Often, preservice teachers need to be reminded of the many influences on children\u27s language. By reflecting on their own past language experiences, perhaps prospective teachers can better examine the important elements for language development

Danielson, Kathy E.

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Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy andLanguage ArtsVolume 29Issue 4 July 1989 Article 57-1-1989The Autobiography as Language ReflectionKathy E. DanielsonKansas State UniversityFollow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reading_horizonsPart of the Education CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the SpecialEducation and Literacy Studies at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has beenaccepted for inclusion in Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy andLanguage Arts by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks at WMU. For moreinformation, please contact maira.bundza@wmich.edu.Recommended CitationDanielson, K. E. (1989). The Autobiography as Language Reflection. Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts, 29 (4).Retrieved from https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reading_horizons/vol29/iss4/5THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY AS LANGUAGE REFLECTION KATHY EVERTS DANIELSON Department of Curriculum and Instruction Kansas State University Manhattan, Kansas Introduction There has been much attention given recently to the idea of metacogni tion (Brown, 1980) and metalinguistic awareness or metalanguage (Yaden & Templeton, 1986). Reflecting on the thinking process and communication are critical elements in understanding language processes. Reflective thinking has also been addressed (Dewey, 1933). Wedman and Martin (1986) advocate the use of reflecti ve journal writing to give preservice teachers the opportunity to reflect upon observations and theo-retical constructs in terms of meaningful practice. The type of wri ting which ". . allows for the possibili ty of thinking about the relationship bEtween self and institu-tion, theory and practice, and daily routines and teach-ing effectiveness. In short, the process of writing serves as the technology for developing reflecti vi ty" (Wedman & Martin, 1986, p. 69). Often, preservice teachers need to be reminded of the many influences on children's language. By reflecting on their own past language experiences, perhaps prospec-ti ve teachers can better examine the important elements for language development. As an assignment for my undergraduate education students, they wrote a modified autobiography about the literacy experiences which may have affected their language development. students were familiar with the theories of language acquisition and the factors influ-encing language. I wanted students to have the opportun-ity to reflect upon these factors in their own lives, to READING HORIZONS, Summer , 1989 ------------- page 258 get them to think reflectively on their past experiences and how they affect language. The following excerpts from their papers serve as examples of the influences these students believed to be important in their own lives: "As a toddler I was constantly after my morn's numer-ous magazines that she faithfully subscribed to . I'm not quite sure if I loved tearing and chewing on the pages, but this was definitely a first I taste I of the written language." "All I needed was a box of colored chalk, a stack of papers, and imaginary pupils, and I could play for hours. Pretending to be a teacher expanded my written and spoken language. Writing on the chalkboard and using old elementary texts augmented my writing abilities by introducing me to school words. I also pretended that I was speaking to a classroom of students, so I used my oral language to present the lessons." "Grandpa told the best stories. set down in I Deep Dark Holler. I He tales. I Sometimes he would start the a time when I was a little girl---' I believed Grandpa had been a little age!" They were usually called them ' bear stories, 'Once upon and for a long time girl when he was my Surely early experiences with print are an important factor in language development. Children need to see print and hear it read to them to grow linguistically. The impact that "playing school" and storytelling have on language development and practice are very real. Imaginative and interactional language uses (Halliday, 1975) expand language experiences. Upper Elementary Experiences Self-confidence is an important factor as children gain independence and deal more with peer pressure. Some students noted embarrassing experiences: " . the teacher asked for a volunteer to copy a story down to be run off for the class. I volunteered and Miss ----- said, ..... we all know you can't write well!' I was so crushed and to this day I still remember that moment vividly." READING HORIZONS, Summer, 1989 page 259 Certainly good literature is a critical element of language development. How students choose to respond to literature is an individual matter. "One book that got me into trouble' was Harriet the Spy. I am talking about my parents sitting down with me telling me how I could not go around spying on people because it was an invasion on one's privacy!" Many students noted the positive effects of having an upper elementary teacter who read to them and sparked their interest in good literature. Slang words are a natural social factor of a dynamic communicatior.: system. Many students noted their exper-ience with slang as they used language to interact with their peers. "I went through the 'Duh' stage in sixth grade and also the 'If you love it why don't you marry it?' stage. 