Literacy & Learning
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11274/9561
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Browsing Literacy & Learning by Author "Caldera, Altheria"
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Item Being a conduit and culprit of white language supremacy: A duo autohistoriateoría(Faculté des Lettres et Sciences Humaines, University of Limoges, 2020) Caldera, Altheria; Babino, Ale RuizIn this manuscript, two normalistas-teachers, who are Women of Color in the United States, reflected on our experiences as educators. In a chronological narrative structure, we each told stories related to our experiences with languages and literacy. Using Anzaldúa’s autohistoria-teoría—a decolonial research methodology—we constructed situated knowledge based on our personal reflections of our experiences. More specifically, we uncovered ways we have been conduits of white language supremacy, interrogated how white language supremacy has impacted our teaching, and revealed our growth in our stance towards linguistic justice. Through the lens of raciolinguistics, we reveal our own victimization, internalized racist linguicism, and subsequent perpetuation of linguistic imperialism. Because of our professional successes as a result of English proficiency, we bought into the myth that acquiring Standard American English was necessary to ensure the success of students with racialized identities and failed to fully value language plurality. At this point in our professional journeys, however, we are committed to work characterized by 1) a recognition of the ways language and race are inextricably entwined, 2) evidenced appreciation for non-Western language varieties, 3) use of translanguaging as resistance, 4) culturally sustaining writing instruction (Woodard, Vaughan, & Machado, 2017), and 5) multimodal communication practices. Our manuscript is important because it models the kind of vulnerability, theorization, and critical reflection necessary for scholars whose work aims for decoloniality. It represents our commitment to decolonization of the self.Item Moving toward culturally sustaining language instruction that resists white language supremacy(National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform, 2020) Caldera, Altheria; Babino, AlexandraIn this manuscript, we argue that language is central to students’ cultural identities and, therefore, should be validated in middle school classrooms. Additionally, we problematize the idea of “standard” languages and analyze how existing language hierarchies marginalize Students of Color through White language supremacy. White language supremacy can be defined as a belief in the superiority of Standard American English. In pedagogy, it manifests as teachers rejecting students’ preferred or home languages and dialects, forcing them to adopt the languaging practices of the dominant culture. Most importantly, we provide practical strategies for teachers who aim to enact culturally sustaining language instruction that resists White language supremacy.