Cultural Conflict: Transforming the Dialectally Diverse Classroom
"Linguistic integration is preferable to segregation." -Gerald Graff
Is Code Switching Adequate? Is Code Meshing Adequate?
Educators have a great responsibility to meet the needs of diverse students who come into the classroom with unique funds of knowledge that have developed in their home communities. It is important that we address and help to elevate these funds of knowledge to ensure academic success and potential for development. We must ask ourselves, however, does codeswitching help to elevate the cultural diversity of students? Or does implementing codeswitching suppress the unique needs and attributes of different cultures?
Before we can understand codeswitching and its effects on students, we need to better understand what occurs when educators in urban areas correct the language of culturally diverse students. When educators "correct" student's "informal" language, they are stripping students of their identities and values they hold to be of great importance. Whether or not one believes codeswitching is good or bad, we can both agree that the current climate of language-correction in classrooms are damaging. Rebecca S. Wheeler and Rachel Swords state:
"When an urban teacher tells minority-language students that their language is wrong and error-filled, she creates a seriously deleterious effect in the classroom...not only does she remove the link that could bring relevance to the classroom lives of children, but she assails the child's family and home community, thus contributing to a barrier between the values of home and school" (Swords & Wheeler, 2004, p. 471).
These judgments we assume about "nonstandard" English help to eradicate the child's home language, and therefore their valuable cultural experiences. Educators view Standard English as "good", while they view "nonstandard" English as "bad" (Swords & Wheeler, 2004, p. 471). This can be explained by the influence of sociopolitical influences that help to drive the dominant culture's assumed superiority in all aspects of American society. In this case, education.
It is important to note, however, that codeswitching may not seem as great as it is thought to be. Codeswitching helps to ignore race by allowing the dominant culture to suppress African American cultural practices and ideals. Vershawn Ashanti Young disclaims Rebecca S. Wheeler and Rachel Swords idea that codeswitching "isn't about race" by stating, "Code switching is nothing if it ain't about race! How can you draw on the experiences of African Americans, then render them invisible, extract their historical and contemporary racial experience from the discussion?" (Young, 2009, p. 51). This topic for discussion is very much about race, and it provides great food for thought that those who concocted this concept of code switching do not believe so...
During the time that African Americans were so greatly experiencing the effects of Jim Crow laws, Du Bois coined the term "double consciousness" to help explain the psychological damage of African Americans being deemed as "separate" and "inferior" (Young, 2009, p. 52). We have to understand the damage such approaches, like code switching, have on our diverse students. By definition, these ideals supporting code switching are racist. Young defines racism as "the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and abilities and that the different behaviors and capacities among different groups of people (e.g., blacks and white)" (Young, 2009, p. 51). Therefore, by enacting a system such as code switching into our classrooms that value one group's behaviors as "superior" (or formal), while perceiving another group's behavior as "inferior" (or informal) is racist.
Vershawn Ashanti Young proposes code meshing as the better alternative. While valuing students' identities, code meshing merges languages that help to define and culturally-construct who students are. On Students' Rights to Their Own Language states that this resolution "affirms the students' right to their own lanugage- to the dialect that expressed their family and community identity, the idiolect that expresses their unique personal identity" (Young, 2009, p. 60).
Ultimately, the United States educational system is in dire need for reform on public policy on language integration. This need dates back to the 1970s, in which this problem persists today. We must ask ourselves, why might such a policy not come about yet? What does this say about support for the dominant culture? Why might this be problematic?
Let's Talk About It...
How Language Shapes the Way We Think by Lera Boroditsky
- Do you feel that language is important?
- Is code switching effective? Why or why not?
- Is code meshing effective? Why or why not?
- What might be problematic about code switching?
- Young explains how the dominant ideology behind code switching contends that "minoritized dialect speakers must learn the accepted standard because it's necessary for them to communicate in the public and at work" (Young, p. 68). Do you feel this is a valid argument, considering that Whites, supposedly the majority of non-dialect speakers, don't even communicate in the accepted, Standard English?
I think there is a lot of great points that are being made in this blog post and its great. I like that you didn't pick a side, you just stated the facts that were listed in the readings. "Young's, Nah We Straight" article does definitely say pretty flat out that code meshing is better than code switching, but I think that the author has a point. Like you stated in your post, it is almost condescending to code switch, implying that there are certain situations where people of color need to be more "literate". Page 62 states that to require people to parse out the parts of their lives and code them to conform to the "proper ways" is problematic (Young, 2009,pg 62).
