What we think about language by Elizabeth Schipper

Summarizing Mike Mena's Video

schipperelizabeth98 — 2025-10-12 02:07:56 UTC

This video goes over an article written by Richard Ruiz in 1984, "Orientations in Language Planning". Reviewing the 3 orientations Richard's states and what they each mean.

Summarizing Mike Mena's Video

schipperelizabeth98 — 2025-10-12 02:11:02 UTC

The first orientation reviewed is "Language as a problem orientation". This orientation has been shown to have flaws. Creating an idea that different languages are wrong, problematic and need to be fixed. Mena states "protecting a language is protecting the people that use that language". Language is a direct link to a human's heritage, culture, and family. A country as a whole should not treat a language as a problem that needs to be fixed because then we are saying that those people in a whole are problems that need to be fixed.

schipperelizabeth98 — 2025-10-12 02:14:11 UTC

Hearing him talk about the faults of language as a problem made me think about the ancient days of conquest. Where groups of people would find new homes and new cultures and immediately try to squash it and take it over, expanding their own. Instead of embracing what was different and learning new things.

Summarizing Mike Mena's Video

schipperelizabeth98 — 2025-10-12 02:29:11 UTC

The second orientation he talks about is "Language as right orientation". This orientation created the era where society started to accept the concept that people who spoke different languages should not be discriminated against and should still have rights. However, this also creates conflict, in history anytime there is something pronounced as a right to one group there is always another group to oppose this. Whenever you introduce a right, it always turns political and will always have people who object. This orientation created some good, and should not be ignored, the opportunity to embrace your culture and native language should be seen more as a right and not a problem. However, it also created some complicated faults and conflict.

schipperelizabeth98 — 2025-10-12 02:46:39 UTC

Thinking back over the problems that occurred with thinking of language as a right, makes me think how everything seems to turn political. Will there be a world where humans as a whole can agree on one thing?

Summarizing Mike Mena's Video

schipperelizabeth98 — 2025-10-12 02:52:21 UTC

The third language orientation is "Language as resource orientation". Language as a right orientation created conflicts between different groups. Richard Ruiz hoped that seeing language as a resource would help ease this conflict between groups and create a society where people who spoke different languages could be seen as helpful. Helping us stay connected and informed in not only local communities or a nation of a variety of cultures but also as human beings on a planet.

Language as a resource = connected communities and global relationships

schipperelizabeth98 — 2025-10-12 02:54:40 UTC

Which language orientation do I see in my field experience?

schipperelizabeth98 — 2025-10-12 03:14:05 UTC

I see a mixture of both language as a right and language as a resource.

Language as a right- I work with the ELL specialist as she pulls ELL students to her classroom to work with. She knows a little Spanish to help here and there but she is not fluent in it and her native language is English. I see this as the students right to extra English help to succeed in school. They got placed into her groups because of a certain score they got on tests that gives them the placement of her class to further help their language development to be successful in their general class.

Language as a resource- I watch language be used as a resource amongst the peers in her group and I have to say it is really neat to be able to witness! There are some students that know English more than others, when there is a struggle due to lack of language the other students jump in to help translate for both the students and the teachers. The teacher even asks them sometimes to help and ask what the other student said. This is showing the Spanish native speaking students that their knowledge of their native language can be used as a tool and a resource in the classroom, and that it is valuable.

schipperelizabeth98 — 2025-10-12 03:28:10 UTC

I used this visual to represent the type of language as a resource orientation I am seeing in the classroom I am working in. As I am seeing young students feel helpful and inspired when they get to help a peer understand something in class. I think the more we can empower young students to find themselves helpful and empowering the more society will grow to see how people who speak different languages from us can be helpful and their language can be a resource for all. Creating a more accepting society.

What orientation do I learn towards?

schipperelizabeth98 — 2025-10-12 03:33:50 UTC

As a future educator I lean towards language as a resource. I lean towards this because I think a mindset that something so important to a student and their family, such as their language, can also be important to me and my classroom creates a strong classroom community. Which in results creates a strong and united society. I agree with the points made by Richard Ruiz that when something becomes a "right" in the political eyes, there is automatically someone there to oppose it. I think it is important that we change that mindset, language isn't a political right that should be debated against. Language is a language, access to culture, heritage, family, home. Language is important to each individual, and it each language should be important to my classroom. I want my students to feel as though they can help me through their power of language as much as I can help them. I will always be interested in learning what my students can teach me about their language, so they grow into society to feel no shame of their language and continue to use their language as a helpful resource to the world.