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The Power of Talk

How Words Change Our Lives

By: Felecia Briscoe, Gilberto Arriaza, Rosemary C. Henze

Unlock the power of language to promote equity in your school!

This enlightening book shows how everyday speech can be a transforming force in today's schools and how it can create a more equitable environment for people of all backgrounds. This guide offers research-validated tools and real-world insights to overcome barriers, foster collaboration, and promote respect. Educators will find:

Case studies and vignettes that show how language influences the school environment and contributes to school change
Thought-provoking exercises that strengthen verbal communication skills and leadership abilities
Guidance on coaching students and colleagues on language awareness and equity

Full description

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Product Details

Grade Level: PreK-12, Elementary, Secondary
ISBN: 9781412956024
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2009
Page Count: 200
Publication date: January 21, 2009

Price: $39.95

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Description

"I couldn't stop reading this book! It masterfully pinpoints how language plays a critical, fundamental role in our daily lives as educators. Most important, it shows us how our deepest thoughts are manifested in language and how we can deal with them in our continued efforts to dismantle gender, racial, and class prejudice."
—Susan Roberta Katz, Professor and Chair of International & Multicultural Education
University of San Francisco

"The authors show that by thinking critically about how we interact with others and by making the necessary changes in our own behavior, leaders can model respectful and collaborative ways of addressing and responding to others and gradually change the norms of the whole community."
—Gordon Wells, Professor of Education
University of California, Santa Cruz

"Any chapter is enough for a year's worth of conversation, and occasionally a good argument—among students, staff, and families. The book is an invitation to dialogue with one's peers, but it also prompts dialogue with oneself. A must-read."
—Deborah W. Meier, Educational Reformer, Writer, and Activist

Unlock the power of language to promote equity in your school!

This enlightening book shows how everyday speech can be a transforming force in today's schools, creating a more equitable environment for people of all backgrounds. Written by experts on language and diversity, this resource combines research-validated tools and real-world insights for addressing verbal communication issues within the classroom and schoolwide. Readers will find:

Case studies and vignettes that show how language contributes to school change and shapes community relationships
Thought-provoking exercises that strengthen language awareness and leadership skills
Guidance on effectively coaching students and colleagues on equity issues and the use of appropriate language

By using language to overcome barriers, foster collaboration, and promote respect, leaders can make a significant difference in the quality of life and work in schools.

Key features

Includes many short case studies, stories, and vignettes
Written in an accessible, journalistic style
Contains practical tools and resources
Will fit nicely whervere Social Justice is a key issue or movement

Author(s)

Felecia Briscoe

Felecia M. Briscoe, an associate professor, focuses her research on the relationship between power and knowledge. Her research interests are concerned with the development of educational equity especially as related to classism, racism, and sexism. She studies how power manifests in discourse. Her most recently published article is titled, “Reproduction of Racialized Hierarchies: Ethnic identities in the discourse of educational leadership.” She has also just completed a co-authored manuscript in which she analyzes the discourse of the U.S. legislation, “No Child Left Behind.” Briscoe has experienced a variety of teaching contexts. She started out as a seventh-grade science teacher in a public school in Las Vegas, Nevada. She also taught at the University of Cincinnati and at Concord College. She has been a member of the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Department at the University of Texas, San Antonio since the summer of 2000. Briscoe earned her doctorate in educational foundations from the University of Cincinnati. She also has an MA in psychology with an emphasis in experimental cognitive psychology and a BS in elementary education with an emphasis in science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Gilberto Arriaza

Rosemary C. Henze

Rosemary Henze is an associate professor in the Department of Linguistics and Language Development at San Jose State University. She began her career as a teacher of English as a second language and, after receiving her doctorate, worked for 14 years at Art, Research, and Curriculum Associates in Oakland, California, where she assisted school districts in addressing issues of equity and conducted research and evaluation studies focused on bilingual programs, school change, and race relations. She also worked with Native Alaskan, Native Hawaiian, and California Indian groups on issues related to language maintenance, ethnic identity, and bilingual education. In all her work, she seeks to apply scholarly knowledge from anthropology and linguistics to address systemic educational problems.

Table of Contents

List of Tables

List of Figures

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Introduction

Why? The Same Old Problem

What? The Book’s Purpose

How? Achieving the Purpose

What Will You Get Out of This Book?

Avoiding the Master’s Language Tools

Overview of the Chapters

Where and When Might the Book Be Used?

1. The Power of Language: A Medium for Promoting Social Justice and Equity

In What Ways Is Language a Transformative Force in Society?

