Language Arts and What’s at Stake

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Most people can readily see the importance of English. Why do so few enjoy it in school or find it fulfilling?

In this inspiring session, Kendall Myers reminds us of why language arts classes rightly take a significant slice of our energies at school. Kendall brings a wealth of experience and thought to this topic from his time in the classroom, in school leadership, and as a parent. He asks the question: What should we accomplish in our English classes? He unpacks the basic goal of producing students who are capable of listening and reading with comprehension and speaking and writing with clarity.

You’ll hear a profound philosophy of language woven in here. Language opens the world to our students; it changes the way they see and understand. Articulating what they have learned or are coming to understand is a vital part of knowing. Expressing what they know clarifies their understanding and increases their ownership of the material.

But this talk doesn’t just give the philosophy. While that’s essential to caring deeply about English, Kendall’s talk also points towards the kinds of activities that can turn this subject into something students look forward to. Specifically, he offers an overview of how to think about cultivating your students’ reading. What should our students be reading and how do we identify a good book?

 

 

Links

• This recording was first published on The Dock as "Why Teach English?" https://thedockforlearning.org/lecture/why-teach-english/ 
• More recordings from CASBI 2015: https://thedockforlearning.org/series/casbi/casbi-2015/
• Info on how languages divide the color spectrum differently (two suggested links below; use some or all or other)
  • https://blog.duolingo.com/color-words-around-the-world/
  • https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0701644104?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed
  • https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11759-russian-speakers-get-the-blues/ (summary of the 2nd link)