RM Winter 2017 FINAL

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Reading Matters
Justice Matters
| 14| Reading Matters | Volume 16 • Winter 2016 |
have to be for school or even academic in nature, it can also
be used to gain life-related information. By forcing a student
who already has an aversion to school or school literacies to
read only academic texts, teachers are essentially creating a
struggling reader (Alvermann, 2001) instead of helping one.
What to do: Practices to
Accommodate All Dialects
Discard the Deficit View.It was once thought that
standardization, particularly language standardization, was the
‘fix’for diverse students and an attempt to bring all students to the
same learning level. However, now the norm is diversity (Genishi &
Dyson, 2009), which implies a need to embrace all students’cultural
and linguistic practices. Teachers should not assume that there is
something wrong with a student when their dialect is not what
is considered SE (Fillmore & Snow, 2000). Non-standard dialects
should not be viewed as a deficit of a student; rather, they should
be celebrated and considered part of a student’s personality.
It is the job of teachers to understand the ways their students
communicate and accommodate their dialects in the classroom
without correcting, or worse, shaming them. Ladson-Billings (2016)
reminds us that all students have different upbringings, so teachers
should alter their teaching to best accommodate these students.
Allow Students to Construct Identity Through Their Language
Use. It is clear that language and power are closely related. In
fact,“non-standard language practices [could be] associated
with ‘bad’morals and a myth arises [that] bad language signifies
bad people”(Brady, 2015, pp. 150-151). However, for teachers to
put a ban on non-standard dialect use in the classroomwould
be infringing upon a student’s freedom and prohibiting them
from establishing a group and cultural identity (Brady, 2015). It
is imperative to allow opportunities for NSD students to explore
their identities through their use of language and dialect.
Introduce Code-Switching to NSD Students. Oftentimes, the
dialects students bring from home are extremely different than the
SE used at school (Fillmore & Snow, 2000). It is often misconceived
that only SE could be used in the classroom; however, the language
practices students bring from home can be used in a variety of
ways in the classroom. Code-switching refers to switching from
one language (or dialect) to another - depending on the situation.
This could be an extremely valuable tool for NSD students so they
can still keep their dialectal/cultural identity. Teachers should
encourage NSD students to use their own dialect during informal,
social conversations in the classroom, but provide themwith
standard codes for the writing and speaking that is expected in
academia and in the workplace. Additionally, allowing NSD use in
the classroomwill help students feel more comfortable through oral
expression, further encouraging participation and engagement.
Communicating to students that even though the language that
is expected in formal environments may not match their familiar/
cultural dialect, they are not ‘wrong’for using their dialects in social/
informal settings such as group work or discussions is critical to
developing inclusive classrooms. This practice lets NSD students
know that their dialects are valid and can be valued in the classroom.
Practice a Culturally Responsive Teaching Pedagogy. This
theoretical practice embraces the idea that social justice and equity
should exist among all students in the classroom and should be
practiced by teachers. This means“providing a way for students to
maintain their cultural integrity while still being able to succeed
academically”(Ladson-Billings, 1995, p. 476). One way to do this is
to invite a student’s funds of knowledge into the classroom content
through their dialect usage. It has already been stated that students
and teachers bring their own, often differing, cultural beliefs and
values to the classroom. Oftentimes, teachers simply overlook
the differences between themselves and their students. However,
instead of being ‘color-blind’to the differing cultural beliefs and
values of students, culturally responsive teachers celebrate and
accommodate the cultural values and beliefs of all students.
Balancing a classroom that has the requirement of standard
English with non-standard dialect students is often a challenge
many educators face. Brady (2015) recommends the use of
transformative practices that utilize a collaborative relationship
among the teacher and students. Through this collaboration, both
teacher and students are able to work together to achieve the
common goal of social justice and acceptance of all students in
the classroom. Collaborative practices may include: student-led
instruction, project-based activities within groups, and a focus on
the student’s diverse communities or funds of knowledge that
they bring to the classroom (Brady, 2015). These transformative
practices embody the culturally relevant pedagogy and may
empower the dialectal diversity students bring to the classroom.
Improve the Student/Teacher Relationship. All students
are entitled to a quality education regardless of background,
ethnicity, beliefs or socioeconomic status (Anyon, 2014). With this
in mind, it is usually minority students who are left behind in their
education (Anyon, 2014). The reasons these students fall behind
are endless, but if they do not feel an authentic connection to the
classroom through a solid student/teacher relationship, then there
is no motivation to continue learning. A strong student/teacher
relationship, increases the motivation of students, especially minority
students (Delpit, 2006). This promotes feelings of acceptance and
emotional closeness; which ultimately influences the motivation
of student’s academic achievement level. One way to improve the
student/teacher relationship is to allow students the opportunity
to express themselves in their own preferred method and medium
in order to show true ownership of their language development
(Ushioda, 2011). This includes allowing NSD students to use the
language or dialect they feel most comfortable with in the classroom
freely without judgment. A close student/teacher relationship
allows all students to feel more accepted in the classroom
community and gives themmore opportunities to succeed.
Improving Literacy Practices with
Minority Students
Students need to see themselves through their reading.
Connecting students to what they read in the classroom would
benefit those students who have an aversion to reading. Culture
influences a reader’s identity (Alvermann, 2001), so teachers should
draw upon the identities of their students while identifying books