LINGUISTICS, SOCIETY AND THE TEACHER/
TEACHING ENGLISH IN A MULTIDIALECTAL SOCIETY
(Fall 2011)
Department of Teaching and Learning
Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
New York University
Time:
Instructor:
Email:
Office Hours:
Wednesday 6.45-8.25
Location:
Dr. Myrrh Domingo
Office:
[email protected]
Phone:
Tuesdays 4-6pm and by appointment
Silver Center, 500
Pless Hall, 781
212.998.5862
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Drawing on research from disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, psychology, and literary theory
as well as education, we will examine the shifting nature of English (i.e., as a study of language,
literature, and human experience) and the purposes of teaching English in a multidialectal society. We
will examine such fundamental questions as: 1) what is the relationship between language and literacy in
an increasingly global and digital society; 2) what is the relationship between language use and literacy
learning in schools; 3) what is the relationship between language and social and political development?
We will work toward an understanding of teaching English as a multimodal meaning-making practice.
The goal of the course is for participants to develop a foundational grounding that can extend their
conceptual understanding and pedagogical practice of working with linguistically and culturally diverse
students.
Group projects focus on actual investigations in the area of sociolinguistics and language
teaching/learning. The course also offers readings on divergent voices in contemporary society and
considers ways to integrate such voices into existing language and literacy curriculum.
In addition to these objectives, there are two broad pedagogical aspects of English education that will
frame this course. These aspects of pedagogy, or praxis, owe much to Paulo Freire’s (1970) “problemposing” approach to teaching and learning. They include:
Reflection
Who am I as an English educator (As all things can be considered political, we
must continually question as teachers where are we situated politically as we
teach)? What is the theory/philosophy informing my teaching of English? How
can I understand it both in terms of my own educational and personal experiences
and in terms of my students’ experiences and needs?
Action
How do I fashion an English course that simultaneously meets curriculum
standards and reflects the multiplicity of voices expressed in a multidialectal
society? How do I fashion an English course that has relevance and a potential to
improve students’ lives and their appreciation for multiple languages/dialects?
How do I teach and influence language curriculum in ways that strengthen
democracy, spread justice, and support and sustain the linguistic and cultural
diversity of the United States?
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TEXTS
The course readings were selected to help you critically examine the teaching of English by unpacking
terms like “language,” “dialect,” and “literacy.” Assigned readings are available in pdf format on
Blackboard under the “Assignments" tab or as provided in class. You will need to borrow or purchase
one additional book to complete a group project.
Adger, C.T., Wolfram, W. & Christian, D. (2007). Dialects in Schools and Communities. Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
READING AND WRITING PRACTICES
Weekly Reading & Weekly Writing (20%)
For almost every class, you'll be asked to respond in writing to the readings or to engage in some other
activity that you report back on in writing. You will be responsible for writing ten 250-word analytical
responses, summarizing, synthesizing, and analyzing the week’s readings. Since there are 14 class
meetings this semester, you have autonomy in deciding which readings you will submit written
responses. I encourage you to address issues you feel are important to English teaching. So that I can
account for them, please post your responses on Blackboard the Tuesday before each Wednesday class
session. As your responses are to help you understand the readings, you will not receive feedback from
me. However, you will receive a 2pt. credit for each response that you post on Blackboard. Late
responses will not be accepted.
To assist in your analysis of the readings, the following framing questions may be used to write your
weekly reading summaries.
 What’s the point? This is the analysis/interpretation issue, which examines the author’s angle.
 Who says? This is the validity issues, which examines on what (data, literature, hearsay, etc.) are
the claims based.
 What’s new? This is the value-added issue, which explores the author’s contribution to existing
knowledge.
 Who cares? This is the significance issue (the most important issue of all—the one that subsumes
all others), which asks, a) is this work worth doing; b) is this text worth reading; c) does it
contribute something important?
Special Topics Group Presentation (30%)
You will be divided into groups to prepare and facilitate a 30-minute interactive discussion in relation to
one of special topics or themes indicated below. Your presentation should be innovative and creative
and should consist of the following components:
 Presentation Plan (10 pts.): Your plans should include the following:
Objectives Where will your discussion take us? What will we learn?
Materials What will you need to carry out the presentation?
Procedures and Activities How will you get us to where you want us to go? How will you
organize learning experiences?
Assessment How will you know we learned what you wanted us to learn?
