Reflection
There is no doubt that there is a major
problem with teachers stereotyping students who speak Appalachian English.
Teachers need to understand that just because students speak the Appalachian
language does not mean they are not intelligent or below poverty. It is
extremely important that students do not feel as if they are being judged by
their teachers because of the way they speak. If they do, then they will not
participate in class discussion because they feel that they do not speak
"proper English." Students should not have this Cultural Deficit
Perspective, they should believe that they are building on the language in
which they already know. As
Purcell-Gates states in "As soon as she opened her mouth:"
"If
the child's family is poor, his parents undereducated, his dialect nonstandard,
then we are much more likely to interpret experiential difference as a deficit
in the child, in the parents, in the home, in the sociocultural community
within which this child has grown up. And when we do this, we play God,
conferring or denying educational opportunity in individual, socioculturally
different, children. And we do not have the right to do this"
(Purcell-Gates, 2002).
Teachers contribute to poor literacy
instruction by having a "cultural deficit perspective" or a
"cultural difference perspective." What they need to do is to take
the prior knowledge of students and embrace
it. Once a teacher knows what literary skills the student possesses they can
move forward and build on it. Students are getting judged because of who they
are and where they come from. If they are from a poor part of town and do not
speak "proper English" then they may be deemed culturally deficit or
different. Students also get judged because of how their parents speak or where
they are from. Teachers need to embrace the variety of backgrounds they have on
their classroom and build on each of their prior knowledge. As stated in
"Dialect Awareness Education: The importance of Watching Our Words:"
“[a]s the teacher seeks to eradicate
vernacular language and culture, not only does she remove a link that could
bring relevance to the classroom lives of the children, but she assails the
child’s family and home community, thus contributing to a barrier between the values
of home and school” (Rowland & Marrow, 2012).
One of the best ways for teachers to
overcome cultural deficit perspectives is to reach out to the community.
Teachers are able to receive help from members of the community and maybe even
learn more about their students' backgrounds. This way teachers can see
firsthand what kind of environment their students are a part of. Another way to
overcome the deficit is to not judge a child by their background. Just because
the child's parents do not speak "proper English" does not mean the
child cannot or is not capable of learning. Lastly, teachers need to bring what
is going on in the child's life into the classroom. Teachers may be surprised
to find out how much their students know about careers and events that are
happening in the community.
"An
important aspect of the teachers' participation in the household research
became the more sophisticated understanding they developed about the children
and their experiences. There is much teachers do not know about their students
or families that could be immediately helpful in the classroom," (Moll,
1992).
One strategy that can help improve
literacy instruction for speakers of non-standard English students is for a
peer or teacher to write down a story that the student is telling. Once they
are finished, the student who told the story will be able to read what he/she
has just said. Another way of doing this would be for the student to tell a
story about where he/she is from and their family. This way the student is able
to bring the "funds of knowledge" into the classroom and still learn
about writing. Another strategy could be for students to go home and write
words or phrases of activities they do after school. The next day the students
can present their list to the class and the students are able to see the
variety of "cultural capital" in their classroom. If teachers are
able to show their students that writing is all around them no matter where
they are from it will help students with their writing. The "NCTE Beliefs
about the Teaching of Writing" states that:
"As
much as possible, instruction should be geared toward making sense in a life
outside of school, so that writing has ample room to grow in individuals’
lives" (NCTE, 2008).
The "Where I am From" project
supports culturally responsive teaching by using a variety of instructional
strategies that are connected to different learning styles. This project does
not have students following a strict set of directions. Students are free to
create their project how they feel they can best complete the assignment using
the most comfortable method for themselves. This project also encourages
students to share their varied perspectives and experiences, creating a
supportive environment where this can occur. When students share their videos
with the rest of the class they are showing the class their experiences, by
showing this students are able to understand each other better and become
supportive. Also, by watching this video as a class it encourages students to
know and listen to each other.
I believe that it is important to
implement culturally responsive teaching into the classroom. I will do this by
getting to know my students and viewing their cultural differences as cultural
capital. It is important for the students to feel as if they are a part of a
community in the classroom and not be afraid. I will not discourage or put down
students for their prior literary experiences, only embrace it and build upon
it.
Works Cited:
Purcell-Gates, v.
(2002). "...As soon as she opened her mouth!" In L. Delpit & J.K
Dowdy (Eds.), The skin that we
speak: An anthology of essays on language, culture and power.
Rowland, J. &
Marrow, D. (2010). "Dialect Awareness Education: The Importance of
Watching Our Words." USC
Undergraduate Research Journal vol 3.
Gonzales, N.,
Greenberg, J. & Velez, C.. Thanks "Funds of Knowledge: A Look at Luis
Moll's Research Into Hidden Family
Resources." CITYSCHOOLS, 1 (1), 19-21, 1994.
