Code Switching--Teachers Need to Know It

Code Switching is a tool I want all students and educators to utilize because it values students' identities, gives ownership to students' voices, builds confidence in communication, and allows them to recognize the value of context. My classroom will serve as a safe brave space for all to learn and grow. Being ashamed of their background does not allow emotional safety so I want to be an educator that celebrates identity while giving them the skills to use Standard American English (or academic language) in order to access their goals.

We start out the lesson by giving these objectives and then proceed to give the definitions of home language and academic language. I also added short YouTube clips that exemplify each type of code and what their purpose can hold. Aibileen in The Help uses home language to have a heartfelt connection with another close to her. Whereas, Hidden Figures' court scene shows us the benefit of using academic language in certain contexts to access a better future due to the nature of our system.

Then, we dig into this concept by having an online discussion using Padlet. There is also the opportunity to practice the tool by code switching between home and academic language while talking about different contexts.

From there, I tapped into reasoning about the ISTE Standards and the SAMR Model all while still using my Powtoon presentation. I was a facilitator of technology and a designer. Students' (my classmates') achievement was at the forefront of my mind while planning my lesson. Having a visual aid at all times helps them learn proactively in different forms which is why I also included YouTube videos to tangibly showcase examples of home and academic language. You can deeply feel the power in both codes in these videos which can't be done through lecture or paper.

Since I wanted to be a successful technology facilitator, I created a Google Doc that gave my students easy access to the technology we were going to be using. All the links are right there and they get to be reminded of the objectives I had for them.

Having learner-driven activities was part of why this lesson is a Design Standard. Participants apply their learning through the Padlet discussion board that gives them the freedom to think on their own. They get to bounce off of each other as well, sparking more thinking.

The last step to the lesson and a major key of being a part of the Design Standard is that partners get to que up their very own comic strip on Pixton that requires them to integrate home and academic language within. Choosing their scene plays into Code Switching since context is important here. The students have the reigns and have ownership over their learning.

Overall, I believe my lesson is Modification on the SAMR Model because their activities are significantly redesigned compared to what it would've been without technology. The efficiency and effectiveness was vital, however the collaboration and creativity was priority. I chose Padlet and Pixton to accommodate student variability in learning and creating.

I believe that my lesson extends beyond the walls of the classroom because we can understand the importance of codes in our everyday interactions with people. We will have a different lens when communicating in different contexts. My classmates specifically got a chance to think about their future classrooms and how they might handle code switching so I hope their learning didn't stop that day, but continued into their teaching philosophy. I know it did for me when I was first introduced to Code Switching.

Terms of Service

YouTube: You must be at least 18 years old which is why I'm pulling up the videos myself and not having the students interacting with them.

Powtoon: Parental permission and teacher supervision is recommended. Confidentiality is supported.

Padlet: Students 13 years and older may use this site and those who are younger may do so with permission. Confidentiality is supported.

Pixton: Confidentiality is supported.