeneity as well. We review the changing diversity in American schools, and
we discuss why some populations of students have persistent difficulty achieving
in schools for reasons that are related to both culture and language. We relate
the needs of students to the fact that educators must receive specialized
linguistic training that will best help them meet the needs of students in their
diverse classrooms.

Topics:		
Multicultural Education
Language, Race, Ethnicity, and Region 
Language and Behavior

Readings: 	
Charity Hudley and Mallinson manuscript, Chapter 1.
Lippi-Green, Preface and Chapter 1

July 20	
School English: Language Standards and Where They Come From

We will orient educators to the question of what it means, in a multicultural
educational environment, to have a grasp of the English language, in all its
forms and functions. A type of ''School English'' is widely recognized as being
the language of education in the United States--it is the language of grammar
books and the target language of schools--and there have been many debates about
whether dialects are appropriate for students to use in mainstream classrooms.
We will look at why School English is valued over other varieties of English,
and we look at some of the specific features that compromise School English. We
also address the tension that educators may feel when they think about how they
can work to uphold language standards and promote academic success for the
children in their classrooms, while still appreciating the varieties of English
that some of their students speak.

Topics:		
Standardized English
School English
Academic English
Literacy Standards
Attitudes toward Standardized English

Readings: 	
Charity Hudley and Mallinson manuscript, Chapter 2

July 21 	
Language, Communication, Dialects, and Registers

We introduce the core concepts of language, communication, dialect, and register
in this class. We explain each term, from a lay perspective and from a
linguistic perspective.  We cover the fact that language and communication occur
in a social context, and we present evidence showing that all languages are
variable and change over time.  We use these principles to go over language
(dialect) variations that are commonplace in the U.S., and we highlight what
that means for educators who may encounter language variation in the speech and
writing of students in their classroom.

Topics:		
Language Variation
Language, Dialect, and Register
Attitudes toward Non-Standardized Varieties
Judgments of Non-Standardized Varieties

Readings: 	
Scan SOLs for Possible Language Challenges
Do You Speak American Educator's Curriculum?
http://www.pbs.org/speak/education/

Film:  		
Excerpt from Do You Speak American?

July 22		
Variation in the Classroom:  Students' English vs. School English

We focus on helping educators recognize variations in students' speech and
writing. What a dialect consists of is often an abstract idea for educators. As
a result, we explain where language variation comes from and how educators can
recognize it. We explain which language variations ''count'' as dialect features
so that educators will have the assessment tools they need to be able to
distinguish non-standardized variations from what are otherwise student errors
in listening, reading, and writing. We focus in particular on African-American
English and Southern American English as two dialects that differ, in many
sound, grammatical, and vocabulary patterns, from the School English that
students are expected to know and use in school.

Topics:	
Languages and Dialects
Southern American English
Appalachian English
African American English

Readings: 	
Charity Hudley and Mallinson manuscript, Chapters 3 & 4

July 23 	
Putting Knowledge into Action:  Language and Your Curriculum

With information on language variation, in general and specific to classroom
settings, we apply this information to use in your own schools and communities.
We revisit the idea of linguistic tolerance and what it means, socially,
culturally, and educationally, for students who are from non-Standardized
English-speaking backgrounds and for the educators who teach them. We expand on
the idea that English does not have to be taught only from a prescriptive
orientation by discussing the idea that educators can help students use dialect
variation to their advantage, a tactic that some researchers call
'code-switching', which may develop metalinguistic awareness and enrich reading,
writing, and speaking lessons in the classroom. Through the sharing of
participant presentations, we will discuss ways to share this information with
your colleagues.

Guest Speaker: Renee Charity Price, Chair of the History Department, St.
Catherine's School

Topics:		
Identifying language variation in the classroom
Strategies to foster proficiency in standard and vernacular varieties
Application and Extension

Readings: 	
Charity Hudley and Mallinson manuscript, Chapters 5
		
General Class/Workshop Schedule:

July 19-22 Schedule:

8:30		
Pre-class/workshop questions/office hours

9:00-11:00	
Reading-based discussion and presentation of new material

11:00-11:15 	
Break

11:15-12:00	
Group reflection and small group discussion

12-1:30 	
Lunch break

1:30-3:30	
Presentation of new material and multimedia work (recordings and films)

3:30-3:45	
Break

3:45-4:15	
Reflection and planning for the next day

4:15-5:00	
Small group discussion and project work

5:00-5:30	
Post-class/workshop questions/office hours

July 23 schedule:

8:30		
Pre-class/workshop questions/office hours

9:00-11:00	
Reading-based discussion and guest speaker

11:00-11:15 	
Break

11:15-12:00	
Group reflection and small group discussion

12-1:30 	
Lunch break

1:30-3:30	
Class/workshop presentations

3:30-3:45	
Break

3:45-4:45	
Class/workshop Presentations

4:45-5:00	
Course summary and further directions

5:00-6:30	
Post-presentation celebrations and refreshments

Class/workshop dinner date and time to be arranged by group consensus





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LINGUIST List: Vol-21-1978