This article is a interview with Carrie English who is a teacher at a school called Prescott in Oakland.
During the interview, Carrie English explains the CACSEA (Center For Applied Cultural Studies and Educational Achievement) and SEP (Standard English Proficiency Program).
Carrie English explains that the CACSEA program highlights nine cultural aspects that permeate African-American life: spirituality, resilience, emotional vitality, musicality and rhythm, humanism, communalism, orality and verbal expressiveness, personal style and uniqueness, and realness. These concepts help teach students which leads to the SEP Program.
SEP is a program that recognizes Ebonics as a language that stands on its own rather than as a dialectical form of English. Carrie English explains that she is teaching Ebonics as a second language but not fixing the language that is brought to school from the homes of the students that she is teaching. The three cornerstones to the SEP Program is culture, language and literacy which is basically meaning that the program itself dosnt only focus on Ebonics as a language
grammatically but also relating it to the students everyday lives and backgrounds. Even though Carrie English is teaching Ebonics as a language , she also encourages the students to practice English most of the instructional time which means that she also enforces that her students know the correct way to use and write English as well as Ebonics.
While thinking about Ebonics as a whole or even reading this article, think about if you agree with Carrie English and the SEP/CACSEA programs. Do you think that the SEP/CACSEA programs work? Do you think that Ebonics could indeed be a second language and could be taught in unison with the English language or is Ebonics just street slang?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Approaching Ebononics as a foreign language is an empowering way to approach standard English instruction. Are Ebononics speakers ESL students?
ReplyDeleteThis is English's approach and it is an innovative way to motivate students to improve language skills.
Rather than correcting students for grammatical errors, she askes them to translate from Ebononics to English. She introduces writers who use both Ebononics and standard English in their works, similar to a foreign language writer who also writes in English. For English, content takes precedence over structure. Her students read writers who explore topics that are more advanced than most student fare at these grade levels. Her work has generated controversy, but her teaching strategy is sound.
I think Carrie Secret's teaching strategy sounds like it would be very beneficial to her students. I think teaching English as a second language to speakers of Ebonics is a good idea. Like she said, you have to respect the language that the kids grew up with and know. Rather than trying to "fix" it, she helps them understand both languages and differentiate between the two.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article i do not agree with Carrie English or the SEP/CACSEA programs.I don't know if they are embracing Ebonics in the classroom, and school to help students feel more comfortable, and to embrace their environment or truly doing it, because this language or style of dialect will help those students become better and productive students into their adulthood. I feel Ebonics has room for one place and that's if any and that's outside the classroom, and school. I feel by mixing the two languages, this will get students confused. They can't use it in the professional world so that is not helping them become efficient in society.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Carrie's teaching strategy. Every child is raised different and each parent teaches different things to them. In order to get across to a student, a teacher must dig deeper to really get through to them. I believe that embracing the Ebonics and teaching them another way to speak would be more beneficial, because it is hard to change something that has been occurring for so long.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jessica Roby. I feel that Ebonics is more of a dialect than a language, and since I feel this way, there is no reason to teach English as a second language to AAE speakers. AAE speakers have been introduced to English their entire lives, whether it is "Standard" English or AAE, so it is not a "second" language to them as it is to other people who speak a completely different language first. Do we teach English as a second language to people with southern or northern dialects? No, but we do teach ESL to Spanish/French/German/Chinese/etc.-speaking students. That is because southern and northern dialects are just that--dialects. They are not a separate language, just as I feel AAE is not a separate language.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Jessica in the fact that I think this will just get students confused. While I do see that AAE has its own rules it follows as a dialect, I think Jessica is correct in saying that Ebonics has no place in the professional world--just as I can't use my southern quips professionally, neither can AAE speakers use their own standards of speaking. By teaching it as such in an educational setting, we are teaching students that it is acceptable to use Ebonics in a professional setting, and it's not.
