Developing

Metalinguistic Awareness
through Discourse
in an 11th Grade English Classroom

Sarah F. Eichler
1. 2.
“I like “Apples
apples.” I like.”

Innate Language Structures

-Noam Chomsky
John Dewey:
Experiential Learning
-Learning should be personal, playful
-Students must collaborate and
contribute their voices

Lev Vygotsky:
Zone of Proximal
Development
-students learn best one step
above independent learning
level
-traditional grammar teachings
outside of this zone
Grammar Teaching
▷ Shift to progressive
education

▷ Does not honor diverse

voices
▷ Reinforces institutional
hierarchies
▷ Deficiency view
○ John Keen, Gloria
Ladson-Billings, Tara Yosso
Class
Demographics:
“
San Diego Public High School

● 11th grade IB English Literature Higher Level 1

● Gender and Ethnicity diversity

● Academic diversity:
○ Language Learners; Special Needs; GATE

Academia:
● IB English Curriculum
○ Pace
■ Block Schedule
5 ○ Discourse
Needs Assessment
Goal: Play to discursive strengths
(discourse) to improve student
needs (language and writing
conventionality)
Metalinguistic
Awareness
The effort for conscious awareness of
language as a communicative tool that
does not rely on academic language.
Reflection Reflection
Discussion
on Others on Self
Research How will discourse
Question
increase metalinguistic
awareness?

Will increased
metalinguistic
awareness help
students improve
writing
conventionality?
Cycle 1 Actions:
Literary Analysis Creative Writing Reflection

Focused on punctuation usage

Cycle 1 Assessments:
Tally Sheets of Self-
Observations
Responses Assessments
 Creative Writing in
Response to Literary
Analysis

Reflection on why they

made choices in
language.

Tally Sheet:
● Used or mentioned elements of
language to demonstrate their
awareness of their language use:
○ Punctuation
○ Syntax
○ Style
○ Word Choice
○ Structure

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Cycle 1 Findings
Neither explicit nor implicit directions on
incorporating resources of language
encouraged metalinguistic awareness

Reflection on students’ own writing indicated

the emergence of metalinguistic awareness.

Group activities were most effective in

eliciting students’ metalinguistic awareness
Implications for Cycle 2:
Get to the why and how
of language use

Move from Focus on Consistency

punctuation discursive in activities
to holistic group work performed
investigation and
of language questions
asked
Cycle 2 Actions:
Literary Analysis Creative Writing Reflection

Focused on collaborative,
consecutive writing activities

Cycle 2 Assessments:
Student recorded Tally Sheets of Self-
minutes Responses Assessments
Gave access to more Self-created based on
conversations discursive indicators that
Pointed only to what students emerged from observations
viewed as salient information and research
Discursive Indicators of
Metalinguistic Awareness
Connection to writing skills:
awareness of audience

16
Development of
Metalinguistic Awareness

17
Cycle 2 Findings
Explicit student explanations in reflective
responses and minutes demonstrated
metalinguistic behaviors

Collaborative and discursive tasks elicit

metalinguistic awareness

Self-assessment increases
metalinguistic awareness.
18
Implications for
Future Research
● First develop metalinguistic
awareness through
discourse
● Then, reintroduce
conventionality
Significance:
▷ More inclusive and
progressive language
teachings
▷ Assumed increase of
writing skills based on
academic research

20
Limitations
Pacing and rigor
of IB curriculum

tes rded
mi reco of
Su Anal

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bje ys

de abi
cti is

stu reli

nu
vit

Un
yo
f

21
 Responsive
education will
never fail
Teaching is because it
serves the best
research interest of the
students

Relinquish
control, and
have faith in the
process!

22
Thank you!
References

Dewey, J. (1910). How we think. Boston: D.C. Heath & Co.

Dewey, J. (1939). Experience and education. New York: The Macmillan Company

Keen, J. (1997). Grammar, metalanguage, and writing development. Teacher Development, 1(3),

431-445. doi: 10.1080/13664539700200029.

Ladson-Billing, G. (1995) Toward a theory of culturally relevant pedagogy. American

Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 465-491.

https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312032003465

Myhill, D., & Jones, S. (2015). Conceptualising metalinguistic understanding in writing. Culture

and Education, 27, 839-867. doi: 10.1080/11356405.2015.1089387

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes.

Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Yosso, T. J. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community

cultural wealth. Race, Ethnicity, and Education, 8(1), 69-91. doi: 10.1080/1361332052000341006

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