Dieses Essay beschäftigt sich mit der Problematik der Achievement Gap zwischen weißen und schwarzen Amerikaner*innen, hervorgerufen durch die Bevorzugung von Standard English gegenüber African-American English. Es werden die Probleme, welche damit einhergehen erläutert, der Ursprung des Problems und mögliche Lösungsansätze.
How to Integrate African American English into the Classroom
'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.' (Butler 1974)
In 1974 the National Council of Teachers of English and the Conference on College Composition and Communication published a resolution called 'Students' Right to Their Own Language'. The quote above was extracted from the SRTOL. It promises students from every minority that their heritage would be appreciated and diversity would be embraced in the American classroom. (Turner and Ives 2013: 288-289) However, the average grade of African-American children in California is a D+, they account for 64% of those who have to repeat a class and 84% of black teenagers are insufficiently prepared for college (Mordaunt 2011: 81 - 82). These numbers represent the achievement gap between black and white students and they are the result of a school system that is designed for white Americans. Standardised tests favour those who speak Standard English (SE) and discriminate students who speak African American English (AAE). (Mordaunt 2011: 85). As black children are raised speaking AAE to their relatives and friends, they cannot often express themselves in SE as eloquently as they would in AAE. Consequently, they are perceived as retarded (Mordaunt 2011: 83) and their true potential remains undiscovered (Mordaunt 2011: 81). The core of this problem is systematic racism. To counter discrimination against AAE speakers, there is a need for three major changes in the educational system. Firstly, all students need to learn the skill of code-switching, thus they need to be able to switch to Standard English in situations that require formal language. Secondly, students need to learn about the history and the value of AAE. Lastly, teachers need to develop knowledge on the patterns ofAAE so they can take account ofthe grammar when seeing it in tests.
Since Americans are expected to use SE in formal situations such as their job, political or educational institutions, Standard English builds the codes of power. Hence, students who do not master SE will have fewer opportunities in their adult life (Turner & Ives 2013: 289). Therefore, students should be provided with the possibility to learn how and when to switch to SE in school. At the start of elementary school, children are recommended not to use AAE. Thus, sensitivity to AAE should be developed from an early age (Mordaunt 2011: 83). The children must learn how to distinguish AAE from SE to build the ability to transition from one dialect to the other smoothly. Thus, the contrastive analysis must be part of the American English classes. Students need to learn about the phonological, lexical, and syntactical differences between both dialects. Tasks on code-switching can include translating AAE texts into SE texts and vice versa. Hip Hop lyrics could be integrated as texts for translating tasks as well as radio dialogues orjob interviews. Not only Afro-American students can draw from the language sensitivity they learn from these kinds of tasks. Research suggests that dialect shifting is connected to other metalinguistic skills and that children who use AAE frequently have greater linguistic flexibility. Hence, code-switching supports the development of literacy. Instead of the 'maintenance of a single linguistic variety in educational settings' (Connor & Craig 2006: 783) bidialectism should be encouraged in the classroom (Mordaunt 2011: 83). Consequently, students should master SE but they also need to be allowed to speak AAE in class. According to Mordaunt (2011: 84) 'schools need to maintain the self-worth of AAE-speaking student's by respecting that dialect's use in informal situations and assignments (e.g. brainstorming, discussion with peers, personal letters [...]), while at the same time encouraging the transition, or switching, to SAE for formal work'. Code-switching has to be presented as a tool the students can use to achieve their goals but SE never should be depicted as a superior dialect. The Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Ebonics defines Ebonies (which is a different term for AAE) as 'a type of English spoken by many African Americans that has been considered by some people to be a separate language'. According to this perspective, the differentiation between languages is made on a cultural level rather than a linguistic one (Turner & Ives: 286). Even though at the moment the official status ofAAE is one of a dialect, we must not forget that there is a whole different culture connected to the dialect. AAE is embedded in African-American culture, which is and should be part of the American culture. Therefore, it is of immense importance that next to the linguistic aspects of AAE students learn about its cultural background as well.
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- Joelle Schmidt (Author), 2022, How to Integrate African American English into the Classroom, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1180223
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