Hello all,

I am so sorry to be so terribly vague. I haven’t a grand clue as to how to phrase my workshop interests cohesively – that is to say that I am certain that there is some intersection where the forthcoming thoughts shall meet, but I am not seeing it quite yet. Or at least well enough so that it shall make sense to a person who is not me. All this to say, I’ll just throw things out and see what lands.

Ta – Jamie

• The exceptional child. Many parents believe that their children are “gifted” or “exceptional.” On the other end of this spectrum is the special needs child who has exceptional needs.
  • What do we mean by this?
    • Parents
    • Educators
    • Psychologists (behavioural, clinical, neuro, etc)
    • Sociologist
    • And so forth
  • Should these children be treated/taught differently than those who are within what would be considered normal range?
  • What is “normal”?
  • What do such appellations mean for these children in the context of their childhoods? What can readings scholarly/non-scholarly writings tell us about the experiences of these children?
    • Ethnography
    • Personal Stories
    • News accounts
    • Literature – fictional, non-fiction, memoirs
  • Has anyone any first-hand knowledge, anecdotal experience with exceptional children?
• The Bilingual Child. Though the US hasn’t an official de jure language, the accepted de facto language of the state is American English. And…though there is no “standard English” per se,  there is some expectation of the confines of its speech, in pedagogy as well as in standard practice.
  • Should there be a standardised English?
    • In areas where there are different dialects, varieties, registers, etc, etc, etc, should the standard English be thought of the correct English?
    • Should other varieties of American English be standardised and taught in lieu of or in addition to accepted English (e.g. AAV)
  • There are English-Only movements across the US, where there is a protestation of, among other things, bilingual education (e.g. ESL).
    • Thoughts on this?
    • What about second languages being taught in schools?
      • Should this be eliminated? Expanded?
  • 1^st Generation American Children, or those who immigrated early in their childhoods, often act as “language brokers” for parents who have not been able to manoeuvre the linguistic and concomitant social landscape of their adopted home.
    • What does this do for the child socially, psychologically
    • We have spent a great deal of time this semester speaking of “prematurity” regarding the child. Does this parent/child relationship speak to that issue?
  • Anyone have any first-hand or anecdotal experience with childhood bilingualism?
• Language Acquisition – Just general ideas and interests about language acquisition, child language, and all that fall under that umbrella.