Hannah Bouska

Prof. Cindy O’Donnell

E322 English Language for Teachers
17 October 2021
Position Statement on Language Instruction

Every year, hundreds of thousands of secondary students enter college or the workforce
with astonishingly low levels of literacy across a number of spheres essential for success. While
many of these deficiencies can be traced to a number of shortcomings throughout the American
education system, language teachers have substantial power to not only develop reading and
writing literacy in their students but cultural literacy, media literacy, emotional literacy, and social
literacy. Although developing competency across the aforementioned areas seems like a
formidable task at first, seeding strategies and practices for success in all these areas can begin
in any English Language Arts classroom. Language teachers must create an inclusive
culture of linguistic diversity in order to help students develop literacy across multiple
areas. Teachers might consider using the following 4 key ideas to guide language instruction
and development of literacy in the classroom:

● Students and teachers have respect for all learners and their linguistic
backgrounds.
● A shared vision for teaching and learning
● Students from all backgrounds can relate to or see their own experiences in class
texts.
● Students and teachers engage in reflective practices

Principle 1: Students and teachers have respect for all learners and their linguistic
backgrounds
Before developing literacy in any area, a classroom community must be established in
which students and instructors share a mutual respect for themselves and one another with the
understanding that every individual has a culturally defined identity that shapes their
experiences in and out of academic settings. It’s crucial that all individuals in a language class
are aware of the lenses that shape the way they see the world and the fact that their peers may
not share these lenses. One way a teacher can raise awareness on this topic is to ask their
students to map out their key identities-- any and all identities students hold that color the way
they see and understand the world around them. For instance, key identities may include age,
gender, sexual orientation, occupation, socio-economic status, race or ethnicity, and personal
strengths. By acknowledging and taking the time to truly understand one another, students will
gain a better understanding of themselves and their place in the world.

Applications for Educators

● Identify and acknowledge varying cultural holidays as they come up throughout the year
● Identify and document cultural communities that exist in class
 ● Assign Cultural Community Wealth Wheels, display artfully in the classroom at beginning
of the course to help establish an inclusive and diverse classroom community

Applications for Students K-12

● Identify differences and similarities between one another
○ Identify differences and similarities between different cultural groups
● Create and compile “mini-biographies” of class members into a portfolio, “zine,” or other
product, use for community-building
● Create Cultural Community Wealth Wheels
● Develop an understanding of “place”
○ identify key identities that shape the way we see the world

Recommended Resources
● Steven Willis - Ebonics 101 // https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB8pBiUavtg
● Tara Yosso-- “Whose Culture Has Capital? A Critical Race Theory Discussion of
Community Cultural Wealth"

Principle 2: Students and teachers share a vision for learning and teaching.
In order to create a classroom community that is truly invested in linguistic diversity, both
students and instructors must share a vision for what this might look like. Creating goals and
meeting checkpoints that are mutually created and agreed upon is crucial for the equitable
treatment and representation of all students’ discourses. Our students come from homes with all
kinds of varying ideas for what “good enough” looks like. By including students in the creation of
goals and visions for the year, teachers may raise engagement as well as the quality of their
classroom expectations, as students will become more involved stakeholders in the class
community. Additionally, students may be more inclined to hold themselves and their peers to
established expectations after having been given a new degree of responsibility and autonomy.
This principle pertains to language teachers (specifically) because English classes usually
devote a substantial amount of time to examining varying modes of (literate) self-expression. By
including students in the creation of goals, English teachers can offer their students a real-life
stake in the very ideas the class is structured around-- self-expression, autonomy, and the value
of diverse perspectives.

Applications for Educators

● Create personal goals and goals for teaching
● Collaborate with students to develop shared goals and visions for learning
○ Create a visual to be displayed clearly in the classroom
● Collaborate with students to develop classroom expectations
○ Create a visual to be displayed clearly in the classroom
● Use mentor texts and student examples to demonstrate clarity of expectations for each
assignment
● Model a growth mindset

Applications for Students K-12

 ● Create personal goals and goals for general learning in class
● Consistently use reader/writer’s journal to self-evaluate weekly progress on goals or
meeting expectations
● Hold self and peers accountable for self-regulation in class
● Develop and strengthen growth mindset through giving and receiving peer feedback,
conferencing, and small group work

Recommended Resources
● Amber Osuba -- Nurturing a Growth Mindset Through Goal-Setting
https://everfi.com/blog/k-12/student-goal-setting/
● “Teacher Collaboration in Perspective” Discussion Guide http://www.in-
perspective.org/pages/teacher-collaboration-a-discussion-guide-goal
● Chase Nordengren, et al. --“Goal-Setting Practices That Support a Learning Culture.”
https://kappanonline.org/goal-setting-practices-support-learning-culture-nordengren/
● Columbia University-- “Why Is It Important for Students and Teachers to Share Goals?”
https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/doi/10.7916/D8MD0BG5

Principle 3: Students from all backgrounds can relate to or see their own experiences in
class texts.
One of the most effective ways to raise student engagement in language classrooms is
to be sure that students can see themselves and their experiences represented by class
materials. By including a diverse array of role models in classroom texts (whether as authors or
subjects), teachers can invite their students to extend their academic efforts beyond grudging
obligation-- students who see themselves represented in academically-relevent materials are
more likely to lend their voices to classroom discourse. This principle is especially relevant to
English classrooms given the current discourse around which materials are appropriate for
secondary-level language arts classrooms. For decades, ELA classrooms have featured an
array of significant titles written by white, male authors. While many of these “classics” certainly
have much to offer, it is important that more texts written by POC, LGBTQ+, and female authors
are examined seriously in the classroom. This is crucial not only because diverse groups ofs
students will be able to identify and relate to the authors whose work they read, but because
authors belonging to such groups have been underrepresented and undervalued for many
years. Students who take note of this shift may consequently experience a shift in the way they
see the world and its peoples.

