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last.updated 2.3.08

 

The Politics of L2 Writing

Purpose

As our discussions over the last few weeks have made clear, the debate surrounding L2 writing is quite political. Some argue that all students who experience US education should be held to rigid standards of literacy; others counter that these standards do not account for the realities of language development. The purpose of this lesson is to understand the political issues of L2 writing and to consider how you will respond to and justify the curriculum you design for your students.

Before Class

  • Read CCCC's Statement on Student's Right to their Own Language [BB]
  • Read Horner "'Student's Right,' English Only..." [College English, 63.6]
  • Read Weigle, "Investing in Assessment" [BB]
  • Read Lo Bianco "Multiliteracies and multilingualism"[BB]
  • Submit the Proposal to the instructor as a hard copy at the beginning of class

Freewrite (10 minutes)

In what ways is L2 writing a political issue? More specifically how is it a political issue in the context that you work in or the context that you plan to work in? What are some of the administrative and pedagogical responses to these issues? What institutional factors might become obstacles to any type of compromise or change?

Discussion: L2 Writers & L2 Writing

We will discuss the following questions...

  • What questions do you have about the readings for today's class?
  • How did you respond to the freewrite.
  • Should the global issues of English literacy influence what we do in our classrooms?
  • In what ways do you see The Students' Right to their Own Language helping students? In what ways might it not go far enough? Or too far? How do you see this statement speaking to or against the CCCC Statement on Second Language Writers and Writing?
  • How would you create assessments tools to foster positive washback for your teaching context?

Activity: Pedagogically Responding to the Politics of L2 Writing

In groups you will be assigned to one of the following contexts

  • First-year writing course
  • Non-credit bearing (pre-FYW) ESL course
  • 10th grade language arts class in a Hampton Roads high school
  • Basic writing course populated with mostly lower class students, bi-dialect students, and L2 writers

Looking over the political issues associated with L2 writing, develop a pedagogical unit for your assigned context and explain how your curriculum responds to these political issues.

In developing these issues you will want to...

  • start by establishing your goals for the unit (and think about how these goals speak to the political issues)
  • develop assignments or deliverables for the unit (and think about how these goals speak to the political issues)
  • explain activities, exercises, or lectures that will help the students complete the assignments and fulfill the unit goals (and think about how these goals speak to the political issues)

You will have forty minutes to work on it. Your group will be expected to present its work at the end.