Multicultural Literacies : Dialect, Discourse, and Diversity

While many professionals argue about the validity and acceptability of the non-dominant dialects/discourse systems of minority groups, schools and colleges continue to discriminate against and penalize students who use non-dominant dialects and discourse. This study describes and analyzes non-dominant dialects/discourse systems associated with certain cultural groups in the U.S. and examines their school experiences. Building from the theoretical foundations of critical, liberatory literacy and whole language approaches to teaching, the book suggests classroom approaches designed to help teach people from various cultures to improve their own literacy levels without losing their individual/cultural identities.