What Are Educational Equity and Social Justice

What Are Critical Discourse Analysis and Critical Language Awareness

Conclusion and Summary of Key Points

2. Becoming Effective in Using Critical Language Awareness

Noticing How Language Constructs Our Social World

Relating the Trees to the Forest, and the Forest to the Trees

Imagining Alternatives

Coaching

Teaching With Critical Language Awareness

Using Memorable Examples, Metaphors, and Quotes

Modeling, Teamwork, Inclusiveness, and Respect

Conclusion and Summary of Key Points

3. Avoiding Othering: Practicing Including

Introduction

A Change Agent in Action

How Is Othering Harmful?

Digging Deeper Into Othering

From Othering to Inclusion and Dialogue

Activities

Conclusion and Summary of Key Points

4. Disrupting Prejudice: A Communicative Approach

Introduction

Abstracting

Communicative Model

Developing a Data Culture

Activity: Developing Language Skills for Disrupting Prejudice

Conclusion and Summary of Key Points

5. Exceptionalizing or Democratizing?

Introduction

Exceptionalizing: How It Promotes Inequities

The Importance of Context

Cognitive Disequilibrium and Exceptionalizing

The Context of the Interviews

Recognizing Exceptionalizing Discourse

Revising for a More Democratizing Discourse

Activities for Developing Democratizing Language Skills

Conclusion and Summary of Key Points

6. Recognizing and Revising Stratifying Discourse

Introduction

Key Concepts

Recognizing and Revising Stratifying Discourse

Activities for Developing Language Skills for Social Justice

Conclusion and Summary of Key Points

7. Contesting Labels

Introduction

Contesting Labels

Acronyms as Deep Abstractions

Talk Strategies

Redressing Labels Through Institutional Action

Thoughtful Inaction

Activity: Crowning With Labels

Conclusion and Summary of Key Points

8. Conclusion: The Power of Talk

Revisiting the Book's Objectives

Using the Power of Talk for Social Justice

A Final Thought

References

Index

Reviews

"In a down-to-earth style, the authors explain how, by paying attention to how we talk, people can make a difference to the quality of life and work in schools. Drawing on real-life examples, they show that by thinking critically about how we habitually interact with others and by making the necessary changes in our own behavior, leaders can model respectful and collaborative ways of addressing and responding to others and gradually change the norms of the whole community."

Gordon Wells, Professor of Education
University of California, Santa Cruz

"The authors appeal to educators on both a professional and a personal level. Changing the discourse will not only improve school achievement for students, but will allow educators to more effectively express their beliefs about equitable and socially just education."

Karen L. Fernandez, English/Language Arts Coach and Teacher
Denver Center for International Studies, CO

"I like the specific strategies in each chapter for helping educators become aware of how language influences beliefs and assumptions. I also like the suggestions for how to develop skills for using language in a more equitable way."

Lynn A. Smolen, Professor
University of Akron

"I really liked the tone the authors used throughout—it was never negative or condescending. The authors did a good job of explaining the effects of language without preaching or looking down on those who might not be aware of the effects their language has on others."

Christine Landwehrle, Language Arts & Reading Teacher
Bedminster Township Public School, NJ

"This book will be very useful for teachers and teacher educators. The organization and accessibility of the concepts in this book are a major strength. The examples that are given are concrete and make concepts easy to understand."

Theresa Abodeeb-Gentile, Assistant Professor
University of Hartford

"This book needs to be in the hands of every educator and administrator. Too many times, the adults involved in education forget the power of the words they use."

David Callaway, Eight-Grade Language Arts Teacher
Rocky Heights Middle School, Highlands Ranch, CO

"Any chapter is enough for a year's worth of conversation, and occasionally a good argument—among students, staff, and families. It is an invitation to a dialogue with one's peers, but it also works as a dialogue with oneself. I found myself both arguing with the authors and shifting my own stance as I went. A must-read."

Deborah W. Meier, Educational Reformer, Writer, and Activist

"I couldn't stop reading this book! It masterfully pinpoints how language plays a critical, fundamental role in our daily lives as educators. Most important, it shows us how our deepest thoughts are manifested in language and how we can deal with them in our continued efforts to dismantle gender, racial, and class prejudice."

Susan Roberta Katz, Professor and Chair of International & Multicultural Education
University of San Francisco

Other Titles in: Diversity | Communication | Leadership

Select Format:

For Instructors

Request Review Copy

When you select 'request review copy', you will be redirected to Sage Publishing (our parent site) to process your request.