New Ways of Talking About Language

As important as it is that all educators recognize that speaking more than one language is an asset, we also need to begin changing the way we speak about language to reflect this. In the past, many of us, myself included, have used a deficit model when talking about English Language Learners. It was always more about what they couldn't do or were unable to understand. In changing to an asset model, we begin to see how ELL's prior knowledge can be used to build upon and expand their understanding of language and its functions.

The following chart is adapted from Wheeler, Rebecca S., and Rachel Swords. 2010. Code-Switching Lessons: Grammar Strategies for Linguistically Diverse Writers, 17. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann and can be found in the 2014 ELA/ELD Framework, Chapter 9 - Curriculum Frameworks (CA Dept of Education), page 919. 

Instead of:	Try this:
Thinking in terms of proper or improper good or bad	See language as appropriate or inappropriate (for task and audience) effective or ineffective in a specific setting
Talking about grammar as right or wrong correct or incorrect	Talk about grammar as patterns how language varies by setting and situation
Thinking that students make mistakes or errors have problems with plurals, posessives, tense, etc. "left off" an -s, -'s, -ed	See students as  following the language patterns of their home language or home varieties of English using grammatical patterns or vocabulary that is different from Standard English
Saying to students "should be," "are supposed to," "need to correct	Invite students to code-switch (choose the type of language appropriate for the setting and situation)
Red notes in the margin correcting students' language	Lead students to compare and contrast language build on existing knowledge and add new language (Standard English) understand how to code-switch appropriately

The ways we choose to talk about language with students and one another directly affects students' learning outcomes and our abilities to guide them on the path to proficiency, and ideally, biliteracy.