Diversity in Education Resource : Big “D” discourse and how it might impact schooling for ELs

James Paul Gee
Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Discourse is the language that shapes one’s social identity. In fulfilling the primary need to belong, people from a young age, and often without conscious awareness align themselves with the discourses of their surroundings. For some, these discourses mesh with the dominant Discourse—that of the dominant culture. For others, the discourses are a mismatch to the dominant culture, which keeps them at odds (oppressed) throughout their lifetimes. There are theorists who argue that the discourse of upbringing cannot be transcended (Gee),

while others believe that operating within the dominant discourse can be a learned practice (Delpit).

Lisa Delpit
Photo Credit: New Learning online

This is where critical language pedagogy comes in. In teaching students that there is power in certain language and giving them access to that language (through explicit lessons on effective language use, relating language to content or classroom practices), teachers can apprentice students into the dominant discourse. Once they are part of the discourse, as Delpit claims, they can change it, as Discourse is dynamic and malleable (though it is also stubborn and persistent).

I remember learning that English was the third language of author Joseph Conrad just after reading Heart of Darkness. This new information allowed me to put my finger on why the language of the book is so powerful. Conrad was able to pick and choose words with an outsider’s perspective, objectively. Critically taught students have the same potential, though some objectivity may be lost. Students taught in this way can be selective with language, manipulating it depending on the situation. Students without such education—even those who are part of the Discourse—are at a disadvantage, because they have available only that one perspective and the language within it.