ReplyDeleteI wanted to share a quick story with you about how I talked to my mom and stepdad about this situation one time (who are both white). My mom is a boss, and she stated she wouldn't hire someone who spoke Ebonics. She was basically talking about the code switching article, that she thinks there is a time and place for it. But I found it really demeaning that someone could have all of the right credentials, but yet she wouldn't hire them because of the way they spoke. It's very frustrating that to speak Ebonics is deemed as illiterate and unqualified which is also talked about on page 66 of "Nah We Straight". The two don't correlate to me.
Miss Best,
DeleteThank you for sharring the story about your mother. I think it is sad that someone could be PERFECT for the job but looked over because the way they speak. The person must condemn & conform in order to be accepted into society. It is really disheartening to see the discrimination that comes with the way you speak.
The guest speaker we had last semester talked about his Hilbonics & how he writes his papers in "proper" English. However, he still speaks the way he has always spoken. For him personally I think code switching was successful but as you stated in "Nah We Straight" , Young(2009) expressed how code meshing is better than code switching. So my question is, it is up to the individual? Should we present both & let the children decide what they think is more reasonable for themselves?
I agree that they don't correlate at all. It's sad that your mom doesn't see what's wrong there
DeleteMiss Best,
DeleteI appreciate your personal anecdote you provided. Your story definitely provides insight into the realities of this situation even outside of the classroom. It is important that we realize how our ideals and expectations are socially and politically influenced. I agree that it is demeaning that one might be turned down from a potential job offer (or whatever it may be) primarily on the assumption that their speech is "illiterate" or "informal".
Miss McGlan,
DeleteI also reflected on the guest speaker that came and spoke for our diversity class last fall. I think the question you posed is interesting. I feel conflicted on it, however. I feel like if we allow students to choose, than it is showing we respect their decisions, values, and cultural practices. On the other hand, however, I feel that if we allow students to choose, they may feel pressured to pick the option that closely aligns with the school/political climate and internalized assumptions they have due to the stigma and misunderstanding of cultural practices, such as language. I just keep contradicting myself, so I would be interested to hear other points of views.
Miss Eaten,
DeleteYou brought up a great point - students have so many internalized assumptions they truly might base their decision off of dominant society if we let them have a choice. I look forward to hearing others thoughts when we discuss this in class.
- I also would like to comment on your Ted Talk you posted.
Imagine the Kuuk Thaayorre people coming into the classroom and being stripped of their language and everything that belongs to their culture. It is like we are making people in America into robots that all speak the same.
I am a little conflicted. If we let students speak a certain way in our classroom will it benefit them if they move on to the next grade and have completely different classroom requirements? What if their next instructor demands students to speak proper? Wouldn't this need to be a linear change throughout the district?
Olivia, I honestly did not think of it from that viewpoint of moving on to a new grade level. Thank you for bringing that point of view in. Honestly, that is a hard question to answer and we may find ourselves in a situation like that. I think we should do everything in our power to make our students feel comfortable in our classroom. If our students move on to a classroom that they are demanded to speak proper, we should be a safe person our past students can come and talk to about how they are feeling regarding this situation. I think educating the classroom teacher about how their demands can be detrimental to their students. Telling a teacher how to run their classroom can be a nerve-racking thing but remember, we aren't here to make friends, were here to do what's best for our students.
DeleteOlivia,
DeleteWow! Amazing post! When I read this articleI was appalled by the idea that a teacher would correct a student based on the way that they talk. Then she realized when she did it they weren't speaking up in class, but she then still corrected them by instead of asking them to say it right, she would say it how it was supposed to be said. By putting down how you student talks, you are putting down their culture. Like you said when you ignore the race that your students have you are suppressing them to be something that they are not. How they speak is apart of their culture and they shouldn't have to change that because a teacher said he isn't speaking proper. They way that they speak is a work of art, it's their soul and culture shinning through them to show the world. An we as teachers need to embrace that. Thanks Olivia, great job!!!
Nice post; I agree that code meshing would be a much better alternative to codeswitching that we can all pursue in the field. Students should feel encouraged and empowered; not condescended or made to feel their AAE grammar is inferior.
