Rhetoric Review Sep 2008

Teaching English for “A Better America”

Amy Dayton-Wood University of Alabama

Abstract

Pedagogical materials from the early twentieth-century Americanization movement functioned rhetorically as responses to public discourse, which was highly critical of immigrants' language practices. In teachers' journals and language textbooks, educators engaged in a dialogue with the public, seeking to establish themselves as proponents of social progress and cultural stability. They framed English instruction as a tool for a refashioning of the nation and embraced monolingualism as a unifying force within that nation. As educators sought to engage native-born Americans and immigrants alike in the creation of this ideal nation, assumptions about national identity became embedded into pedagogical practices.

Journal
Rhetoric Review
Published
2008-09-18
DOI
10.1080/07350190802339275
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
discourse analysis writing pedagogy teacher development public rhetoric
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