RUNNING HEADER: LITERATURE REVIEW 4 - DOMAIN E

Literature Review 4 - Domain E: Creating and Maintaining Effective Environments for Student
Learning

Representations of Native Americans in Elementary School Social Studies: A Critical Look at

Instructional Language

Sean Watson

National University

TED 690 – Professor Daniel Weintraub

6/26/2019
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Abstract

This literature review is based on the article Representations of Native Americans in Elementary

School Social Studies: A Critical Look at Instructional Language by Michele R. Mason and

Gisela Ernst-Slavit. (2010) The articles purpose is to draw attention to the language that is used

by fourth and fifth grade teachers during social studies instruction and how that language

perpetuates stereotypes and biased representations of Native American history. An example is

illustrated along with specific suggestions for educators and teachers regarding language

awareness. Suggestions are covered in how I will use language in my classroom.

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This article contains some very important features when it comes to instructional

language found in fourth and fifth grade classrooms. The purpose of the article is to illustrate the

language used in classrooms during social studies instruction and discuss the implications of how

language frames non-dominant groups. The Mason & Ernst-Slavit (2010) article in particular

takes a look at the pervasive use of language that stains the stereotypes and biased

representations of Native American history. Mason & Ernst-Slavit (2010) begin their analysis by

looking at different perspectives of textual writing in social studies. One way we use language to

define who we are in the world is how we refer to people whom we perceive to be different from

ourselves or a certain group. The authors suggests “that in the United States, as well as in many

other-English-speaking parts of the world, power rests in the hands of the dominant group:

White, middle-class, heterosexual, and usually male. Everyone else becomes the Other.”

(Mason & Ernst-Slavit, 2010, p. 11) How the Other is constructed throughout Western

civilization and in classroom discourse has been and will continue to harm future cultures in our

country. Mason & Ernst-Slavit (2010) also consider how words spoken in the classroom affect

the outcomes of education. According to Mason & Ernst-Slavit (2010) Teacher talk influences

and shapes the beliefs, ideas, and understandings of students. Mason & Ernst-Slavit (2010)

summarize this article by emphasizing mindful practices when analyzing teacher talk, using

contrapuntal pedagogy, balanced and comprehensive historical perspectives, and teaching and

learning Critical Language Awareness. (CLA)

The context in (2010) Mason & Ernst-Slavit study looks at the different language

registers used by teachers during content area instruction in fourth and fifth grade classrooms in

southwest Washington. Both authors observed content-area instruction over the course of one

week, ranging from 16-22 hours. During one particular classroom study, a teacher and her
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students started a new unit on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. During the lesson, the teacher

introduces Sacagawea as a slave, and the role she played in the survival of the expediaiton. The

teacher used serviceable other in a very story like manner to portray Sacagawea. This language

suggests that other is “constructed so as to to be of service to the dominant groups’ needs,

values, interests, and points of view.” (Mason & Ernst-Slavit, 2010, p. 14) When the students

were asked what a slave was, their response was very incomplete and inaccurate in its depiction

of a slave as someone who, “works for another person.” This situation illustrates the lost of an

opportunity to hold a critical discussion of how a person (Sacagawea) was transformed into a

commodity, to be purchased and sold. “Not even teachers with specialized linguistic and

cultural preparation (i.e., English language learner coursework and certification) are immune to

the implicit nature of ideologies cunningly entwined in the language of the classroom.” (Mason

& Ernst-Slavit, 2010, p. 15)

So what does this mean for the language I use in the classroom? Mason & Ernst-Slavit

(2010) give great suggestions and practices in delivering educational language. Video and audio

recordings can be used so I can reflect and analyze the language use in content units. Artifacts,

authentic documents, recordings, and other sources of information that were created during or

close to the historical event all are great resources to use. Contrapuntal pedagogy, which entails

reading and assessing both mainstream and non-mainstream texts to make more students aware

and compares and contrasts the different perspectives, as well as helping students realize how

mainstream literature can create a trivial narrative of society’s history, is needed. Lastly, I plan

to enhance my courses by teaching Critical Language Awareness (CLA). CLA in today’s global

community plays a major role in classrooms in helping teachers to understand their students, by

being proactive in our efforts to avoid marginalizing different cultures and languages. When
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language of the Other is taught, diverse students are likely to feel that they don’t matter as much

as the dominant group presented in history. This is not ethical nor in the best interests of the

students we teach. Delivering language in any content unit is critical providing balanced and

comprehensive historical perspectives especially when teaching social studies.

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Reference
Mason, M. R., & Ernst-Slavit, G. (2010). Representations of Native Americans in Elementary
School Social Studies: A Critical Look at Instuctional Language. Multicultural
Education, 10-17.