 Multimodal Presentation (10 pts.): Your presentation should include the following:
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
Opening Activity/Explanation Mini-Lesson The purpose of the opening activity is to engage
classmates in theme, idea, or topic of interest in order to a. stimulate interest, b. develop shared
understandings, and c. develop a position.
Small Group Activity The purpose of the small group activity is to provide a forum for all class
members to engage in conversation about the theme, idea, or topic of interest.
Whole Group Discussion The bulk of your presentation should be devoted to whole-group
discussion. The purpose of the whole group is twofold: to provide you with an opportunity to
practice facilitating discussion and to provide an opportunity for the class to learn through
dialogue.
Textual Representation (10 pts.): Your presentation should include the following:
(Note: Only one double-sided handout is required per group)
One-page Resource Summary Synthesize relevant points your selected topic and provide
additional resources/readings for interested students.
One-page Critical Discussion of Topic Provide commentary on your topic with implications for
teaching English and teaching English to multilingual students.
The following topics and themes will be explored as relevant to your professional work in schools and
communities:
Dialects and Linguistic Systems
Social Interaction and Cultural Styles
Language Standards and Language Differences
Oral Language and Standard English
Vernacular Dialect and Written Language
The Social Context of Reading and the Acquisition of Standard English
Dialect Awareness and Language Diversity
Inquiry into Language and Literacy (30%)
The objective of this “inquiry project” is to help you acquire the skills and dispositions that will broadly
prepare you for teaching in the 21st century. In addition, through this project, you will be provided with
an opportunity to make a permanent change in our thinking about multidialecticalism in a manner that is
of mutual benefit to you as a teacher of English and to you as a student of language and literacy. You
have two options for this assignment:
Option #1: Language and Literacy Research: Your goal is to select and research a topic that is of
relevance to your future profession as an English teacher and consider its implications in urban
education.*** The research reports should include references to the course readings as well as
additional references from your review of literature. Your research report should include four
sections: a. research question and rationale, b. literature review, c. conclusions, and d.
implications. A one-page report of your research question and rationale is due the second class
meeting. A two-page annotated bibliography is due the fifth class meeting. The literature
review is due the ninth class meeting. You are responsible submitting your final reports,
including all four sections, by November 30th. Your research report should have the following
components:
 10-page Research Report (15 pts.): Research reports should include four sections: a.
research question and rationale, b. literature review, c. conclusions, and d. implications.
You are responsible for submitting your final reports, including all four sections, by
November 30th.
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
Multimodal Textual Design (15 pts.): This multimodal resource is expected to be a
creative, interactive representation of your research. While you may develop a range of
representative modes to display your findings, you should include four main components
in your design: a. research question and rationale, b. annotated bibliography, c.
conclusions, and d. implications. It is your challenge to consider how these traditional
elements of research writing might be integrated in your multimodal representation. You
will have the opportunity to showcase your multimodal design in class on December 7th.
*** Possible topics may include (but are not limited to): the role of language diversity in student
learning; legal/structural issues in relation to language policies that influence schools and
classrooms; disparities between language students home and school languages; racial
discrimination in schooling based on student dialects; and the impact of language diversity on
families, schools, and communities.
Option #2: Language and Literacy Ethnography: Your goal is to deepen your understanding of
the issues of teaching and learning by conducting an ethnographic inquiry about language and
literacy (Heath & Street, 2008; Dyson & Genishi, 2005).*** Your project will entail collecting
and analyzing data, reporting on the relevant findings, and discussing its implications for English
urban education. Your research report should include four sections: a. research question and
rationale, b. literature review, c. conclusions, and d. implications. A one-page report of your
research question and rationale is due the second class meeting. An two-page outline of your
research methods is due the fifth class meeting. The data for your study is due by the ninth class
meeting. You are responsible for submitting your final reports, including all four sections, by
December 7th. Your research report should have the following components:
 10-page Research Report (15 pts.): Research reports should include four sections: a.
research question and rationale, b. research methods, c. conclusions, and d. implications.
You are responsible submitting your final reports, including all four sections, by
November 30th.
 Multimodal Textual Design (15 pts.): This multimodal resource is expected to be a
creative, interactive representation of your research. While you may develop a range of
representative modes to display your findings, you should include four main components
in your design: a. research question and rationale, b. research methods, c. conclusions,
and d. implications. It is your challenge to consider how these traditional elements of
research writing might be integrated in your multimodal representation. You will have
the opportunity to showcase your multimodal design in class on December 7th.
