Kimberlyn Peal

Special Topics

Language Awareness and the Sociocultural Side of Language
Wilson and Alim Readings

Opening
Please read the following questions and jot down your ideas or discuss them with a partner.
How do you approach Language study in your classroom?
Do you think people judge others based on how they use language?
What is more important for our students?
Knowing how to use language in a way that society deems fit
Understanding that people use language differently and no one way is the only way

Wilson
I believe that fundamental to language acquisition for older students is an understanding of the
nature of language itself, what it means to understand the rules of language, how different dialects
operate with different rules, and how policies about language reflected in curriculum and grammar
books are related to issues of power
Language Awareness through studying dialects , attitudes, and usage
Reflective(not about learning how to use language differently)

Self-Evaluation
Think about your own classroom.
How often do you teach language or grammar?
Do you address sociocultural issues in your classroom?
Do you discuss these issues when you talk about language?

Alim
Our pedagogy should not pretend that racism does not exist in the form of linguistic discrimination.
Resegregation of American Society
Children who feel isolated from society often develop habits and speech patterns that
reflect this isolation and move away from the accepted patterns in society
Teach why it is this way

Problem for Teachers
How do we balance Language Awareness (Wilson) with the reality of how society judges
language usage (Alim)?
Do we disadvantage our students when we focus on awareness and do not address the
unfortunate reality?
Do we have time to address these things AND teach them how to use language in the way
they need to know for standardized assessments and future academic pursuits?