Double Entry Journal #3

I found this article very interesting, because I feel that this kind of thinking and reasoning can be used for many issues in school.  The article discussed how in order to teach students about Standard English, we should approach it in their own language or dialect.  What I mean is that, if a student does not know Standard English, then how are they going to learn when you are teaching them using what they do not know.  In order for them to understand we must use what they know to teach them.  Also they need to be allowed to use their own dialect without being taught that it is wrong or incorrect.  That is their culture and way of life and what right does a teacher have to tell them that they are wrong.  Instead of teaching those that it is wrong, we should teach them that there are other ways and that they must know these ways because that is how they will be tested, and that it is okay to use both.  In this article they refer to this as “Code Switch”.  We should be expanding on their own language as well as teaching them Standard English, by doing this it will help increase their confidence, because they are learning, but at the same time they are not being told that what they already know is incorrect. 

I do not remember any specific examples about my schooling experiences where I saw this occur. I have stated before that my family as well as my husbands family is very old fashioned.  (My husbands more so than mine)  His family uses a different dialect and I have caught him using it from time to time.  I would correct him for it because I thought that was the best way, and now I am not so sure.  His family uses phrases such as “He weren’t going to go”.  I know that this is incorrect, but to them it is just normal communication.  The thing is, when I was in one of my education classes at Fairmont State, I was shocked when one of the professors stated almost this same example.  It was said that this would not be accepted and that if we were speaking like this then we basically should not be in college.  I of course never mentioned that I had family members that spoke like this, because I was shocked that this professor has ran in to this before. (W hich means that it is not only my family)  I have never looked down on my family and was a little irritated when the professor made this statement.  I wanted to state that my sister-in-law speaks like this and graduated from Fairmont State a few years ago with bachelors in psychology.  She made it through and she did just fine. 

I think that this article and inclusive practices is very similar, almost the same.  You must include these different dialects into teaching in order to accommodate every student which is what has to be done with inclusive practices. 

Culturally Responsive Teaching