Language Instruction Blog#4

 

It starts with understanding our biases once again. To create a classroom that integrate instructional knowledge that can facilitate students reading comprehension and to have a way that enhances their composing processes we start with the biases. In this case not just our personal biases but cultural biases and institutional biases. Ebarvia says “implicit biases have a very real and devastating impact on our students”(p. 27). Essentially speaking, we never stop and ask who we are helping, and how we are helping them. In an article published by Milo called Building equity: A guide to Anti-Bias Education in the classroom biases can be potential barrier that can be harmful to our students learning experience of all backgrounds. As educators we can start with our own understanding of cultural bias which is the interpretation of diverse backgrounds. It can affect our perception of  students based on their cultural backgrounds. Institutional bias is the system and structure that are within the educational institution. This can lead to disparities in resources and opportunities for different group of students. Thus, anchoring and In-group bias can come into play in the classroom.

One helpful way is to ask students what their language background is. It’s important to know if your students speak a different language at home and what kind of dialect they speak at home as well, and the same can be applied to school. What language did you learn to speak in school and what dialect did you learn in school? Amy Benjamin says in her book Engaging Grammar we need to turn our students into linguistic anthropologists. She says that “excellent writers need to be close observers of language styles”(p. 19). Linguistic anthropologists observe the language and describe the sounds and syntax of a community of people who speak in a comparable way. Everyone speaks a language and at least one dialect. Dialect is part of their language. Teaching students the importance of language diversity can help them grow as readers and writers. By incorporating poems and stories in the classroom that show native language and their dialects and compare them with formal English. In the English classroom teachers and educators mostly teach academic writing.

Academic writing is a formal, objective, and technical style of writing used in essays or research papers. Non-academic writing, which is more personal, have informal tones, and is used for entertainment. The only time this is really seen in the classroom is when the narrative unit is taught, and students are typically allowed to draft their own story in their own way. The first step in creating a great classroom that has diversity is to show case stories from other languages. They don’t expect you to have a story in the original language, so translations are a teachers go to source. Yes, technically with translations meaning of words, grammar structures, and even how the sentences are formatted can be lost. That doesn’t mean that those stories are a hindrance in the classroom. By introducing these stories, poems, and artwork to students in the classroom it not only validates those who speak another language but also enhances the other students composing process.

It wasn’t until I entered college that I got these kinds of literacy diversity. I was introduced to different stories from other countries. Introduced to distinct types of dialect. It needs to be sooner rather than later. The most significant part of developing students reading comprehension is to expose them to all the diverse types of stories out there. It makes them question the world around them and think critically about the information they encounter. When questions are asked in the classroom then the real reaching can begin. Without questions there can be no comprehension. “Students need opportunities to consider how language works in texts to create tone, rhythm, and meaning and how it should be used with intention” (Shanahan). Most words and accents can be less accepted by the mainstream media, meaning that unless it seems intelligent enough when talking or reading it will not be taught. That’s why majority of texts are white males. In some areas the way a person speaks has been tied to their intellect. When it comes to them learning knowledge of language such as grammar structures, students need authentic writing assignments that give them the opportunity to play around with words.

The aim of teaching antibias instruction with the aim of knowledge of language, so they can enhance their reading comprehensions, and their composing processes students need more than just the teacher as an audience member. They need a more authentic type of audience. Our students can get that authenticity by studying dialects, writing with a real audience in mind not just the teacher or their peers, and lastly seeking out mentor texts from all over the world. These steps can create a deep transferable academic experience for our students.

References

Ebarvia, T., Cherry-Paul, S., Johnson, A., Osborn, A., Parker, K. N., & Silvas, T. (2024). Get free: Anti-bias literacy instruction for stronger readers, writers, and thinkers. Corwin, a SAGE Company.

Leask, M. (2020, January 1). Building equity: A guide to anti-bias education in the classroom. Notion For Teachers: Free Templates & Resources. https://www.notion4teachers.com/blog/building-equity-anti-bias-education-classroom

Mid Michigan College. (n.d.). Academic vs non-academic articles. Mid Michigan College. https://www.midmich.edu/services/lls/library/articles/academic-vs-non-academic-articles#:~:text=Non%2Dacademic%20articles%20are%20written,not%20have%20any%20credentials%20listed.

Savini, C. (2021). How professors can and should combat linguistic prejudice in their classes (opinion). Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs. https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2021/01/27/how-professors-can-and-should-combat-linguistic-prejudice-their-classes-opinion

Scribbr. (n.d.). What is academic writing?: DOS and don’ts for students. Scribbr. https://www.scribbr.com/category/academic-writing/#:~:text=Academic%20writing%20is%20a%20formal,of%20content%2C%20structure%20and%20style.

Shanahan, E. (2021). Ya author: From finding error to finding wonder: A shift in grammar instruction. Voices from the Middle, 28(3), 14–19. https://doi.org/10.58680/vm202131174