Clausen 1 Katrina Clausen Structure of English Language 2 May 2012 Code-Switching: Finding Its Place in My Teaching Toolbox After

attending Rebecca Wheelers workshop on code-switching and contrastive analysis, I became very influenced and attached to the ideas and concepts of code-switching as a teaching tool. By promoting code-switching, I would encourage my students to use the language most appropriate for a particular setting. Standard English is the dialect of English valued in government, businesses, media, and most importantly in the school. It is very important for students to know how to write in Standard English but not at the expense of degrading their home language. I learned from Rebecca Wheeler that it is not just about marking students errors wrong but understanding why they are making these errors. Most students are just following the rules of their home or community language. Instead of responding to errors in a negative way, Wheeler encourages teachers of English to take those errors and develop mini-lessons on the way these errors can be changed in Standard English. One way to do this is to develop contrastive analysis charts demonstrating different patterns or errors found in student writing and how it is written or pronounced in Standard English. I learned from Dr. Wheelers workshop that the primary goal with using code-switching is to build off of the language of the home and add the language of the school. In her article Becoming Adept at Code-Switching, Rebecca Wheeler explains, [t]he class uses metacognition, which is knowledge about ones own thinking processes. Students learn to actively code-switchto assess the needs of the setting (the time, place, audience, and communicative purpose) and intentionally choose the appropriate language style for the setting (57). Through contrastive
Comment [KC2]: NCTE Standad 2.2- This is demonstrated here because by using code switching I am creatively helping students become more familiar with their own and others' cultures in order to build off their language of the home and add Standard American English without degrading their home language. Comment [KC1]: Overall, this research paper corresponds with NCTE standard 3.1 know skills of English language. My paper demonstrates my knowledge of the English language in a different way. My research shows extensive knowledge of how and why language varies and changes across different cultural groups. I can use the knowledge gained through my research to incorporate codeswitching into my classroom instruction show respect for language diversity My research paper also demonstrates NCTE standard 2.2 demonstrate foster familiarity with students own culture/others culture.

Clausen 2 analysis, students learn to use the language of the community (which is often Informal English) when they are with friends and family, and use the expected formal language ( Standard English) in school discussions, on standardized tests, essays in school and other school writing, and in the world of work. According to Wheeler, [i]n this way, we add another linguistic code, Standard English, to the students language toolbox (57). Once I graduate from Bloomsburg University, my plan is to move to the Philadelphia Area, and hopefully find a teaching job in the secondary schools as an English or Language Arts teacher. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is known for having a large African American population therefore suggesting African American Vernacular English (AAVE) is a dialect heavily spoken throughout the home and community as well as many other dialects. Rebecca Wheelers workshop focused on teaching students who speak AAVE how to code-switch to Standard English in appropriate settings. This is exactly why I was so intrigued by her lecture; I found a teaching method that I could potentially use at my future job. Curious about how Philadelphia students succeeded in the school system, I looked up their Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) report card from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. AYP is part of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), ensuring that all students meet the level of Proficiency in Math and Reading, as well as monitoring other aspects of education such as attendance and graduation rates. Pictured on the next page is part of the results for the Philadelphia Area School Districts overall results in reading (which includes grades 3-8 and 11) for 2010-2011 school year.

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These results show that over half of the African American population in Philadelphia Area school district is either Basic or Below Basic in reading. Although this does not show the writing scores for the students, reading and writing can be closely related especially in an English classroom. If students are struggling with reading they may be also struggling with writing. As a possible future English teacher in the Philadelphia Area I could potentially be responsible in helping to improve these scores. If I can teach my students how to become better writers by using code-switching that could also help in their ability to read and comprehend what they are reading (especially if it is in Standard English). In Rebecca Wheelers article, Teaching English in the World: Code-Switch to Teach Standard English, she seems confident in this methods ability to be successful. According to her, research proves that this method works. One of the cases mentioned was from a New York study of African American elementary students that looked to see if traditional teaching methods or contrastive analysis and code-switching were more successful at teaching Standard English to African American children. According to Wheeler, [t]he results were eye opening: While students in the traditional groups showed no improvement, students learning through contrastive analysis nearly doubled in their ability to produce Standard English forms (112). This information is useful but I wanted to know more
Comment [KC3]: Researching code-switching as a teaching method incorporates NCTE standard 3.7 know research theory and findings in ELA. The main focus for this standard would be on the use of research to analyze teaching practices in order to better understand what enables students to speak and write in order to effectively vary learning situations.

