I read an article from the 21 Century Fluency Project. It was called " How Slang affects Students in the Classroom." The basis of the article is that text-speak(which is considered slang) influence students writing ability. Text-speak is a type of electronic communication that students use. Examples of Text-speak are IDK-I dont know or OMG (Oh my God). Students in today's world use so much text-speak that their writing abilities are greatly declining.
Instead of placing blame on the students, the article recognizes that the problem is the adults. Adults need to be trained to communicate and show students how to communicate effectively. The article suggest that education needs to adapt to the changing times and adults should educate students to use varied communication. That means teaching students to see the difference between communicating with social peers and communicating with business pupils.
I really like this article because I see a lot of this in my friends and family. I agree that many students prefer to use slang to communicate, instead of writing formally. It would be a challenge for me as a educator to teach my students to write effectively so that they do not use slang when they are writing essays for college or jobs.
We talked a lot about text-speak in class last week and I have to agree that it is becoming a problem. I like that this article says that it's adults that need to talk to students about proper ways of communicating in different settings.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! It's really becoming a big problem! And I know what a lot of them mean, but lately I have seen so many of them, and have no idea! I was also just texting my brothers girlfriend, and she was saying "Imma brush muh teeth" and stuff, I was almost embarrassed... It sounds so uneducated.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the article at least least for the most part. I do believe that it is the teacher's job to insure that the students are taught what they need to know to communicate properly. it is also their job to insist that what they are taught it used in class. Many teachers let the texting slang slide. By doing this, they tell that students that it is okay to continue to turn in papers that are not technically correct. I also believe that the students need to do their part in learning and using what is taught. Teachers need to impart the importance of proper grammer to their futire jobs/schooling. With proper encouragement, hopefully students will again take writing seriously.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that you brought up this issue. I believe that even when people (children and adults) are texting or emailing it is important to use proper grammar and spelling. I have found that sometimes people leave facebook posts that make no sense because they are filled up to the top with slang and abbreviations. As teachers we need to make sure that children can learn to communicate effectively.
ReplyDeleteI was just talking about this in class the other day and I find it completely ridiculous that it is an issue. Isn't it amazing how things change as technology becomes a more integral part of our lives?
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