'Doy' was another We thought we were so great, but I bet we drove everyone crazy." Slang words are evidence that language changes just as society and people change. Slang is an example ·of language interaction between friends and peers in informal situations. Junior High--The Awkward Stage Junior High may be a turning point of sorts for students aE; they learn to get along with new friends and begin to question things they don't understand. "As a resul t of consolidation I had to ride a but ten miles every day ... so I learned some interest-ing things. . how to write backwards on a window so people can read it from the outside." "I read a lot of Harlequin romances and science fiction books in junior high. I was a very inquisitive person. I carried around a small notebook of questions that I wanted to know the answers to." Studying a foreign language can also be an aid to understanding the English language. By learning a different language, some students gctinec a new appre-ciation for their native langua~e: READING HORIZONS, Summer, 1989 page 260 "To acquire ancther lan<;uag€, I used my knc·\\ledg€-of En<;lish tc hE~lp me. How cemplicated! I had never sat down and thought at0ut how difficult a~d extrEmely ceomr,lex English rec,lly is. Lec::rnj nc; GermcLn both expanded my kno\\ledge ar:c~ v()ccbulary and brought se-mE, intereEting yet startl i n~. abFPTvat ionE of the Engli sh languagE'- to my mind." Being €xpoEed tc various regional di alects adcE to languag€- aWareness. WordE and ex}:,ressioI":cE vary frc,n: region to region and are evid€!r.c€ of gE'ographical languagE' differencEE. " . in Massacl:usetts, I went into an ice cream store ar::c'" erd€!red, and the c1 erk aE;kEd mf: if I wOl:ld like 'Jimmies' on my iCE! Cre2IY'. I WC'.f:: at a total loss as to what 'Jimrrd es' were. I tLr ned tc my flj end \\b.c. tried tel help m(~ by u~.dng a term from RhclcE' Is1 and. 'You knc\\', ants,' hE' sE;id, 'I don't want ant s on my ic€-cream!' The clerk sho\\E-.'c me what she me ant--cl:clcolate sprin1<leE." Mrj1.riage might also have an impact on the social nature of language. Language is used in a casual setting with a familiar person. "I'm fascinated by the vast knowledge of words my husband has. He's taught me much of the slang from the streets that I was totally unaware of, as well as different aspects of cars, motorcycles, well-drilling, mail production, and the Viet Nam War." How a teacher shares himself/herself is also repre-sentati ve of language. A teacher who is willing to share him or herself and take risks is apt to reap the benefits of a classroom of comfortable interaction. One high school teacher who was working on recertification wrote this about her own classroom: "I like to create a friendly atmosphere in the class. I think that in order to de that you have to take the risk of talking about yourself a little bit for students to get to know you. Chances are they will open up and tclk about them-selves also." Many students summarized their life experiences in this way: "I feel lucky to have had so many experiences READING HORIZONS, Summer, 1989 page 261 with different people and different places. These exper-iences have definitely enhanced my language development . which I realize now, is indeed dynamic and con-tinuous . I now see the powerful inf 1 uence each of my own teachers had on me." Conclusions The factors influencing language development are varied and yet consistent. As students reflected upon their own unique experiences, they were r~minded of the cri tical factors surrounding language development and use. As prospective teachers, they thought reflectively about language as a function and byproduct of the social nature of school and beyond. Further, they began to think about how they might incorporate positive language elements into their own classrooms, by reading aloud to students, providing creative drama opportun-i ties, discussing language change and di versi ty (sland and dialects), enhancing self -esteem, and taking risks as teachers by talking more about themselves to set a comfortable classroom tone. Writing about these exper-iences and future plans helped the students to develop their own abilities to be reflective and to think cri tically about language development factors wi thin a meaningful context. 

The Autobiography as Language Reflection

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The Autobiography as Language Reflection

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