Chapter 3 went into detail on what AAE is. Chapter 4 goes on to discuss different strategies on how teachers can show AAE speakers how to write in Standard English to become effective writers. There are many different aproaches listed and explained in the chapter to teach a student that speaks AAE how to write in SWE.
The Traditional Approach: This focuses on the finite grammatical rules and stressing the correct usage. The philosophy behind this approach focuses on immersing the student in SWE to avoid confusing the use of AAE. To explain how to instruct a student using AAE in the classroom, the author says while in the classroom, correct the student while reading outloud of writing immediatly. The student then must reread or write the sentence in correct SWE. Teachers of this approach usally are in favor of standardized testing as well.
The Second Dialect Approach or ESD: This approach treats the student more as a ESL student. The ESD stands for English as a Second Dialect. The philosophy behind ESD is more in depth than the traditional approach. The article explains the usage of code-switch, metalinguistic awareness, and contrastive rhetoric. It details these because this approach believes for success the student will need to listen, then speak, then read, and then finally be able to write. Assesment for this approach does agree with standardized testing, but also relies on writing and oral exams more.
The Dialect Awareness Approach: This approach has certain characteristics of ESD, but focuses more on acknowleging AAE as its own language variation. This philosophy is geared towards stopping prejudice in society. Instruction while using this approach is to help students become aware of other dialects and to stop different myths. Language attitudes are stressed in the article as well.
The Culturally Appropriate Approach: This focuses on making a curriculum and enviroment that stresses African American culture by using CAT (culturally appropriate teaching). Assesment through this approach is different and focuses on BSE or Black Standard English. Peers are used to help one another notice their mistakes. When the final draft of a paper is handed in the teacher accepts the word usage of certain parts of AAE as his or hers own word choice.
The Bridge Approach: This last approach oringinated in bilungual education. Traditional and non traditional writing is discussed and instructors do not like to rely on multiple choice exams. Through this approach the instructor recongizes certain works that use AAE (ie. The Color Purple) and shows the students the differences in certain works and afrocentric word usage.
This chapter helped explain the five different approaches a teacher can use in order to help student who speak AAE become effective writers. Most of the approaches have the student recognize their cultural and how to use certain words appropriatly. I think using a combination of some of these different approaches would be most benificial. Every teacher is going to come across diversity. Learning different approaches to help form a bias free and culturally acknowleging enviroment would help the students learn and grow into effective writers.
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11 comments:
I think that AAE is similar to ESL. These people have been taught to speak almost a different language. A teacher cannot bring these students into class and expect them change their way of speaking, the same with their writing. I feel that as a teacher it is our responsibility to help AAE students. I think that I would use "The Second Dialect Approach." And much like an ESL I would work with them out of class.
After reading this blog, AAE seems to be almost very similar to ESL. As a teacher I would also take time out of the regular class hour to work with AAE students. They have been taught to speak almost a completely different language. Being brought into class, it would be difficult for these students to change their way of speaking and writing, the would need extra help. I believe it would be best to use "the second Dialect Approach." It seemed to be the most reasonable.
I agree about the AAE being similar to ESL. I think everyone in the world has a different variation of speaking and we all learn the correct way as we attend school. As a future educator I hope to teach others who wish to leran and live here to feel comfortable with their speaking. I would try my best tto work with the student at any time and try to have them practice alot with me in order to sort of "memorize" the way things are correctly said.
In my opinion, SWE should be what is taught in class unless in a unique situation, such as teaching in a predominately AAE speaking class. If a minority of students are speaking in AAE or BSE, then the teacher and student(s) should collaborate outside of class. The students are in need of help, so naturally they should recieve help. However, it may be counterproductive to be teaching in a numerous amount of English styles at once.
Since there are five different approaches to helping a student who uses AAE become effective writers, I think helping will become easier.
I think most approaches try to keep the culture of the student in the teaching process. Mixing the methods would keep learning fun and put the students at ease.
Daniel Sokolowski
I believe that AAE and ESL are similar, because they both alternate ways that we learned English. I think that the earlier a child is taught the correct way to speak English and speak it, the more likely they will remember how to speak and write English. With the growing number of students in classrooms it makes it hard for the teacher to spend a lot of alone time with a student, but if he or she notices a problem with a couple students he or she should plan extra time for these students. That is if English is not being spoke at home it will make it more difficult for the child to pick it up just at school, and I feel that the help of the parents trying to speak English in the home will help better their child's English.
I feel that The Culturally Appropriate Approach is the best way to deal with teaching AAE students. It accepts their language. The students have the choice to use words from their language that they feel get their point across better. Also, I really like the fact that the students work together to help each write more formally. However, The Second Dialect Approach would be more beneficial to these students in the long run. When they get to college a teacher will not let them use AAE in a paper at all. These students must be familiar with complete formal writing because the majority does not accept AAE as formal writing.
Well as far as which lesson plan i agree with, all of them havbe their strengths and weeknesses. The traditional approach will help a student correct thweir mistakes but it doesnt give encouragement if the student is correected in front of the whole class that is kind of embarassing. The culturally appropriate approach is good as well because it is harder for student to be able to understand lessons in a text book if things they read arent familiar to them because they have different names for things in their culture. On the other hand student should be taught everything because the world is not culturally appropriate.
I think that using AAE to teach standard English is very interesting. I can see how this approach could be very effective, especially in classrooms where the majority of the students speak in Ebonics. By embracing the way they already speak, you are sending the message that you respect their home lives and culture. By recognizing this as it's own language, you can show how standard English is equally important for academia. By teaching students the right times to use each language, you are giving them the skills to communicate effectively in academia and the professional world, but also being respectful of what they have learned at home.
I really found this reading and the blogs written by the students in this class interesting. I appreciate the term AAE as opposed to Ebonics. I do not think we should treat anyone who speaks something other than what we speak different. Who are we to say SWE is the correct way of writing when others learned another way (their way). I do not believe we should try to change people. I did find one approach that I would us, "The Dialect Awareness Approach." With this approach we would not make the student feel condemned about the way they learned, but embrace them and also teach them "SWE."
I feel the dialect awareness approach is the best way to go. Recognizing that AAE is a language or at least another dialect of English and therefore related to SWE is the first step in helping AAE speakers become good SWE writers. If a student from England or another English speaking country were to come to the U.S. and use slightly different rules for spelling or any variations from what is considered "the norm" I would be willing to bet that no one would make a big deal about it because it would be viewed as another dialect. This same approach would be effective with AAE.
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