Clausen 4 about code-switching and how I could use this at a secondary level. Can this method actually be used? Would this method actually work with older children? How could I incorporate codeswitching in various lessons or explain it in different ways to my students? These were all questions circling in my head, so I decided to set out and try to answer them. In the essay, African American English-Speaking Students An Examination of the Relationship Between Shifting and Reading Outcomes, a study was done of 165 typically developing African American students in 1st-5th grade. According to the text, [t]he purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between the ability to dialect shift from oracy to literary tasks and reading achievement. Comparisons were made between AAE feature rates in the generation of an oral and a written narrative (Craig, Zhang, Hensel, and Quinn 842). The group of students all spoke AAVE and had approximately even amounts of boys and girls. The study proved to be successful finding that 85% of the students in this study were able to codeswitch. The authors state, [a]lthough all participants produced AAE in the generation of a short, oral narrative, AAE rates decreased significantly when students were writing a short narrativeThe change in participants dialect production was observable at both group and individual levels (851). Another important note about this study was that AAVE rates in the oracy task did not directly predict reading outcomes, whereas AAVE rates in the writing task did (851). This study proves to me that code-switching can be an effective teaching tool but most importantly it showed me how code-switching can influence not only students writing but also their reading outcomes. My theory that reading and writing are connected proves to be true. If I can effectively teach my students how to code-switch, I can predict how they will perform with reading and hopefully influence their ability to read and comprehend. This also shows me that African American students who can learn to use Standard English in literacy exercises can

Clausen 5 succeed and outperform their peers who do not know how to make linguistic adaptations in writing. While Rebecca Wheelers articles and workshop, and the previous study all focused on AAVE, there are many other dialects used today, especially with multicultural populations in schools. AAVE may not be the only dialect that I come in contact with in an English classroom or that can influence a students writing. In the article Spanglish as Literacy Tool: Toward an Understanding of the Potential Role of Spanish-English Code-Switching in the Development of Academic Literacy, Ramon Antonio Martinez conducts a study of Spanish-English-or Spanishamong Latina/Latino six graders in East Los Angeles. According to Martinez, [a]nalysis of the data revealed significant parallels between the skills embedded in students everyday use of Spanglish and the skills that they were expected to master according to Californias sixth-grade English language arts standards. Martinez observed the classroom of Ms. Ramirez at Eastside Middle school for a traditional school year. Martinez observed how students in the classroom often mixed English and Spanish words in conversation, engaging in a hybrid language practice that many of them called Spanglish, and that most linguists refer to as Spanish-English codeswitching (124). From his observations, Martinez found 6 primary reasons for students use of Spanglish in the classroom: to clarify and/or reiterate utterances; quote and report speech; joke and/or tease; index solidarity and intimacy; shift voices for different audiences; and communicate subtle nuances of meaning (131). According to the author, there are important parallels between what the students in Ms. Ramirezs classroom were already doing with language-through their everyday use of Spanglish- and what we want them to do with respect to standard language and literacy skills in school ( Martinez 145). This article really opened up my eyes to the broad

Clausen 6 spectrum of code-switching. Students are capable of code-switching with many different languages and dialects; they just need guidance on when and when not to use certain dialects. I realized that it is not about which dialect students are using outside of school but how we as teachers can use those dialects to build off of and integrate the language of the school (Standard English). As a junior undergraduate English major, I am confident in claiming that I know how to speak and write in Standard English but I also have informal dialects that I use whether it is with my friends, boyfriend, or family members. I think it is safe to say that anyone could be guilty of switching around their language or having different dialects for different settings; it is part of what English has become today. According to John White, the author of De-centering English: Highlighting the Dynamic Nature of the English Language to Promote the Teaching of Code-Switching, [w]e change the way we use language depending on the context in which we find ourselves (in other words, we consciously and unconsciously code-switch frequently throughout the average day) (49). As I dug deeper into my study, I began to realize how common language varieties are in our society and also how varieties have evolved. John Whites article really answered my question as to how I could integrate code-switching in a secondary classroom. I really connected with his philosophies on teaching English and the sample activities he describes that are completed by his students. Whites primary goal is, to get the students to see that though we should teach the conventions of Standard English, we should also acknowledge and even celebrate the unique and highly effective forms of discourse that students bring with them into the classroom (44). In the beginning of the article, White tries to break down the English teachers static view of language. He explains, our lexicon in always growing and changing;

Clausen 7 we add new words constantly while words whose contexts are no longer valid die a quiet death (45). Language is changing as the cultures are changing. My favorite project that White does with his class is the translation of Tupacs lyrics. The students take the lyrics to Tupacs Me Against the World and translate their own creation of the song into Standard English. Once they are finished and the projects are presented, the class votes on which version of the song holds the most power over them. Pictured below is a class sample presented by White of a students translated lyrics.
Comment [KC4]: The activity I found incorporating code-switching would be perfect for NCTE standard 2.6 demonstrate role of arts/humanities in learning. I would love to use this activity in my future classroom in order to extended learning experiences that integrate arts and humanities into learning. In this case, music or song lyrics are used to teach Standard English. I love how this activity highlights the important aspects of code-switching and yet does not degrade the informal language; in fact, it is praising the informal language for its powerful effect on the audience. Most importantly, this assignment is promoting learning how to code-switch and provides excellent practice for the students in a fun and interesting way. Other code-switching activities could also stem from this assignment. Students could rewrite lyrics of many songs into Standard English or also translate more traditional poetry (like Emily Dickinson) into hip-hop versions or create a dictionary with a view words or phrases in their dialect of choice and then define what it means in Standard English. This would incorporate NCTE Standard 3.2 involving written literacy practices, NCTE Standard 4.4 promote respect/support for differences, and NCTE Standard 4.7 emphasize varied purposes for language use

