When giving a unit mastery test earlier this week, the importance of language struck me. As an English teacher, I view the English language and communication as the heart of my curriculum. I believe that literature should come secondary to these broad-based language communication skills. Yet, due to standards and department-wide curriculum guides, what I teach is the literature and its corresponding history and literary connections. On my unit test, then, I asked questions in various formats to assess student understanding of the various literary components. Thus, the language skills become secondary with regard to assessment. During the test, several students finished within the first half hour—keep in mind this is a test designed for a 90 minute block. Though I have not graded the tests I somehow assume these super-quick students did not perform at their best. The majority of students took about an hour or an hour and twenty minutes to complete. The last four students to finish included two foreign exchange students and two Korean students. All four had at some point throughout the test asked clarification on questions—particularly questions regarding abstract concepts like “significance.” It dawned on me that these non-native English speakers were perhaps the last to finish the test because of language issues. While I did not intentionally develop question phrasing or vocabulary that would “stump” students, I did use typical English vocabulary and specialized language to talk about abstract literary concepts designed for the college-bound junior class I teach. I want my students to demonstrate their knowledge of literature but also their language skills. I am facing a debate now regarding how to balance these two demands with particular concern for non-native English speaking students. My teaching beliefs value language while my mandated curriculum values literature. And I feel stuck.
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Dear Kare,
ReplyDeleteThere are a few of us out here in the real world: English teachers who truly adore teaching language instead of literature. Don't get me wrong--I love teaching GATSBY and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and leading my juniors through the history of American literature. But my best feedback has come from my former students who are in college and return to say, "I'm the only one in my dorm who can proofread an essay," or "I've started a grammar patrol in my dorm." : )
It isn't a popular stand, but my experience has proven to me that teaching formal grammar does affect good composition skills. A teacher may not see those skills kick in until the student reaches college, where no one will teach him the rules, but they do kick in. They also matter to students who take the ACT or the PSAT. Students rarely thank you while you're teaching them grammar rules; they thank you much later when that knowledge matters to them. (It's much like players who never thank the coach for miserably hard practices that are no fun, but the players are quite grateful when they win the championship.)
Good luck!
Vicki Mc.