Engaging students in research and self-discovery: An integrative and student-centered approach to History of the English Language

Abstract

Abstract: This article illustrates how a student-centered, culturally responsive pedagogical approach to teaching History of the English Language (HEL) to community college students from diverse ethnic, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds promotes self-knowledge and academic confidence. I outline how several areas—including language theory, etymology of names, language policy, varieties of English, and language identity—can be effectively taught at an introductory HEL level through ethnographic research and multiple-draft writing assignments. Throughout the article, excerpts of student writing demonstrate their engagement in ethnographic research with a focus on their own communities, revealing their experience-based knowledge and their viewpoints on language-equality issues.