Annotated Bibliography
Billings, Andrew. “Beyond the Ebonics Debate: Attitudes about Black and Standard American English.” Journal of Black Studies 36.1 (Sep., 2005): 68-81.
The author describes a specific study that demonstrates the differences between how people judge whites and blacks who speak Standard American English (SAE) and Black English (BE). I think this can be helpful for my paper when discussing African American Vernacular English (AAVE).
Godley, Amanda, Julie Sweetland, Rebecca S. Wheeler, Angela Minnici, and Brian D. “Carpenter Preparing Teachers for Dialectally Diverse Classrooms.” Educational Researcher 35.8 (Nov., 2006): 30-37.
This article is about preparing teachers in classrooms that are dialectally diverse. It explores the idea that teacher educators should make it a priority to prepare teachers to develop appropriate responses and methods to teach in diverse atmospheres. The article proposes that teacher educators should look at this difficult issue and expand on it, and that teachers need to recognize that there is diversity in every community and that it can be used as a resource. This source seems like it can be helpful in my paper.
Mantle-Bromley, Corinne, and Ann M. Foster. “Educating for Democracy: The Vital Role of Language Arts Teacher.” The English Journal 94.5 (May, 2005): 70-74.
The author discusses how important literature teachers are when different cultures are incorporated into the classroom. Also the classroom will always be diverse. I’m not sure if this source will be really useful to me but I think I can pull a few facts from the discussion to use in my paper.
Whitney, Jessica. “Five Easy Pieces: Steps Toward Integrating AAVE into the Classroom.” The English Journal 94.5 (May, 2005): 64-69.
The author of this source discusses different reasons that African American Vernacular English (AAVE) should be used in the classroom to help students better learn Standard English. And in my paper I am going to discuss how AAVE is appropriated in classrooms over time. This is a very useful source for my paper.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
DW3b
I found an essay called “Five Easy Pieces: Steps Toward Integrating AAVE into the Classroom”. A white teacher, Jessica Whitney, who is trying to understand the African American Vernacular English (AAVE) controversy, wrote this essay. She believes that students should no longer be punished for the use of their home language in the classroom, yet she still has hard time determining AAVE’s place in the classroom.
Whitney describes five steps that can help teachers work with students who have linguistic differences in classrooms. The first step she discusses is called “Teacher, Educate Thyself”, which explains that teachers need to understand AAVE such as that AAVE is not slang or improper grammar or that ninety percent of African Americans speak using AAVE features at some point or another. Teachers who are uneducated on the topic are more likely to think that AAVE speakers are slower and less able than Standard English speaking students. Step two is called “Incorporating Multiculturalism into the Classroom”, which states is important in order for reforming schools to support equality and pluralism. Multiculturalism can provide students with a better view of Western cultures and allow voices that have been ignored be heard and appreciated. “Create a Learning Environment Rich in Oral Language” is the title of the third step. Students strong in oral language are also stronger in reading and writing. This step argues that when readings are read aloud it helps students put language in context and recognize the differences between Standard English and their home language. Whitney also provides many examples of activities that teachers can enact to provide oral language in classrooms. Step four is “Encourage and Demonstrate Code-Switching in the Classroom”. This step demonstrates that teachers should provide discussion with students about the appropriateness of different linguistic styles, which studies prove makes it less likely for students to use features of AAVE in their writing works. Teachers must also provide students with opportunities to use what they have learned. And finally step 5 which is called “Allow Students to Write like Writers”, which emphasizes that students need to be taught how to write to different audiences. When students know their audience is helps them come up with strategies for their writing. Whitney also explains that these five steps can help students feel comfortable in their classrooms, which can help them flourish. Students are allowed to express themselves openly without fear of being criticized.
This journal seems to argue that incorporating African American Vernacular English into the classroom is a very good way to help students progress. The journal clearly states that allowing home language into the classroom can benefit many students. When students are encouraged to engage in learning and then told how they express themselves is wrong without any explanation then students begin to care less about their work and put forth less effort. The author of this journal did some very good research and used her own personal experiences to provide information about AAVE in composition studies.
Whitney describes five steps that can help teachers work with students who have linguistic differences in classrooms. The first step she discusses is called “Teacher, Educate Thyself”, which explains that teachers need to understand AAVE such as that AAVE is not slang or improper grammar or that ninety percent of African Americans speak using AAVE features at some point or another. Teachers who are uneducated on the topic are more likely to think that AAVE speakers are slower and less able than Standard English speaking students. Step two is called “Incorporating Multiculturalism into the Classroom”, which states is important in order for reforming schools to support equality and pluralism. Multiculturalism can provide students with a better view of Western cultures and allow voices that have been ignored be heard and appreciated. “Create a Learning Environment Rich in Oral Language” is the title of the third step. Students strong in oral language are also stronger in reading and writing. This step argues that when readings are read aloud it helps students put language in context and recognize the differences between Standard English and their home language. Whitney also provides many examples of activities that teachers can enact to provide oral language in classrooms. Step four is “Encourage and Demonstrate Code-Switching in the Classroom”. This step demonstrates that teachers should provide discussion with students about the appropriateness of different linguistic styles, which studies prove makes it less likely for students to use features of AAVE in their writing works. Teachers must also provide students with opportunities to use what they have learned. And finally step 5 which is called “Allow Students to Write like Writers”, which emphasizes that students need to be taught how to write to different audiences. When students know their audience is helps them come up with strategies for their writing. Whitney also explains that these five steps can help students feel comfortable in their classrooms, which can help them flourish. Students are allowed to express themselves openly without fear of being criticized.