*** This project will involve observing the specific dialect of a certain group of students in an
urban environment. To narrow your research into a manageable semester-long project, you will
be responsible for selecting a subtopic. Possible subtopics may include (but are not limited to):
(a) Describe and contrast the language use of the student(s) you are observing as they move
across three subject areas (e.g. English, language arts, science, math); (b) Examine the
representational schema (e.g., written text, spoken language, gestures) that the student(s) engage
to articulate multimodal meaning-making in a specific classroom or afterschool program.
Attendance and Participation (20%)
Note that I count as an important part of your participation your efforts to engage in lively discussion
and group activities with your colleagues. Further, more than one absence will result in the lowering of
your final grade. Please note that missing more than 1 scheduled class meetings, except in quite
exceptional circumstances, may also result in a failing grade.
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GRADING
Grades are criterion-referenced. That is, grades will be assigned based on the percent of the total
possible points that you receive on the assignments and attendance/participation. Points are distributed
as follows:
Weekly Reading Summaries
Special Topics Group Presentation
Inquiry into Language Study
Attendance and Participation
Total
20 points
30 points
30 points
20 points
100 points
COMMUNITY PRACTICES
 RESPONDING TO READINGS: Your goal as you are completing the reading is to respond, which
means to ask questions, make connections in personal ways to your past and ongoing teaching and
learning experiences, challenge, restate in your own words, anything that enables you to build your
own knowledge base. This process should be the opposite of reading “mindlessly” in the hopes of
memorizing and/or restating material to please the teacher. Your texts should appear in class marked
with questions, comments and connections, which will allow you to participate and engage your
colleagues in rich classroom conversations.

PARTICIPATION: This classroom is a place to experiment with your thinking and take risks.
Please speak up and share your thoughts to better facilitate discussions among your colleagues.

GROUP WORK: Group members must share the workload equally and make every effort to
communicate with one another. You are accountable to the group; compromise and collaborate
throughout the process. Set group norms ahead of time to avoid conflict.

BLACKBOARD: We are using these sites to expand classroom discussions beyond the time we
have available to us. Please post when instructed to do so.

LATE WORK: Written works must be printed and submitted on the date that they are due. Late
work will not be accepted and will adversely affect your final grade.
PLEASE NOTE: Any student attending NYU who needs an accommodation due to chronic,
psychological, visual, mobility and/or learning disability, or is Deaf or Hard of Hearing should
register with the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at 212 998 4980,
240 Greene Street, www.nyu.edu/csd.
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Schedule of Classes, Readings, and Assignments (Subject to Revision)
DATE
AGENDA
ASSIGNMENT(S) DUE
CLASS 1
Sept. 7
Introductions
Text: (1) Freire ”The Importance of the Act of Reading”
(2) Freire “Problem-posing approach” (3) Garcia &
Menken, “Moving Forward”
Writing: Language and Literacy Autobiography
CLASS 2
Sept. 14
Language and
Literacy:
Foundations, Myths,
and Assumptions
Text: (1) Street ”The New Literacy Studies and
Multimodality: Implications for the subject and the
language „English‟” (2) Graff & Duffy “Literacy Myths”
Writing: Checkpoint #1: Research Question/Rationale
CLASS 3
Sept. 21
Policy and Language
Variation
Text: (1) Adger, et. al, "Language Variation in America"
(2) Scott, et.al, "Cross-currents in Language Policies and
Pedagogical Practices" (3) Kalantzis and Cope,
"Language Education and Multiliteracies"
CLASS 4
Sept. 28
Hybridity and Identity
in Language
Education
Text: (1) Cummins, J., et. al. “Affirming Identity in
Multilingual Classrooms” (2) Garcia, et. al., “From
biliteracy to pluriliteracies” (3) Norton, “Identity,
Language Learning and Critical Pedagogies”
CLASS 5
October 5
White Tigers: Asian
Text: (1) Tan, “Mother Tongue” (2) Kingston, “White
(Immigrant/American) Tigers”
Englishes
Writing: Checkpoint #2: Annotated Bibliography is Due
For Language and Literacy Research or Description of
Research Method Due for Language and Literacy
Ethnography
CLASS 6
October 12
Noise of Silences:
Latina/os Language(s)
Text: (1) Anzuldua “Borderlands” (2) Rodriguez, “Aria”
CLASS 7
October 19
Black Talk: African
American Language
Text: (1) Baldwin, NYT Ebonics Article (2) Smitherman,
