Can the way a child chooses to express themselves through writing really be wrong? Sure, there are mechanics to writing - such as spelling, punctuation, and capitalization that develop over time. Still, if we want children to fall in love with writing, we should promote expression of thought and creativity in the linguistic style they are comfortable writing in.
This week on The Morning Meeting Podcast, I am joined by Erika Parker-Havens of Brooklyn, New York, to discuss Linguistic Justice. Erika Senior Instructional Coach for EdTech, a non-profit focused on writing instruction. This interview has so many thought-provoking gems and you can listen to the entire episode here. I'm sharing highlights from Erika's interview for this week's blog.
What is Linguistic Justice?
I'll start by saying linguistic Justice as a term can mean many different things, depending on who you're speaking to. Still, I think it's calling for people to confront a monolingual expectation of language. The idea that standard American English is the only "correct" language is a social construct.
How can educators promote Linguistic Justice? Educators can provide students with concrete examples of abstract ideas through anchor text showcasing how language varies. Older students can
find examples in books and music. Both offer students real-world examples of how language shifts from culture to culture. The majority of books are written in standard American English. Still, there might be dialogue.
I hope you'll take a listen to my conversation with Erika. She offers concrete ideas and resources (books!) for the classroom. She made me think about so much and I hope you'll reflect as well. Shoot me a message or leave a comment with your thoughts. Take care!