Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Standard Language Ideology in the Writing Classroom and Beyond

Posted by anne.grey

Presenter: Yvette Rosales.

Summary

In this presentation, Yvette Rosales examines standard language ideology and how expectations about “correct” English can shape students’ experiences in writing classrooms. The session challenges the idea that Standard Written English is the only acceptable or academically valuable form of communication and asks educators to consider how assumptions about grammar, spelling, language variety, and academic writing may reinforce linguistic and racial inequities.

Rosales encourages instructors to approach writing rhetorically rather than treating correctness as the main measure of good writing. Students are asked to consider audience, purpose, context, genre, and the choices writers make in different situations. This approach expands the study of writing beyond traditional academic essays to include workplace documents, technical writing, personal communication, social media, and other forms students encounter in their daily lives.

The session also shares classroom practices for challenging standard language ideology. Rosales uses a linguistic diversity statement in her syllabus, introduces students to discussions of language discrimination and privilege, and provides opportunities to examine how language, identity, race, and power interact. Students return to questions about what counts as “good writing” throughout the term and reflect on how their own experiences with language have shaped their understanding of academic writing.

Feedback is another important part of this approach. Rather than correcting language without context, Rosales explains why certain conventions may matter for a particular audience or situation. She also invites students to identify the types of feedback they want on major assignments, recognizing that students may have different goals for their writing. Together, these strategies shift attention from following one fixed set of language rules toward helping students make thoughtful, purposeful communication choices.

Presentation Slides: Standard Language Ideology in the Writing Classroom and Beyond Presentation Slides

Presentation Outcomes

• Define standard language ideology and consider how ideas about “correct” or “standard” English can influence teaching, assessment, and student experiences.
• Recognize how language expectations can reinforce assumptions about race, culture, academic preparation, and linguistic ability.
• Shift from defining good writing primarily through grammar and spelling toward a rhetorical approach based on audience, purpose, genre, and context.
• Incorporate a wider range of writing and language practices into the classroom, including academic, professional, technical, and personal communication.
• Use classroom discussions, readings, reflection activities, and linguistic diversity statements to help students examine relationships among language, identity, privilege, and power.
• Provide feedback that explains conventions within a specific rhetorical context rather than presenting language rules as universally correct.
• Give students greater agency in the feedback process by allowing them to identify the areas of their writing they most want to develop.

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