“Honeyz and Playaz Talkin that Talk”
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CLASS 8
October 26
Regional Dialects and
“Linguicism”
Text: (1) Purcell-Gates, “As soon as she opened her
mouth!”: Issues of Language, Literacy and Power”
CLASS 9
November 2
Teaching Language
Beyond Borders
Text: (1) Domingo, “Migrating Literacies”
Writing: Checkpoint #3: Literature Review is Due For
Language and Literacy Research or Data is Due for
Language and Literacy Ethnography
CLASS 10
November 9
CLASS 11
November 16
CLASS 12
November 23
Scenario #1:
Hybridity, Language
Pluralism, and the
Teaching of Literature
Text: (1) Kirkland, English(es) in Urban Contexts
Scenario #2:
Hybridity, Language
Variation and the
Teaching of Writing
Text: (1) Beck, "Individual Goals and Academic
Literacy" (2) Kirkland, “Rewriting School”
Scenario #3: Critical
Language Variation
and Language
Pedagogies
Text: (1) Stein, “Representation, rights, and resources:
multimodal pedagogies in the language and literacy
classroom”
Presentation Groups: 1 & 2
Presentation Groups: 3 & 4
Presentation Groups: 5 & 6
CLASS 13
November 30
Scenario #4:
Language Variation in
the 21st Century and
Beyond
Text: (1) Colin & Lankshear, “Remix: The Art and Craft
of Endless Hybridization”
Writing: Research Paper is Due
Presentation Groups: 7 & 8
CLASS 14
December 7
Multimodal Research
Presentations
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Appendix A
Grading Scale and Rubric
Steinhardt School of Education Grading Scale
There is no A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
There is no DF
IP
IF
N
93-100
90-92
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
73-76
70-72
65-69
60-64
Below 60
Incomplete/Passing
Incomplete/Failing
No Grade
Letter Grade Rubric
A—Outstanding Work
An "A" applies to outstanding student work. A grade of "A" features not simply a command of material
and excellent presentation (spelling, grammar, organization, writing style, etc.), but importantly,
sustained intellectual engagement with the material. This engagement takes such forms as shedding
original light on the material, investigating patterns and connections, posing questions, and raising
issues.
An "A" paper is excellent in nearly all respects:
 It is well argued and well organized, with a clear thesis
 It is well developed with content that is specific, interesting, appropriate and convincing
 It has logical transitions that contribute to a fluent style of writing
 It has few, if any, mechanical, grammatical, spelling, or diction errors
 It demonstrates command of a mature, unpretentious diction
B—Good Work
A "B" is given to work of high quality that reflects a command of the material and a strong presentation
but lacks sustained intellectual engagement with the material.
A "B" paper shares most characteristics of an "A" paper, but
 It may have some minor weaknesses in its argumentation
 It may have some minor lapses in organization and development
 It may contain some sentence structures that are awkward or ineffective
 It may have minor mechanical, grammatical, or diction problems
 It may be less distinguished in its use of language
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C—Adequate Work
Work receiving a "C" is of good overall quality but exhibits a lack of intellectual engagement as well as
either deficiencies in the student's command of the material or problems with presentation.
A "C" paper is generally competent; it is the average performance. Compared to a "B" paper, it may
have a weaker thesis and less effective development.
 It may have serious shortcomings in its argumentation
 It may contain some lapses in organization
 It may have poor or awkward transitions
 It may have less varied sentence structures that tend toward monotony
 It may have more mechanical, grammatical, and diction problems
D or F—Unsuccessful Work
The grade of "D" indicates significant problems with the student‚s work, such as a shallow
understanding of the material or poor writing.
 It presents no clear thesis
 It displays major organizational problems
 It lacks adequate support for its thesis
 It includes irrelevant details
 It includes confusing transitions or lacks transitions altogether
 It fails to fulfill the assignment
 It contains ungrammatical or poorly constructed sentences and/or demonstrates problems with
spelling, punctuation, diction or syntax, which impedes understanding
An "F" is given when a student fails to demonstrate an adequate understanding of the material, fails to
address the exact topic of a question or assignment, or fails to follow the directions in an assignment, or
fails to hand in an assignment. Pluses (e.g., B+) indicate that the paper is especially strong on some, but
not all, of the criteria for that letter grade. Minuses (e.g., C-) indicate that the paper is missing some, but
not all, of the criteria for that letter grade.
