Toward a Pedagogy of Linguistic Justice Through Empathy in OWI

Authors

Marcela Hebbard, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow
Janine Morris
Catrina Mitchum

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Spring 2024

Abstract

This article argues that in the teaching of writing online, incidents of linguistic discrimination can be (in)directly caused by faculty unfamiliarity with online teaching best practices, lack of critical linguistic awareness, and the prevalent legacy of racist and monolingual ideologies. To address this issue, it is necessary to cultivate empathy as a bridge between instructors and students. This article calls for the interconnectedness of empathy and linguistic justice in online writing courses as tools to create more equitable and inclusive environments for all students. The article uses data from a longitudinal, cross-institutional study to apply an empathetic, linguistically just approach to OWI to examine assumptions around technology instructions and use. The authors stress the importance of understanding student perspectives and experiences and outline strategies that humanize students in online writing courses. Implications for teaching include a need for increased reflexivity and pedagogical clarity.

Comments

© Copyright 2024 Marcela Hebbard, Janine Morris, and Catrina Mitchum.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.

Recommended Citation

Hebbard, Marcela, Janine Morris, and Catrina Mitchum. "Toward a Pedagogy of Linguistic Justice Through Empathy in OWI." Composition Forum. Vol. 53. 2024.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Publication Title

Composition Forum