Multicultural EducationEqual opportunity to achieve.

Ability to participate competently in an increasingly intercultural society.

Teachers facilitate learning for every individual student.

Schools work to end oppression within their own walls and produce socially aware students.

Education is inclusive of the voices and experiences of the students and families.

Educators evaluate educational practices and how they affect learning.

Losing our Language

Dr. Susan StotskyDeputy Commissioner of Education in Massachusetts

Co-chaired the committee that introduced the English Language Arts Curriculum Framework and a member of the Assessment Development Committee for the MCAS.

Losing our Language

Dr. Susan StotskyPedagogical theories and strategies used to teach children English have harmed their cognitive development by supplanting academic goals with social goals.

Multicultural readers used in schools misrepresent American history by refusing to tell children about great American leaders, inventors, and scientists because they tended to be white males. The focus is on American Indians, blacks, and Hispanics, all of whom are presented as victims.

Multiculturalism forces children to use vocabulary that is a mix of abstract nouns and useless foreign terms. They include confusing pidgin languages such as “Spanglish” and “ebonics”. This is not vocabulary that children can build on in their future studies.

Instructional guides demand that teachers lead small children in discussions of grown-up concerns such as the evils of racism.

EbonicsBlack Vernacular English

SyntaxRule-governed, standardized

Multiple negation: I don’t know anything. I don’t know nothing.*

*This is also the only correct way in French: ‘You never say anything (Tu ne dis jamais rien-You never say nothing.)

Omission of “to be (Hebrew and Russian as well)

Use of “be”: She late.

She be late. (habitual)

“Black English: Its History and Structure in the United States” (Dillard)

EbonicsBlack Vernacular EnglishBlack English should not be viewed as lazy or mistake-ridden English.

It is a variety of English that is consistent among observed speakers and has a grammar system that is equally, if not more complex, than Standard English.

There is a mismatch between the spoken variety of English of the learner and what he reads in Standard English.

He will read in a way that reveals the pronunciation and syntax of his spoken language since the syntax of one’s own language is so familiar that the reader often predicts a great deal of what is to come.

“Black English: Its History and Structure in the United States” (Dillard)

EbonicsBlack Vernacular English

Code-Switching

Standard-English is the norm and has social and political value attached to it, but there is no inherent better quality to it.

It is simply the version used by those in power.

It must be learned because of the access that it provides within our social structure, not because BVE is less intelligent or less complex.

“Black English: Its History and Structure in the United States” (Dillard)

Language Genres

Different genres of language are learned before a child enters school. Minority failure is due to a lack of experience with the genres of language

that teachers expect their students to be able to access.

“Beyond Language” (Heath) and “Rewriting Literacy” (Mitchell and Weiler)

Language Genres

“Beyond Language” (Heath) and “Rewriting Literacy” (Mitchell and Weiler)

Language Genres

“Beyond Language” (Heath) and “Rewriting Literacy” (Mitchell and Weiler)

Language Genres

“Beyond Language” (Heath) and “Rewriting Literacy” (Mitchell and Weiler)

Language Genres

Topic-associated narratives develop themes through anecdotal association. Themes are not overtly stated but inferred from the series of personal anecdotes.

Topic centered styles tend to be associated with school language and with books. They are linear in nature, with a linear progression of events.

In school, where teachers may not share this background, such texts may appear incoherent.

Color Adjustment

Small Group Discussions•American schools typically and traditionally use “individualism” rather than “collectivism” as a basis of educational practice.

•What are some possible conflicts that a student with a “collective” home culture may encounter in school?

•What can we, as teachers, do to assist these students as they acclimate to the school’s “individual” culture?

•Considering the role of a teacher in the “individual” and “collective” home cultures. Have you had experiences with families that you may better understand now? How can this information be helpful as you move forward with family relationships?

•If you have a student that uses a topic-associated (rather and a topic-centered) way of speaking or writing, how can you promote the standard without compromising the cultural identity and experience of a student or family?

Small Group DiscussionsRefer to conversations you have had with students as well as books and other resources that that you use as part of your curriculum as you discuss these topics below. You may find that you are accessing resources that reach each student as well as some areas that could be improved upon.Do you use books (picture books, novels, etc.) that present a wide range of diversity that is characteristic of our community, society, and the world? What are some examples? How could you improve upon this? What is a possible effect of not using these types of materials? What is your opinion of Stotsky’s work in Losing Our Language? Is there a way to address English Language Arts within a multicultural framework?

Do you use examples in conversations that reflect different groups (race/ethnicity, gender, economic class, language, disability, religion, geographic region, immigrant status, family structure, sexual orientation)? What is appropriate for your grade level?

Do you use books (picture books, novels, etc.) that depict characters accurately in their physical appearance, behavior, attitudes, values, language, beliefs, and way of life? Give some examples. What resources do we need to do a better job in this area?

Does any area of your curriculum represent stories about diverse groups and cultures that have been historically distorted, patronized, or excluded from curricula? How do you approach this with students?

Representation of Race

Race is represented to children and created by adults.

How is race represented?

Dealing with Racism

In the Store

Buying a House

Vandalism

Buying Coffee

“Le racisme expiqué à ma fille”