Actual Lyrics to Tupacs Song Me Against the World

Can you picture my prophecy? Stress in the city, the cops is hot for me The projects is full of bullets, the bodies is droppin There ain't no stoppin me Constantly movin while makin millions Witnessin killings, leavin dead bodies in abandoned buildings Can't raise the children cause they're illin Addicted to killin and the appeal from the cap peelin Without feelin, but will they last or be blasted? Hard headed bastard Maybe he'll listen in his casket - the aftermath More bodies being buried - I'm losing my homies in a hurry They're relocating to the cemetary Got me worried, stressin, my vision's blurried The question is will I live? No one in the world loves me I'm headed for danger, don't trust strangers Put one in the chamber whenever I'm feelin this anger Don't wanna make excuses, cause this is how it is What's the use unless we're shootin no one notices the youth It's just me against the world baby

Standard English Translation of Tupac Shakurs Just Me Against the World (Classroom Sample)
Can you understand what I see as my future? I live in a stressful city; the police keep an eye out for me The housing projects are a violent place, people are being hurt and killed But I cant leave behind the life, I stay busy making money. The witnessing of murders and seeing dead bodies in abandoned buildings Negatively influences children, causing them to have a skewed view of life They become addicted to the violence and from the sounds of gunfire, A sound they dont even stop to think about, but will they survive or fall pretty to this same violence? Not even aware Maybe death is the only way hell understand-but its too late Because others are still dying- Im losing my good friends quickly Theyre being buried in cemeteries I worry about this a lot, so much I cant see a future I wonder, will I live? I really dont have anyone who loves me I am headed for danger, I cant trust people I load my guy when I feel this terrible anger I dont want to make excuses , because this is my reality Complaining doesnt do any good; no one notices the problem with our youth unless theres gunfire Im all alone in my quest for recognition of the problem.

Clausen 8 White chooses this particular assignment because it is highlighting the power in certain non-Standard English discursive forms. The most powerful lyrics to the audience are obviously Tupacs original song lyrics. According to White, [t]hough each passage-the original and its translation- says the same thing (each has the same literal message), the original, nonStandard English passage inevitably holds far more emotional and rhetorical power regardless of audience. Whites assignment found a place in my heart. It is truly brilliant. I love how it highlights the important aspects of code-switching and yet does not degrade the informal language; in fact, it is praising the informal language for its powerful affect on the audience. Most importantly, this assignment is promoting learning how to code-switch and provides excellent practice for the students in a fun and interesting way. Other code-switching activities could also stem from this assignment. Students could rewrite lyrics of many songs into Standard English or also translate more traditional poetry (like Emily Dickinson) into hip-hop versions or create a dictionary with a few words or phrases in their dialect of choice and then define what it means in Standard English. White explains, [t]hrough such activities students engage in active code-switching to different discourses and, by doing so, make cultural connections to language usage (47). I realized from Whites article and examples that code-switching activities can be implemented in all different ways throughout an English classroom. Once students learn the basics of code-switching to Standard English, the possibilities are endless for projects and activities that can be developed in order to help them practice their new linguistic tool. Through my research, I realized that code-switching is something that we all do every day. One strategy I have always been taught in my education courses is to try and relate information to what students know or are interested in. Code-switching is the perfect tool because it is using students acquired knowledge about a particular dialect and building off of that
Comment [KC5]: Cultural experiences! NCTE Standard 2.2 foster familiarity with students own / others cultures.

Clausen 9 to incorporate how to use Standard English for appropriate settings. Contrastive analysis charts can be successful for teaching the basics of code-switching but through this research I believe I could take code-switching to a whole new level in my future classroom. I am now confident that code-switching can be used in a classroom at any grade level and there are endless ways to incorporate code-switching activities at a secondary level. With secondary level students I think it is very important to explain concepts in ways that are real and apply to the reality of the world today. I can use real life situations to explain to students how to code-switch and also how it is used in other aspects of our language (how we talk at home or with our friends) or various other languages (music lyrics, etc.).

Clausen 10 Works Cited Craig, Holly K, et al. "African American EnglishSpeaking Students: An Examination of the Relationship Between Dialect Shifting and Reading Outcomes." Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 52 (Aug. 2009): 839-855. Print. Martnez, Ramn Antonio. "Spanglish as Literacy Tool: Toward an Understanding of the Potential Role of Spanish-English Code-Switching in the Development of Academic Literacy.Research in the Teaching of English 45.2 (2010): 124-149. Print. "Philadelphia City School District Report Card." 2010-2011. PDF file. Wheeler, Rebecca S. "Becoming Adept at Code-Switching." Educational Leadership (Apr. 2008): 54-58. Print. Wheeler, Rebecca S. "Teachinng English in the World: Code-Switch to Teach Standard English."JSTOR. National Council of Teachers of English, 2005. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/30047364 .>. White, John W. "De-centering English: Highlighting the Dynamic Nature of the English Language to Promote the Teaching of Code-Switching." English Journal 100.4 (2011): 44-49.Print.