Applications for Educators

● If possible, choose texts written by a diverse range of authors
● Deviate from teaching only “the classics”
● Ask students what issues feel relevant and pressing to them
○ Use to form unit plans
● Identify current events occurring within or affecting cultural groups of students, find
relevant materials to supplement learning

Applications for Students K-12

 ● Read YA fiction about adolescents from other cultures
○ Write and reflect over similarities and differences in reader/writer’s journal
● Engage in research prior to new reading units to understand the background of
characters featured in texts
● Actively make connections between class materials and individual lives

Recommended Resources
● Stephanie Hampton -- “10 Criteria for Choosing Diverse Texts for Your Classroom.”
https://www.writingmindset.org/blog/2018/6/18/10-criteria-for-choosing-diverse-texts-for-
your-classroom
● Larry Furlazzo -- “Students like Books 'That Help Them Feel Seen, Heard, & Valued”
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-students-like-books-that-help-them-
feel-seen-heard-valued/2020/06

Principle 4: Students and teachers engage in reflective practices to evaluate personal

growth in one or more areas of literacy
In order to truly grow a community of linguistic diversity in language classrooms, both
students and instructors must engage in reflective practices to determine the degree to which
they are meeting their goals, both communal and personal. Through the reflection process,
teachers may encounter new ideas to improve their instruction. Consequently, teachers improve
their literacy in one or more areas, while students accomplish the same by making sense of
their ideas and feelings in a private writing space. This principle is essential for English courses.
All individuals in an ELA classroom are sure to encounter strong feelings about the concepts
and ideas covered in the course content and may find it helpful to track their thinking, its growth,
and any patterns that may appear.

Applications for Educators

● Confer with other instructors about challenges, glowing moments, ideas for future
classes
○ Establish a personal learning community (PLC)
● Speak openly with students about progress and goals
● Assign formative self-assessments for students to assess where individuals are in terms
of meeting their goals
○ Conference with students to set attainable, realistic, measurable goals
● Assign reading/writing partners

Applications for Students K-12

● Record in reader/writer’s journal where we are in terms of achieving our personal goals
● Record in reader/writer’s journal where we are in terms of achieving our class goals
● Confer with reading/writing partner to help set strong goals
● Identify areas of strength and areas in need of improvement
○ Develop a plan to tackle areas of improvement
 ○ How can my partner help keep me accountable?

Recommended Resources
● Cambridge International Education Teaching and Learning Team-- “Getting Started with
Reflective Practice.” https://www.cambridge-community.org.uk/professional-
development/gswrp/index.html
● Paired Reading: https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/paired_reading
● Jackie Gerstein -- “Helping Your Students Learn to Reflect on Their Learning.”
https://www.teachthought.com/learning/helping-students-learn-reflect-learning/

Works Cited

Ferlazzo, Larry. “Students like Books 'That Help Them Feel Seen, Heard, & Valued' (Opinion).”
Education Week, Education Week, 5 Mar. 2021, https://www.edweek.org/teaching-
learning/opinion-students-like-books-that-help-them-feel-seen-heard-valued/2020/06.

Gerstein, Jacki. “Helping Your Students Learn to Reflect on Their Learning.” TeachThought, 7
Dec. 2020, https://www.teachthought.com/learning/helping-students-learn-reflect-learning/.

“Getting Started with Reflective Practice.” Cambridge International Examinations, Shorthand,

https://www.cambridge-community.org.uk/professional-development/gswrp/index.html.

Hampton, Stephanie. “10 Criteria for Choosing Diverse Texts for Your Classroom.” Writing
Mindset, Squarespace, 27 Oct. 2020, https://www.writingmindset.org/blog/2018/6/18/10-criteria-
for-choosing-diverse-texts-for-your-classroom. Accessed 22 Oct. 2021.

Libraries, Columbia University. “Why Is It Important for Students and Teachers to Share Goals?”
Academic Commons, 1 Jan. 1970,
https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/doi/10.7916/D8MD0BG5.

Nordengren, Chase, et al. “Goal-Setting Practices That Support a Learning Culture.”

Kappanonline.org, Phi Delta Kappa International, 10 Dec. 2020, https://kappanonline.org/goal-
setting-practices-support-learning-culture-nordengren/.

Osuba, Amber. “Goal Setting for Students: Nurturing a Growth Mindset: EVERFI K12.” EVERFI,
21 May 2021, https://everfi.com/blog/k-12/student-goal-setting/.

“Steven Willis - Ebonics 101.” Youtube, uploaded by Button Poetry, 23 Sept 2015,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB8pBiUavtg

“Supporting Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Learners in English Education.” NCTE, NCTE,
2020, https://ncte.org/statement/diverselearnersinee/.
Tara J. Yosso * (2005) Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community
cultural wealth, Race Ethnicity and Education, 8:1, 69-91, DOI: 10.1080/1361332052000341006

“Teacher Collaboration in Perspective.” Teacher Collaboration - A Discussion Guide - Goals,

PublicAgenda, http://www.in-perspective.org/pages/teacher-collaboration-a-discussion-guide-
goals.