ReplyDelete"...the real irony of Cook's belief that black people should "adopt the behavior of duality" is that the very anti-racist, liberal-minded individuals who claim to oppose racial discrimination are the same ones who unconsciously perpetuate it. Instead of attacking racism, they attempt to teach black folks how to cope with it"(Young, page 56). This passage resonated with me because it sums up the societal attitude towards young people who speak in AAVE.
In an ideal world, I think it would be nice if we were able to let students choose whether they wanted to speak/write/read books in AAVE or SAE. However, until the system changes, I think code meshing will be a good way to go about navigating this issue. It's important that we let students know their experiences and thoughts are valuable and welcomed in academic spaces.
Miss Blad,
DeleteAlong with my response above to Miss McGlan, I think that allowing students to choose would show respect for students' cultural practices. However, at the same time, I feel that students may feel pressured (socially and politically) to choose the option that closely aligns with that of the dominant culture. I absolutely agree that is is crucial we let students know their experiences and thoughts are valued. I believe that code meshing would allow an educator to create that learning space to do so.
Christa, I agree that you said students should feel encouraged and empowered, instead of making them feel like they're lesser. It's so important to be careful about how teacher's words and actions can have a huge impact on students. Instead of telling students that they're wrong or they shouldn't talk in a certain way isn't fair for students because that's who they are and it is important to accept that as educators.
DeleteI agree, students need a space to show who they are through their speech. If a student is expected to speak one language that is not their own, then what does that mean for their native tongue? I think it is important for students to speak the language taught in school but I do not agree that students should be forced to stop speaking their native tongue. Everyone should be showed respect and treated with value. Language is important and just because one may not understand the dialect, does not mean it is incorrect. We could learn plenty from others and should push to allow different dialects in school to show students their speech and cultures are valued.
DeleteI really like your blog post because you make a lot of valid points and at the same time, you stay neutral, not picking a side whether code switching is wrong or right. Before I was enrolled into blocks, I actually thought teachers should correct students when they talk in nonstandard English but in a good way rather than saying "Why do I what?" like Mrs. Swords on page 470. Like you stated, whether one believes code switching is bad or good, one thing is clear: it has a negative influence on our students. Therefore, I believe it is not effective. I believe telling students that they should speak differently (in Standard English) isn't fair for them because its apart of who they are and it's wrong for teachers to tell students to change it. it's almost like "you're not good enough so you should change it". That would be how I take it. One thing I'm curious about is what should teachers do when their students write in a non-standard English when writing on paper? It is "okay' to tell them nicely that they shouldn't do it? What should educators do when that happens?
ReplyDeleteMiss Zi,
DeleteI appreciate your input, especially given that English is your second language. It is interesting that your understanding of correcting student's English has shifted over time, especially throughout blocks. I also find "correcting" students to be problematic because correcting students "errors" absolutely sends a message of "you're not good enough so let's change it". That idea works to perpetuate the dominant narrative, and in this case, language. To answer your question, I think writing follows the same understanding as spoken language. When we correct students or assert that their is an "informal" and "formal" way to write, it perpetuates this binary of good and bad. There are negative consequences when doing so with written language, just as there is with spoken language discussed in this week's readings.
When I was reading these articles this week and reading this post, I was brought back to my childhood. Growing up, "proper grammar" was always deemed important in my household. We had to speak using correct grammar and we would get corrected if we did otherwise. Along with what Mang said above, I too, thought that teachers should teach proper grammar. Now that I am becoming more educated, I am realizing that is not important. Going with the question above, "Do you feel that language is important?", I completely agree language is important. Language is how we communicate with the world. What doesn't matter is how you use language. What I mean by this is it doesn't matter if you use your mouth or hands to communicate , if you can be understood by the people around you and/or you can understand what you are saying, then your form of language is valid. This is where code switching can come in handy for your classroom and be a way you communicate within the classroom.
