In order to reduce the possible negative stereotypes about students who speak a different dialect, teachers should
A. accept students dialects as a valid and correct language system, but teach standard English as well.
B. expect to find more homonyms in the students language than usual.
C. focus on teaching standard or formal English to all students.
D. promote heritage English rather than formal English for all students.
Answer:A
In order to reduce the possible negative stereotypes about students who speak a different dialect, teachers should
A. accept students dialects as a valid and correct language system, but teach standard English as well. B. expect to find more homonyms in the students language than usual. C. focus on teaching standard or formal English to all students. D. promote heritage English rather than formal English for all students.
Explanation: A) Teachers should reduce the possible negative stereotypes about students who speak different dialects by accepting their dialects as a valid and correct language system, show respect for the students language variations, and strive to teach the standard form of English (or whatever the dominant language might be in the country of interest) as an alternative language that is necessary for effective communications in the world of work. It appears that learning the standard speech (Dimientieffs Formal English) is easy for most students whose original language is a dialect (or Heritage English, for example) provided that students have good role models, clear instruction, and opportunities for authentic practice (Woolfolk, p. 39).