I disagree with the SEP/CACSEA programs. While it may be acceptable for students to use Ebonics outside of the classroom, within the home, and when hanging out with their friends, it is unrealistic and inappropraite for Ebonics to be used in a professional or educational setting. While AAE may be the easiest way for Carrie English to communicate with her students, the best way to do so is by using Standard Written English, as this is the dominant language in our culture. As stated above, it says that Carrie English only instructs her students by using Standard Written English SOME of the time, which means that she puts more emphasis and importantce on Ebonics rather than Standard Written English. Carrie English needs to teach students only one language as well in order for them not to become confused. I don't necessarily believe that Ebonics could become a second language to English because it is spoken by mostly minorities and because it is not useful at colleges or in the workplace. Most people would not like to take the time to learn it, and many would feel that it makes them sound unintelligent. On a final note, while teaching the culture of Ebonics is also vital, there are other cultures in our society that cannot be forgotten and need to be taught as well.
ReplyDeleteI believe that her teaching techniques are useful and helpful to her students. Anytime a teacher can connect with her students on more than an academic level than it allows the students to engage themselves more as well as be more willing to listen to someone who knows them and connects with them besides just teaching them.
ReplyDeleteThis article made a lot of sense. I do not agree with Ebonics as a second language. I do believe that it is just street slang (and by this I mean a type of informal language) but the approach she is taking seems to be productive if anything. I don't see how it would be confusing for a student to learn English through the aid of being more aware of Ebonics. Bottom line is that it is used and instead of fighting the inevitable, work with it. It seems to only bring together a greater understanding for both languages. I am doing student observation for secondary English Ed at a school near by and the teachers informed me that they had to attend a workshop on ebonics so that they can relate and understand their students better! They also didn't agree with Ebonics as a language but that it did help them better communicate with students that used it. There is a place and time for everything and Carrie HOPEFULLY is teaching her students that Ebonics is informal and in the professional world Standard English is the only acceptable form of language.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Carrie English's technique of teaching is beneficial to her students. A lot of African-Americans speak Ebonics and I guess you could consider it our first language, so teaching English as a second language is a good way to teach proper English to Ebonics speakers.
ReplyDeleteI think that SWE is the first and foremost language that English teachers need to push - it's the whole reason they have the job. Therefore, English teachers shouldn't put more emphasis I think on something like Ebonics, which to me seems more like a dialect than an actual full on language. It would be even more beneficial I think if a particular English teacher wanted to, say teach Spanish in this same way this teacher is doing with Ebonics, because that language is used at least globally more likely than Ebonics. That's not to say there's no value in trying to show the relationships between Ebonics and English - teachers also have to find ways to connect to the students, and if one of those ways is for the teacher to start understanding Ebonics, then that can be explored - I just think it shouldn't be as focused as the mission with SWE.
ReplyDeleteOnce again I have mixed feelings about teaching Ebonics, but if by teaching English as a second language helps people learn the language I think that is great. Any teaching strategy that gets students active must be a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that the focus is to get the children up to speed. Once they are up to speed they should no longer be taught English as their second language.
I also did not agree with the article. I don't think that Ebonics is a separate language and although teachers should respect the culture of the individuals. I think proper grammar should be required because a child at that age will not learn proper ways to communicate with people once they continue school and get out into the real world. I agree with Jessica in that they will not be able to communicate in the professional world if they do not implement proper language when they are young.
ReplyDeleteI have to completely disagree with Carrie English here. Ebonics is in no way, shape, or form another language. Just like Southern American English, AAE is a dialect of Standard English. In my opinion, it's ludicrous to even consider AAE as a separate language. In the professional world, people need to learn to both write and speak in Standard English, and teaching it as a second language as opposed to being the main focus is doing these students no good.
ReplyDeleteI feel as though that yes Ebonics is dialect that makes Ebonics is a dialect and should be seen as a part of American culture.However it should not be use as a language is crazy. It cannot be use in the professional world and cannot see that you are a serious workers. Yes it can be use among peers but not in the everyday world.We need to stop making excuses for non professional speaking .
ReplyDeleteEbonics is a part of our culture. And slang in every culture is essential in understanding the language. I'm not sure if Ebonics would encompass expressions in our language, but I know that people studying English as a second language often don't understand some of our expressions. Things like that are just thoroughly embedded in our culture and are relevant in understanding native speakers. I think Ebonics needs to be taught alongside regular English. They should know how to correctly say and write thing, but they should also know the slang and culture behind our language.
ReplyDelete