The Skin That We Speak: Thoughts on Language and Culture in the Classroom mobi download book
The Skin That We Speak: Thoughts on Language and Culture in the Classroom
Language is more than just a tool for communication. It is also a reflection of our identity, culture, history, and power. How we use language, and how others perceive our language use, can have profound effects on our lives and our learning. This is especially true for students who come from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, who often face challenges and barriers in schools that favor standard or mainstream forms of English.
In this book, editors Lisa Delpit and Joanne Kilgour Dowdy bring together a collection of twelve essays by prominent educators and scholars who explore the complex relationship between language and culture in the classroom. The book is divided into three parts: Language and Power, Language Variety and Learning, and Language Policy and Politics. Each part contains four essays that address different aspects of language issues in education, such as dialects, literacy, identity, pedagogy, assessment, policy, politics, and social justice.
The book aims to raise awareness and spark dialogue among teachers, parents, students, researchers, policymakers, and anyone who is interested or concerned about questions of language and power in public schools. The book also offers practical suggestions and strategies for creating more inclusive and equitable learning environments for all students.
Part 1: Language and Power
The first part of the book explores how language is connected to power in society and education. The essays in this part examine how language can be used to oppress or empower different groups of people, especially students of color.
In her essay \"No Kinda Sense\", Lisa Delpit shares her personal experience as a mother of an African American daughter who switched from a predominantly white private school to a predominantly black public-charter school. She observes how her daughter's language use changed dramatically depending on her social context. She also discusses how teachers can either support or undermine their students' linguistic identity by their attitudes and expectations.
In his essay \"The Real Ebonics Debate\", Asa Hilliard critiques the media coverage and public debate over Ebonics (African American Vernacular English) in 1996. He argues that Ebonics is not a problem to be fixed or eradicated, but a legitimate linguistic system that has its own rules and logic. He also argues that teachers should respect their students' home language while helping them master standard English as well.
In his essay \"From Archie Bunker to Snoop Dogg\", Herbert Kohl analyzes the role of media and popular culture in shaping the public perception of language diversity. He shows how different forms of language are associated with different stereotypes and prejudices, such as racism, sexism, classism, and ageism. He also shows how some forms of language are appropriated or commodified for entertainment or profit, while others are marginalized or silenced.
Part 2: Language Variety and Learning
The second part of the book examines the role of language variety and diversity in learning and teaching. The essays in this part explore how teachers can recognize and respect the linguistic resources and cultural backgrounds of their students.
In her essay \"Testifying on the Role of African American English in Literacy Instruction\", Geneva Smitherman makes a case for the inclusion of African American English in literacy instruction. She argues that African American English is not a deficient or deviant form of English, but a rich and expressive language that has its own history and literature. She also argues that teachers should use contrastive analysis and code-switching techniques to help their students develop bilingual and bidialectal competence.
In her essay \"Cultural Clash in a North Carolina School\", Victoria Purcell-Gates presents a case study of a literacy program for low-income African American children in a rural school. She shows how the program failed to acknowledge and build on the children's home literacy practices, such as storytelling, oral reading, and writing letters. She also shows how the program imposed a standardized curriculum that was irrelevant and alienating to the children's lives and interests.
In her essay \"Toward a Theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy\", Gloria Ladson-Billings proposes a framework for teaching that is culturally relevant to students of color. She defines culturally relevant pedagogy as a pedagogy that empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes. She also identifies three criteria for culturally relevant pedagogy: academic achievement, cultural competence, and critical consciousness.
In her essay \"Signifying as a Scaffold for Literary Interpretation\", Carol Lee demonstrates how teachers can use signifying, a form of verbal artistry common among African Americans, as a scaffold for literary interpretation. She explains how signifying involves playing with language, meaning, and context to create humor, irony, parody, or critique. She also explains how signifying can help students engage with complex texts by activating their prior knowledge, making connections, making inferences, and evaluating arguments.
Part 3: Language Policy and Politics
The third part of the book analyzes the impact of language policy and politics on education and society. The essays in this part discuss how language policies can affect the access and opportunities of different groups of people, especially immigrants and minorities.
In her essay \"The Politics of Standard English\", Joanne Kilgour Dowdy examines the history and ideology of standard English in the United States. She traces how standard English emerged as a tool for social control and domination by the dominant group. She also traces how standard English has been challenged and resisted by various social movements and linguistic communities.
In her essay \"Expanding Educational Linguistics: Implications for Researching Language Use in Diverse Classrooms\", Arnetha Ball explores the implications of expanding educational linguistics, a field that studies language use in educational settings. She argues that educational linguists need to adopt a more interdisciplinary and critical approach to researching language use in diverse classrooms. She also argues that educational linguists need to collaborate more with teachers and communities to address language issues in education.
In her essay \"The Delivery Room: Writing Classrooms as Sites of Racial (Re)Birth\", Catherine Prendergast investigates the role of writing classrooms in shaping the racial identity of students. She uses the metaphor of the delivery room to describe how writing classrooms can either reproduce or transform the racial status quo. She also uses the metaphor of the midwife to describe how writing teachers can either facilitate or hinder the racial (re)birth of their students.
In her essay \"Language Diversity and Learning\", Lisa Delpit revisits some of the themes and issues raised in her previous essay. She emphasizes the importance of understanding and addressing language diversity and learning in education. She also offers some practical suggestions and strategies for creating more inclusive and equitable learning environments for all students.
Conclusion
The Skin That We Speak is a powerful book that challenges us to rethink our assumptions and attitudes about language and culture in the classroom. The book provides us with valuable insights and perspectives from various educators and scholars who have studied and experienced language issues in education. The book also invites us to join the conversation and action on language issues in education.
## FAQs - What is the main theme and purpose of the book? - The main theme and purpose of the book is to explore the complex relationship between language and culture in the classroom, and how it affects the learning and teaching of students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. - Who are the editors and contributors of the book? - The editors of the book are Lisa Delpit and Joanne Kilgour Dowdy, who are both prominent educators and scholars in the field of language and education. The contributors of the book are Asa Hilliard, Herbert Kohl, Geneva Smitherman, Victoria Purcell-Gates, Gloria Ladson-Billings, Carol Lee, Arnetha Ball, Catherine Prendergast, and Lisa Delpit. - How is the book organized and structured? - The book is divided into three parts: Language and Power, Language Variety and Learning, and Language Policy and Politics. Each part contains four essays that address different aspects of language issues in education, such as dialects, literacy, identity, pedagogy, assessment, policy, politics, and social justice. - What are some of the key topics and questions addressed in the book? - Some of the key topics and questions addressed in the book are: How does language reflect and shape our identity, culture, history, and power? How can language be used to oppress or empower different groups of people, especially students of color? How can teachers recognize and respect the linguistic resources and cultural backgrounds of their students? How can teachers create more inclusive and equitable learning environments for all students? How do language policies affect the access and opportunities of different groups of people, especially immigrants and minorities? - Why is this book important and relevant for educators and anyone interested in language issues in education? - This book is important and relevant for educators and anyone interested in language issues in education because it provides a critical and comprehensive analysis of language issues in education from various perspectives. It also offers practical suggestions and strategies for addressing language issues in education. It also raises awareness and sparks dialogue among teachers, parents, students, researchers, policymakers, and anyone who is concerned about questions of language and power in public schools.