Delete******Correction: I meant Code meshing not code switching!!*******
DeleteMang and Hannah,
DeleteOne thing that I still think back one is the times my teachers told me that I did something wrong or how others did it as well. Like why they get to decide what was right or wrong. If we got the meaning of the work and the facts, I believe that was more important. We could handle the other stuff after we got the basics. When learning math, my teacher gave us the basics and worked with the strength we had already had when I was in high school. But, with English or speaking in general there was nothing to give us the start we needed. It was here is the standards and pass or fail after. I could not say “It’s all good” or “No big deal” while I was in my high school library. Because, my librarian wanted more length when talking to one of our friends. She told us it was the correct way of speaking. My thoughts during that time was, what if I made my own way of talking. When I could say one word and that be the correct way of talking. I do not like the one way of talking or doing. I believe that as teachers, we need the many ways to just understand other ways of life. Even in class growing up, I hear my teachers say the improper things and then judge us right after as it was a crime. One thing I hear a lot is “Do as I say, not as I do”, but you are the person in charge, and I am more prone to copy you.
Mang, great question! When you said something along the lines of whether or not we should hold the same standard for language in papers vs. speaking out loud. This really got me thinking. Of course I agree that it is important to allow our students to express their lives and cultures through their ebonics, but where do you draw the line? From what I understand, our standards when it comes to language, ask students to format sentences a certain way and they are expected to have “correct” grammar. This is how I was taught in school growing up. Even just to go to the bathroom, teachers would make me say “MAY I” instead of “Can I.” Looking back, that was something that was actually really petty in the grand scheme of things. I realize this is different from what we’re talking about in the sense that people of different cultures may use different words (ex: triflin’ vs. gross). However, this goes to show that maybe our standards need a re-vamp when it comes to language. Language is an important key to expressing one’s culture, so why would we want to unify that?
ReplyDeleteOne thing I want to say is, I love Ms. Beard here at #61. I love that she is bilingual and uses both languages in her classroom as at least half of her students speak spanish. I was really inspired by being in her classroom. I could see that the way she was presenting things in both languages really helped her spanish speaking students to be more engaged and I’m sure this helped them to feel more invited. Bottom line, our students should be able to express their versions of languages in the classroom. We are here to support that.
Emma, this was a really insightful post, I appreciate the thoughtful questions that you posed. I am excited to discuss this further in the classroom on Tuesday. From the reading, code meaning proves to be an integral key to success for a lot of students in the classroom. This helps with engagement, understanding, and ultimately keeps the classroom culturally relevant. A student should not have to walk in the classroom and feel like they’re forced to speak certain way (i.e. the dominant way). Language or ebonics is an expression of culture and by asking our students to speak in the dominant way is asking our students to leave their culture at the door. Sure, it’s imprortant for students to structure their sentences in a way that makes sense, but as children develop and hear other people speak, that is something that comes naturally. What we’re focused on with this discussion is the added in language that students may not find in a dictionary, but rather, they heard when they were at home with their friends or family. This comes from culture and home life. Code meshing in the classroom is important for keeping our classroom culturally relevant.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Anna, that code meshing is important for keeping our classroom culturally relevant because language and dialect can be very adaptive traits. I know its important for our students as individuals to feel respected especially in our classrooms and part of that is accepting their culture through language and dialect. With that being said code meshing vs code switching, I think, is an easy two to choose between. Our students shouldn't feel like their language or their way of talking isn't acceptable based on standards society holds for them. They should be able to express themselves freely and we should be able to find text and other ways to show our students that their way of speaking is acceptable.
DeleteEmma, I appreciate your post and noticed you did not mention where you stand with language in the classroom. I think it is important to have an environment that fits all students. I also think language needs to fit where you are. I think in school it is important to know how to speak accordingly and at home one should speak their native tongue. I may sound like a jerk or insensitive, but I feel because we are in America everyone should speak standard English at school and other establishments and their native language because remaining true to your culture is important. I appreciate the teachers who are willing and eager to work with their students who speak another dialect to help them be successful in all parts of their lives. In codeswitching, Wheeler and Swords express the importance of honoring linguistic and cultural diversity through the language strengths of urban learners (Codeswitching, p.471). This would help students who speak another language have the necessary support for growth in the classroom and in the real world. If society expects everyone to speak a certain way, then the education system needs to create a standard that allows teacher interaction and student engagement in every subject. In the education system many families who speak English as a second language struggle to receive the proper resources for their child(ren) and this is frustrating to me. I think students who speak English with a different dialect qualify for support to be successful in school. Do you think students who speak AAVE should be given the same opportunities for growth as English as a second language learners to learn standard English? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteAnna,
DeleteI am glad you mentioned that. I loved that Ms. Beard incorporated another language into her lessons. She isn't favoring one or the other. She is helping those students that might struggle with English not being their second language. I also liked that for most of her things on the wall, it had the English version and the Spanish version. Most teachers at #61 do this, but I liked how she incorporated both signs and speaking a language most of her students speak, so no one is left out.