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Appendix B
Basic Guidelines for Writing Analytical Papers
In writing papers for this course, keep in mind that following points. They apply in particular to
the midterm report, but most of the same concerns apply to other required writing assignments
for this course as well. (For guidelines on APA-style citations and reference format, see: APA.
(2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed. Washington,
DC: APA.)
1. Pick an important issue: Make sure that your analysis meets the “so what” test. Why
should anyone care about this topic, anyway? Pick an issue or issues that matters and that
you really care about.
2. Keep focused: Do not lose track of the point you are trying to make and make sure the
reader knows where you are heading and why.
3. Aim for clarity: Do not assume the reader knows what you’re talking about; it’s your job
to make points clearly. In part this means keeping focused and avoiding distracting
clutter. But in part it means that you need to make more than elliptical references to
concepts and sources or to professional experience. When referring to readings (from the
course and elsewhere), explain who said what and why this point is pertinent to the issue
at hand. When drawing on your own experiences or observations, set the context so the
reader can understand what you mean. Proceed as though you were writing for someone
who is neither a member of this class nor the teaching profession.
4. Provide analysis: A good paper is more than a catalogue of facts, concepts, experiences,
or references; it is more than a description of the content of a set of readings; it is more
than an expression of your educational values or an announcement of your prescription
for what ails schools. A good paper is a logical and coherent analysis of the issues raised
within your chosen area of focus. This means that your paper should aim to explain
rather than describe or declare. If you give examples, be sure to tell the reader what they
mean in the context of your analysis. Make sure the reader understands the connection
between the various points in your paper.
5. Provide depth, insight, and connections: The best papers are ones that go beyond making
obvious points, superficial comparisons, and simplistic assertions. They dig below the
surface of the issue at hand, demonstrating a deeper level of understanding and an ability
to make interesting connections.
6. Support your analysis with evidence: You need to do more than simply state your ideas,
however informed and useful these may be. You also need to provide evidence that
reassures the reader that you know what you are talking about, thus providing a
foundation for your argument. Evidence comes in part from the literature, whether
encountered in this course or elsewhere. Evidence can also come from your own
experiences in and around schools and classrooms. Remember that you are trying to
accomplish two things with the use of evidence. First, you are saying that it is not just
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you making this assertion but that authoritative sources and solid evidence back you up.
Second, you are supplying a degree of specificity and detail, which helps to flesh out an
otherwise skeletal argument.
7. Do not overuse quotations: In a short paper, long quotations (more than a sentence or two
in length) are generally not appropriate. Even in longer papers, quotations should be used
sparingly unless they constitute a primary form of data for your analysis. In general, your
paper is more effective if written primarily in your own words, using ideas from the
literature but framing them in your own way in order to serve your own analytical
purposes. However, selective use of quotations can be very useful as a way of capturing
the author’s tone or conveying a particularly aptly phrased point.
8. Cite your sources: You need to identify for the reader where particular ideas or examples
come from. For the purposes of such identification of published sources, you need to
give the author’s last name, publication year, and (in the case of quotations) page number
in parentheses at the end of the sentence or paragraph where the idea is presented. In
general writers in education use the APA style of citation; see the APA publication
manual or any mainstream educational journal for particular examples. Be sure to list
cited sources at the end of your paper. Note that citing a source is not sufficient to fulfill
the requirement to provide evidence for your argument. As spelled out in #6 above, you
need to transmit to the reader some of the substance of what appears in the source cited,
so the reader can understand the connection with the point you are making and can have
some meat to chew on. The best analytical writing provides a real feel for the material
and not just a list of assertions and citations. Depth, insight, and connections count for
more than a superficial collection of glancing references. In other words, do not just
mention an array of sources without drawing substantive points and examples from the
sources and do not draw on ideas from such sources without identifying the ones you
used.
9. Take care in the quality of your writing: A paper that is written in a clear and effective
style makes a more convincing argument than one written in a murky manner, even when
both writers start with the same basic understanding of the issues. However, writing that
is confusing often signals confusion in a person’s thinking. After all, one key purpose of
writing is to put down your ideas in a way that permits you and others to reflect on them
critically, to see if they stand up to analysis. So you should take the time to reflect on
your own ideas on paper and revise them as needed. You may want to take advantage of
the opportunity in this course to submit the draft of the final paper, revise it in light of
comments, and then resubmit the revised version. This, after all, is the way writers
normally proceed. Outside of the artificial world of the classroom, writers never turn in
their first draft as their final statement on a subject.
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