Language Diversity in the Classroom

1. Language Diversity in the Classroom “Practical Pedagogy for Composition” Kim Brian Lovejoy

2. Lovejoy, Brian Kim. "Practical Pedagogy for Composition." Language Diversity in the Classroom: From Intention to Practice. By Geneva Smitherman and Victor Villanueva. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 2003. 89-108. Print. • What genre is this article? • Who is it written for? • Why did Lovejoy choose this particular genre and style for his article?

3. The Larger Debate Surrounding Lovejoy’s Article Student’s Right to Their Own Language We affirm the students' right to their own patterns and varieties of language -- the dialects of their nurture or whatever dialects in which they find their own identity and style. Language scholars long ago denied that the myth of a standard American dialect has any validity. The claim that any one dialect is unacceptable amounts to an attempt of one social group to exert its dominance over another. Such a claim leads to false advice for speakers and writers, and immoral advice for humans. A nation proud of its diverse heritage and its cultural and racial variety will preserve its heritage of dialects. We affirm strongly that teachers must have the experiences and training that will enable them to respect diversity and uphold the right of students to their own language.

4. For and Against Language Diversity in the Classroom The emphasis in first-year college composition courses on the power of EAE discourages students that struggle with grammar and other surface-level features of the dialect. The resistance to languages that don’t conform to EAE affects the future writing success of students because “(i)f they’ve struggled with EAE in the schools, they have little confidence in their abilities to use written language and some don’t even want to try for fear of failure” (Lovejoy 92). Composition instructors must encourage students to write effectively in personal and local dialects before teaching EAE. First-year college composition students enroll in English 101 and 102 to learn to write for an academic audience. Most of these students have been trained to believe “that there is really only one right way to use written language-and that’s to use EAE” (Lovejoy 92). As college English instructors it is our responsibility to teach “the language that counts” (91). We must resist the dialects students bring with them to the classroom in order to make them capable users of EAE.

5. A Balanced Opinion of Language Diversity in the Classroom First-year composition students bring knowledge of a variety of dialects with them to the classroom. The ways in which students communicate at home, at work, or with friends, all have power and meaning. As college composition instructors, however, it is our job to introduce students to academic writing. We must “teach not only the language of power but also the multiplicity of ways we use to communicate everyday” (Lovejoy 94).