Final Project: Take 2

1. What is your topic and why does it matter to you?

The main question I want to pursue through my project is, "Who is the 'real' you and how does language affect that 'you'?"

I really want to pursue this question in my future classroom. Students at the secondary level are asking the first part of this question already. However, as many of us expressed throughout this class, many of us never been confronted with many of these questions about how language affects us or even what it means to us. I think this would be an excellent question for juniors in high school to consider.

This topic is important to me because as a student I have experienced the feeling of pointlessness; I have wondered why we learn certain things. I have found that when any topic is made personally relevant, it becomes easier to be engaged. For this reason, I want to encourage students to consider what the way they use language says about them: I want students to consider whether they speak a certain way because of what social group they are part of or they are part of that social group because of how they speak. I want them to consider how their past influences their language use. Finally, I want them to consider where they want language to take them. By considering especially this last question, I hope to use student feedback to influence my teaching. It will, hopefully, relate my teaching to student ideas about CCR.

2. What format am I doing, and why did I pick it?

I want to plan a short unit plan in which to have students explore these questions. I want to do it in a timeline format: This is where I came from; this is where I am now; this is where it will take me.

I think this format will be the most useful for my career. I want to use this to encourage students to think about how language affects them. I also want to use it to influence my teaching.

3. What questions do I have about my project?

At this point, I don't have many questions. I am sure some will arise while I work on it. At that point, I will not hesitate to ask for help. I am, however, not opposed to any suggestions.