Amber,
DeleteI liked how you mentioned Ms. Beard's classroom in your reply because I thought the same thing when I had field in her classroom. When she was giving directions, she spoke in both English and Spanish. I thought that was awesome! I think that really works to provide an inclusive classroom environment that makes the Spanish speaking students feel like their language and culture is valued in the classroom and that it isn't something that should be tucked away and hidden. Going back to Heather's original post, I struggle to believe that students who speak AAVE should be given the same help as ELLs because I think the two are operating under very different circumstances. To treat AAVE speakers the same would be to enforce the idea that there is one proper way to speak English, and that is the white way that has persisted as the "right" way all these years.
Well language is the most important thing I believe in cultural. If you speak Spanish or German, it has more roots to who you are as a person. Then it trickles down to what things you do within the cultural. As The author noted, “As 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” (Wheeler and Swords, 2004, Pg. 471). I feel like both worlds are needed in the life of someone learning. Your starting point and then what you learn. Because, if I learn something new and I don’t have what I already know helping me, then I might be even more at risk to fail. For the code questions though is difficult to answer. I know for Spanish, it does not blend evenly all the time. I watched a video on a person who was a native Spanish speaker take Spanish and get a B in the class. He failed at the conjugation. While his other classmate got a perfect in the class. So, I do believe you can talk to someone in different dialects. But, meshing them up seems to be the reverse way to teach in my mind. Not because they won’t be able to learn them, but possible they will forget who to say something at one point. Code switching only problem is that you could say something in the sentence with German once and in the next with English again. So, it would be repeating yourself one or more times. Also, that other problem is that some people will not know two language and when you speak you might insult them or must go back and repeat the whole conversation. For your last questions, I feel like everyone is responsible to try and learn a different language. I feel like people who speak English should learn one language to better help others in communication. Because, you might get someone moving in who speaks French and do not own the area. It is not your job to help them though, but it is the decent thing to do. I say both sides need to learn one thing at least. The U.S. has English and Spanish as the main ones, and then they move to French and Burmese as more people move to the United States.
ReplyDeleteEmma and anyone else reading mine,
DeleteAlso, side note from mine. I saw you had the same quote after I had chosen it. I liked it so much that it made me think more about education. Also, I think my comments on code switch was more ignoring the chapter. I was going with that code switch from when my first Spanish teacher did this and helped teach us Spanish. She would say a sentence in Spanish and then another in English. I got the context a little bit better I think. But, like you said it can be good or bad and still should be looked at.
Emma you bring up a lot of good points in your post. This is what I am not understanding about today's society and this idea of code switching; why are white people in today's society trying to sound black? They for real try to talk like they are from some urban town where there are a lot of minority folk. It's bothersome to me how we are supposed to teach between informal and formal English standards when the formal is a societal prejudice white culture way of talking. I'm not bashing on white folk but why is there only one way of formal according to our overly white populated government? Every dialect and every language is important and schools shouldn't be labeling what dialect and what language is more important than the other. First of all, that is a disrespect to our home lives, the culture of our parents. I personally think code switching is just another way of correcting our students to know what is appropriate for this society. It's like you already said Emma, we are in dire need of a reform on language integration because I don't think code switching is our answer.
ReplyDeleteEmma,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated the effort you put into this post. You helped explain the author's argument very well, particularly when you said "By enacting a system such as code switching into our classrooms that value one group's behaviors as "superior" (or formal), while perceiving another group's behavior as "inferior" (or informal) is racist". I think this sentence really hits the nail on the head because when I think of code switching, this is what comes to mind. Attempting to put this complex argument simply, code switching enforces the idea that the white way of speaking is right. We all know Standard English was created by the white dominant culture. For us to attempt to force African American students to abandon the rich culture that comes with AAVE is very much perpetuating racism and the idea that they their language is both informal and inferior. This is an extremely harmful idea to instill in the minds of African American students as they are expected to take on a double consciousness in order to be successful. They have to alter their identity so much so that they can't see themselves as belonging in school as African Americans. This is why I agree that code switching can never be the answer.
This is an argument that I find very interesting, and you did a great job at taking it a step further in your reflection. Thanks Emma!