This journal seems to argue that incorporating African American Vernacular English into the classroom is a very good way to help students progress. The journal clearly states that allowing home language into the classroom can benefit many students. When students are encouraged to engage in learning and then told how they express themselves is wrong without any explanation then students begin to care less about their work and put forth less effort. The author of this journal did some very good research and used her own personal experiences to provide information about AAVE in composition studies.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
DW3a
I chose to write about the essay “Students’ Right to Possibility: Basic Writing and African American Rhetoric by Keith Gilyard and Elain Richardson. This essay talks about students having the right to their own language. They explain how people discourage African American Vernacular English in schools because school districts are trying to prepare minority students for success in the market place. But the authors believe that there are many people in the market place that have advertised hip-hop and used other black dialect and have become very successful. A study was performed to try to answer a few questions about AAVE.
The study recruited students through advertisements to participate in a class that studies the student’s ways of writing. The course was taught over several semesters using the same materials and research procedures. It involved writings of students from two different major universities. The study focused on discourse and rhetorical analyses of an out of class essay. The students were given writing instructions using African-centered materials and stimuli. The students were given two weeks to write their papers and they were also given in class and out of class time to work on them. The main focus of the study was for African American students to identify themselves as being situated within African American Vernacular discourse. This class taught students that the most important thing about writing is about making your argument clear and stating your position. Students said they learned a better understanding of the importance of their own language and culture. They also feel more comfortable when writing because they feel they have better control over when and how to use black discourse. Students were taught how to write depending on the audience they are trying to present to.
This essay is trying to say that it is important for students to use their own language. Students should be able to use their own language and use Standard English when necessary. The essay clearly states its argument in the first few paragraphs and states other sides of the argument, such as students should be using Standard English in order to become successful in our economy. Throughout the essay the writing doesn’t seem to keep focus on its standpoint. The authors explain the study and provide specific examples of students writing and student’s comments but they do not state what exactly they found from doing the study. I think that this study is a good way to research the topic and that it can be very beneficial to the field.
The study recruited students through advertisements to participate in a class that studies the student’s ways of writing. The course was taught over several semesters using the same materials and research procedures. It involved writings of students from two different major universities. The study focused on discourse and rhetorical analyses of an out of class essay. The students were given writing instructions using African-centered materials and stimuli. The students were given two weeks to write their papers and they were also given in class and out of class time to work on them. The main focus of the study was for African American students to identify themselves as being situated within African American Vernacular discourse. This class taught students that the most important thing about writing is about making your argument clear and stating your position. Students said they learned a better understanding of the importance of their own language and culture. They also feel more comfortable when writing because they feel they have better control over when and how to use black discourse. Students were taught how to write depending on the audience they are trying to present to.
This essay is trying to say that it is important for students to use their own language. Students should be able to use their own language and use Standard English when necessary. The essay clearly states its argument in the first few paragraphs and states other sides of the argument, such as students should be using Standard English in order to become successful in our economy. Throughout the essay the writing doesn’t seem to keep focus on its standpoint. The authors explain the study and provide specific examples of students writing and student’s comments but they do not state what exactly they found from doing the study. I think that this study is a good way to research the topic and that it can be very beneficial to the field.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
IAR analysis
Taking Black Technology Use Seriously: African American Discursive Traditions in the Digital Underground by Adam Banks
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 on AAVE
- Research of how AAVE is used online
- specific quotes from Smitherman and other scholars
- Example of a specific website that uses AAVE, blackplanet.com
What is being Invented? (What ideas, practices, arguments, etc. are created by the text?)
- examples of how African American use AAVE online
- the internet is place for people to be themselves and provides comfort for African Americans who lvie in mostly white environments
- how people express themselve differently online
What is being arranged? (What is being put in relation to what?)
- the internet in relation to AAVE
- AAVE in relation to "underground"
- "underground" in relation to digital divide
- digital divide in relation to the website blackplanet.com
- black planet in relation to rhetorical features
What is arrangement? (How are things being put in relation to one another?)
- general to specific
- specifc to problem
- problem to examples
- examples to explanation
What is being revised? (What is the writer trying to change (e.g. what ideas, practices, etc.)?)
- to prevent the digital divide.
- to prevent dicrimination and stereotypes online
- to accept AAVE as a primary language and allow African Americans to speak their own language without discrimination
What is revision? (What strategies are engaged specifically to help the writer achieve the revisions?)
- specific quotes from linguists and scholars
- specific examples such as the website blackplanet.com and "the underground"
- specific examples of AAVE being used online
- specific solutions to the probem
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