In
her book, Other People’s Words,
Victoria Purcell-Gates makes some interesting observations regarding the
sociocultural view of how language and literacy is learned. Purcell-Gates also addresses
some of the more important economic and political aspects that pertain to how education
is dispensed within and throughout American society. By innovatively stressing
the concept of viewing the world through the eyes of others, Purcell-Gates encourages
us to observe educational and cultural theories through the appropriate “lens”.
The ideas and theories introduced in this book are paramount to the learning
process and deserving of more analysis, research, and detailed discussion.
Most
people are capable of learning, but as Purcell-Gates argues, “their abilities
are based on their individual life situations” (4). Unfortunately we have a
tendency to judge people’s cognitive abilities based on the way they speak and
use language. My studies in sociolinguistics have informed me that there is no
right, wrong or best way to speak and that any language that serves its users
is the accepted standard of that particular language community. The myth that
some languages are superior to others has no basis in linguistic theory since
there is no objective way to evaluate language to determine which one is better
than the others (Crystal 7). Regrettably society gauges the intelligence of
learners by the language and dialect they use. I believe it would be more
constructive to study why low income and minority groups have low literacy
levels and by viewing the world through their eyes or what Purcell-Gates refers
to as the sociocultural theory lens (6).
Urban
Appalachian people are representative of a group often though of as deficient
in language, motivation, learning ability, and parenting skills. Public opinion
perceives this group to be unfit and incapable of learning to read and write in
Standard English. Purcell-Gates argues that this misconception is due to a
cultural difference rather than a deficit (86) and urban Appalachians are
merely immigrants to the literate world who must learn about the culture of
literacy (180). I surmise that this group faces many obstacles to educational
attainment due to the inherent characteristics of their culture. One of the
challenges this minority group must deal with is that they are mostly white and
of European descent, specifically Scottish-Irish-English ancestry, a class that
is not associated with what the general public sees as a minority or protected
class. Another obstacle is that this group is not politically organized and is
therefore left to their own efforts and individual devices when dealing with
school administrators and other bureaucracies. Perhaps the most severe and
least visible impediment is the prejudice and stereotyping directed at urban
Appalachians. Derogatory references, such as “hillbilly” and “white trash,”
directed at this low status minority are still socially acceptable. This
negative stereotyping further restricts the group’s access to educational
opportunities. It is apparent that negative stereotyping of a language can
serve as a mode of exclusion particularly when employed by the media to portray
the users as ignorant. Until we can break this cycle of prejudice and
discrimination low status groups will not be permitted to participate in the
mainstream culture that holds the key to educational achievement.
Research
indicates that it takes three generations of urban Appalachian culture to break
the cycle of illiteracy. While Purcell-Gates’ efforts to bring literacy to two
generations of urban Appalachians was noble, I do not entirely agree with her
methods. I would argue that it may have been a mistake to attempt to teach the
two generations simultaneously due to the cultural characteristics of these
individuals. The child’s pride that led him to protect his mother from shame and
embarrassment restricted her ability to learn. The mother’s candor about her inability
to read and admitting it to people with the attitude that it did not bother her
set a poor example, which hindered the child’s motivation to learn. Considering
that the needs, motivations, and abilities of adults and children are different
and the unique culture of this particular group, mother and son should have
remained in separate learning environments. As teachers we need to adjust our
pedagogy and implement more creative teaching strategies and methods. As
educators we must develop curriculums that are flexible and permit access for
all groups so that we may increase our expectations without lowering our
standards.
Works Cited
Crystal,
David. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of
Language. Second Edition.
New York: Cambridge University
Press. 1997. Print
Purcell-Gates,
Victoria. Other People’s Words: The Cycle
of Low Literacy.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Press. 1997. Print
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