The Power of Talk

Felecia M. Briscoe, an associate professor, focuses her research on the relationship between power and knowledge. Her research interests are concerned with the development of educational equity especially as related to classism, racism, and sexism. She studies how power manifests in discourse. Her most recently published article is titled, “Reproduction of Racialized Hierarchies: Ethnic identities in the discourse of educational leadership.” She has also just completed a co-authored manuscript in which she analyzes the discourse of the U.S. legislation, “No Child Left Behind.” Briscoe has experienced a variety of teaching contexts. She started out as a seventh-grade science teacher in a public school in Las Vegas, Nevada. She also taught at the University of Cincinnati and at Concord College. She has been a member of the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Department at the University of Texas, San Antonio since the summer of 2000. Briscoe earned her doctorate in educational foundations from the University of Cincinnati. She also has an MA in psychology with an emphasis in experimental cognitive psychology and a BS in elementary education with an emphasis in science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Rosemary Henze is an associate professor in the Department of Linguistics and Language Development at San Jose State University. She began her career as a teacher of English as a second language and, after receiving her doctorate, worked for 14 years at Art, Research, and Curriculum Associates in Oakland, California, where she assisted school districts in addressing issues of equity and conducted research and evaluation studies focused on bilingual programs, school change, and race relations. She also worked with Native Alaskan, Native Hawaiian, and California Indian groups on issues related to language maintenance, ethnic identity, and bilingual education. In all her work, she seeks to apply scholarly knowledge from anthropology and linguistics to address systemic educational problems.

"In a down-to-earth style, the authors explain how, by paying attention to how we talk, people can make a difference to the quality of life and work in schools. Drawing on real-life examples, they show that by thinking critically about how we habitually interact with others and by making the necessary changes in our own behavior, leaders can model respectful and collaborative ways of addressing and responding to others and gradually change the norms of the whole community."

• List of TablesList of FiguresAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorsIntroductionWhy? The Same Old ProblemWhat? The Book’s PurposeHow? Achieving the PurposeWhat Will You Get Out of This Book?Avoiding the Master’s Language ToolsOverview of the ChaptersWhere and When Might the Book Be Used?1. The Power of Language: A Medium for Promoting Social Justice and EquityIn What Ways Is Language a Transformative Force in Society?What Are Educational Equity and Social JusticeWhat Are Critical Discourse Analysis and Critical Language AwarenessConclusion and Summary of Key Points2. Becoming Effective in Using Critical Language AwarenessNoticing How Language Constructs Our Social WorldRelating the Trees to the Forest, and the Forest to the TreesImagining AlternativesCoachingTeaching With Critical Language AwarenessUsing Memorable Examples, Metaphors, and QuotesModeling, Teamwork, Inclusiveness, and RespectConclusion and Summary of Key Points3. Avoiding Othering: Practicing IncludingIntroductionA Change Agent in ActionHow Is Othering Harmful?Digging Deeper Into OtheringFrom Othering to Inclusion and DialogueActivitiesConclusion and Summary of Key Points4. Disrupting Prejudice: A Communicative ApproachIntroductionAbstractingCommunicative ModelDeveloping a Data CultureActivity: Developing Language Skills for Disrupting PrejudiceConclusion and Summary of Key Points5. Exceptionalizing or Democratizing?IntroductionExceptionalizing: How It Promotes InequitiesThe Importance of ContextCognitive Disequilibrium and ExceptionalizingThe Context of the InterviewsRecognizing Exceptionalizing DiscourseRevising for a More Democratizing DiscourseActivities for Developing Democratizing Language SkillsConclusion and Summary of Key Points6. Recognizing and Revising Stratifying DiscourseIntroductionKey ConceptsRecognizing and Revising Stratifying DiscourseActivities for Developing Language Skills for Social JusticeConclusion and Summary of Key Points7. Contesting LabelsIntroductionContesting LabelsAcronyms as Deep AbstractionsTalk StrategiesRedressing Labels Through Institutional ActionThoughtful InactionActivity: Crowning With LabelsConclusion and Summary of Key Points8. Conclusion: The Power of TalkRevisiting the Book′s ObjectivesUsing the Power of Talk for Social JusticeA Final ThoughtReferencesIndex