A linguistic justice approach to writing instruction redirects teachers’ focus from grammar and mechanics to rhetorical awareness. Williams’ (2021) Framework for Raciolinguistically Just Literacy Instruction introduces a five-step reflective process that helps students develop critical language awareness. This process enables them to assess and navigate various rhetorical situations and linguistic contexts effectively. According to Williams, the purpose of this activity is to help students “understand how to circumvent or counter white language supremacist responses to diverse linguistic/rhetorical approaches, rather than simply defaulting to ‘standard edited English’ as the sole acceptable or effective approach in academic writing” (p. 7).
The ‘student version’ document is suitable for use in any writing classroom. It includes an assignment overview and a matrix where students can record their responses. This activity serves as a pre-writing, low-stakes exercise that aids students in considering their audience, their relationship to this audience, their rhetorical and linguistic choices, and the resources available for their writing. The ‘teacher version’ offers additional context and details about the reflective process.
Kerri Flinchbaugh, University Writing Program
Williams, J. L. (2021). A framework for raciolinguistically just literacy instruction. Williams Higher Ed. https://williamshighered.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Raciolinguistic-Justice-Framework.pdf