Double Journal Entry 3

The most important concept is to encourage the students to accept their native dialect, but to also see the differences between how we talk and how we should write. Students should be allowed to talk in their native dialect because it is easier for them. You're wasting time and energy by making them think before they speak. Students must know they are not stupid just because they talk differently than others. The key to applying this method in the classroom is having the students understand how to code switch to Standard English in a formal setting. This is necessary because on standardized test's students will often see an answer in the form of their native dialect. If we tell the students their way of speaking is wrong, and don't give them reasonable explanations and consequences in the real world for how it could hurt them; most likely they'll ignore us. Students like to discover why things are the way they are. This project allows the students to discover answers to these types of questions on their own.

All through school I've been told not to say aint, holler, catawompus, among other words with no explanation other than it was wrong this is a form of ineffective literacy instruction. A form of effective literacy instruction was when a teacher would tell me to look at the words surrounding the word giving me problems. This way I could at-least figure out the meaning of the word causing the problems.

The relationship to teaching literacy and inclusive practices is building a community with the students' involvement with friends and family outside of the school with the research involved.

To view a link that covers various information on students struggling in literacy skills including dialect differences click here