Gender, participation, and silence in the language classroom : sh-shushing the girls

In this first-hand study of the relationship of gender, ethnicity and the participation of children within an English-language teaching classroom, Julbliogé re-assesses Lacan's approach to belonging with other theoretical approaches to gender and language, making use of case-study methods. She asks key questions: Are there observable tendencies in the way that boys and girls receive and use talk in the classroom? How might such tendencies be constructed or encouraged within an ESL classroom, where gender and ethnicity intersect in particular ways? Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgements......Page 10 Introduction: Silence and Second Language Learning......Page 14 Part I: Intersubjectivity, Language Classrooms, and Gender......Page 22 1 Intersubjectivity in Language Classrooms......Page 24 The mirror stage......Page 25 Language as a dimension of intersubjectivity: incluion and exclusion......Page 27 Intersubjectivity: a philosophy for language classrooms......Page 29 2 Gender in Language Education......Page 32 Teacher talk......Page 35 Linguistic space in classrooms......Page 40 An overview of feminist linguistics......Page 41 Gender tendencies in speech......Page 45 Possible explanations for gender tendencies in language use......Page 50 Why any differences would matter anyway......Page 55 Heritage language education......Page 58 Punjabi Sikh education in America and Canada......Page 60 Punjabi Sikhs in Canada......Page 61 ESL/language education—an overview......Page 66 What a language student needs......Page 67 'Good' language teaching methods......Page 68 Part II: A Case Study of One Room, One Voice......Page 72 Assimilation or multiculruralism?......Page 74 This group......Page 76 Being a Punjabi girl......Page 80 The research project......Page 82 Ethnography as research method......Page 85 Building an ethnographic relationship......Page 90 This language classroom......Page 91 Focusing the project......Page 92 Linguistic space......Page 96 Speech acts......Page 102 Mrs. Smith's classroom speech......Page 113 'Good' language teaching......Page 128 Teacher talk......Page 129 6 Girl Talk......Page 132 Conversation with girls......Page 133 Female speech tendencies......Page 138 Part III: Sh-shushing Girls in Language Classrooms......Page 156 7 Ethnicity and Gender: A Double Whammy......Page 158 Being the illegitimate other......Page 159 Gender and language......Page 162 Gender and education......Page 163 Limitations of the study......Page 164 Implications of the study......Page 165 Recommendations......Page 167 Last thoughts......Page 168 Bibliography......Page 170 Index......Page 186 "In this first-hand study of a group of ethnic-minority children growing up in Canada, the relationship of gender, ethnicity and participation of children within an English-language teaching classroom is explored. Allyson Jule focuses on reasons for the observable non-participation of the girls in the group and the implications for classroom management and teaching. Making use of these case-study methods, she reassesses Lacan's approach to belonging with other theoretical approaches to gender and language. She asks key questions: 'Are these observable tendencies to the way that boys and girls receive and use talk in the classroom?' and 'How might such tendencies be constructed or encouraged within an ESL classroom, where gender and ethnicity intersect in particular ways?'"--Jacket In this first-hand study of a group of ethnicminority children growing up in Canada, the relationship of gender, ethnicity and participation of children within an English-language teaching classroom is explored. Allyson Jule focuses on reasons for the observable non-participation of the girls in the group and the implications for classroom management and teaching. Making use of these case-study methods, she reassesses Lacan's approach to belonging with other theoretical approaches to gender and language. She asks key questions: 'Are there observable tendencies in the way that boys and girls receive and use talk in the classroom?', and 'How might such tendencies be constructed or encouraged within an ESL classroom, where gender and ethnicity intersect in particular ways?'.