Something that Professor Lowe said during her lecture last week really struck a chord with me. I get pretty hung up on spelling and grammar. It never occurred to me what a damaging effect on students' writing correcting every little error might have. Of course this would be really discouraging. Why would a student want to continue writing if a teacher caused them to believe they were not a successful writer? Professor Lowe pointed out that students become good spellers and writers by reading and writing, so they should be given many opportunities to do so and should be encouraged. This was a major lightbulb moment for me.
As a result, I read the readings this week with the following question in mind: "What does this article contain for me about encouraging my students to write?"
I soon realised I had already formed a strong opinion which definitely informed my reading. The first article I read, about using blogging as a pedagogical resource to get students writing and reflecting (as I am doing right now) supported the idea that enjoyment and freedom were important elements of getting students to write. Reluctant writers were quoted as commenting that although they had dreaded contributing to class blogs, they found that they both enjoyed and gained a lot from the process. They felt the medium was flexible and freeing and were encouraged to continue writing.
The second article I read, in contrast, focused on the necessity of teaching form over content. It emphasised the importance of the type of instruction in which basic elements such as sentence structure and the relationships between words took priority over meaning. The author, in this and several subsequent articles, argued that allowing students to wax lyrical on whatever subjects and issues interested them without providing rigorous instruction on how to use linguistic forms had led to a dramatic decline in the quality of students' writing.
So I am left to ponder the question: "How do I maintain high expectations of my students' writing and set a standard for quality work in my classroom without discouraging my students from writing altogether?"
Food for thought.
Perhaps a clue lies in my other reading - a quote from Henri Nouwen, the aptly named 'A Reminder to Those of Us Who Would Write'. A beautiful, inspiring quote concerning the great importance and enormous value of writing. Perhaps inspiration is the key!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Don't Sweat The Small Stuff
After Prof Lowe's tutorial earlier this semester I was really looking forward to her tutorial this week. I learned a great deal last time and the same can be said this time. Prof Lowe's enthusiasm is infectious, and I what I particularly appreciate as I listen to her is the empathy she clearly displays for young readers, writers, and spellers. We are asked to put ourselves in the role of learners, and this is so very effective and memorable. I have taken a great deal of practical advice from this week's tutorial, and a reminder of how important it is to demonstrate information and to actively engage and involve students and to make learning relevant.
Perhaps the most important concept I can take away from the tutorial is that of giving ownership to the writer, of giving many opportunities to write, to share, and to self-edit by reading aloud. I think it is valuable to remember that we learn to spell by reading and writing, so students should be given many opportunities to read and write. I loved the spelling quiz and the curiosity it aroused - I genuinely wanted to know how to spell "accommodation" because none of us were certain! This was a real lesson for me in providing ownership - even just during my two prac experiences I have had a number of students call out "Miss - how do you spell...?" and I have simply given them the spelling, rather than encouraging an enthusiasm for words by responding "Does anyone know? Where might we find that word? Let's look for it!"
I guess the real lesson here for me is to be encouraging and not to get hung up on the details, perhaps ease up on the red pen and support students in their efforts to express themselves. I can see now that being handed back a page covered in red crosses and corrections will hardly create a sense of success or an incentive to keep trying, to keep writing, to keep exploring. So (sigh) despite the fact that things such as grossly misused (and NOT used) apostrophes drive me to distraction... I need to remember that details such as this are not, in fact, the point. The point is that the student wrote something, and that is to be encouraged.
I think this is a very, very valuable inclusion to our research. Providing genuine assistance to students struggling with writing independently is more than just providing them with a set of rules, or skills, or stuff to learn and memorise - it is an attitude to impart, one of "letting the pen take you on an adventure".
Perhaps the most important concept I can take away from the tutorial is that of giving ownership to the writer, of giving many opportunities to write, to share, and to self-edit by reading aloud. I think it is valuable to remember that we learn to spell by reading and writing, so students should be given many opportunities to read and write. I loved the spelling quiz and the curiosity it aroused - I genuinely wanted to know how to spell "accommodation" because none of us were certain! This was a real lesson for me in providing ownership - even just during my two prac experiences I have had a number of students call out "Miss - how do you spell...?" and I have simply given them the spelling, rather than encouraging an enthusiasm for words by responding "Does anyone know? Where might we find that word? Let's look for it!"
I guess the real lesson here for me is to be encouraging and not to get hung up on the details, perhaps ease up on the red pen and support students in their efforts to express themselves. I can see now that being handed back a page covered in red crosses and corrections will hardly create a sense of success or an incentive to keep trying, to keep writing, to keep exploring. So (sigh) despite the fact that things such as grossly misused (and NOT used) apostrophes drive me to distraction... I need to remember that details such as this are not, in fact, the point. The point is that the student wrote something, and that is to be encouraged.
I think this is a very, very valuable inclusion to our research. Providing genuine assistance to students struggling with writing independently is more than just providing them with a set of rules, or skills, or stuff to learn and memorise - it is an attitude to impart, one of "letting the pen take you on an adventure".
Purpose
I don't consider the questions posed by this unit to be a distraction from the core disciplinary business of an English teacher in any way. As a number of others have noted, reading and writing is an integral part of the English curriculum. So, in fact, our discussions and explorations have all directly addressed issues relating to the daily business of an English teacher.
I'd like to - if i may - put on the hat of a Drama teacher for a moment (on this forum rather than the somewhat empty Drama page...) and address these questions from that perspective.
The Drama curriculum is concerned with developing performance and playbuilding skills, an appreciation of theatre and dramatic works, building empathy and values about working collaboratively. In my heart-of-hearts - the curriculum definition pretty much covers it! I'll be working with students to help them to appreciate theatre and to create it, to work together, and to put themselves in other people's shoes from time to time. I've pretty much spent my life in this field and I know what a challenging and rewarding world I'll be introducing them to. The radically transforming literary landscape we live in I think will only enhance students' experience of Drama. They'll have access to more resources, be able to see more, consider more, create in different mediums, explore possibilities from all over the world, think outside the box... I think they'll also be able to teach me a thing or two as many will be far more technologically "literate" than me.
So how does redefining writing come into it? Written communication is a major aspect of Drama for a number of reasons. I've been asked to consider "purpose" by a number of sources this week. Why? Why write? I've always enjoyed writing, so I can't really connect to the question unless I consider "purpose" from another perspective. I've never liked computers, so I've always sucked at using them. I was a very basic email and word processor user, and that was as far as it went. This year we were asked to create a wiki - nightmare of nightmares - and I had to figure out how to hyperlink, how to embed videos, upload, download, attatch, insert. Fortunately as each of these elements were introduced I could see a use for them beyond the assignment. I could blog. Create a website. Get connected! I had a purpose, so I learned.
So what is the "purpose" of writing for a Drama student? I would say it's twofold - creating and reflecting. Self devised works, scripts, journals, self-evaluations... there's a number of reasons for Drama students to write and to express themselves effectively, and it's definitely not a distraction from my core disciplinary business to illustrate and facilitate this aspect of their learning and to encourage their explorations.
I'd like to - if i may - put on the hat of a Drama teacher for a moment (on this forum rather than the somewhat empty Drama page...) and address these questions from that perspective.
The Drama curriculum is concerned with developing performance and playbuilding skills, an appreciation of theatre and dramatic works, building empathy and values about working collaboratively. In my heart-of-hearts - the curriculum definition pretty much covers it! I'll be working with students to help them to appreciate theatre and to create it, to work together, and to put themselves in other people's shoes from time to time. I've pretty much spent my life in this field and I know what a challenging and rewarding world I'll be introducing them to. The radically transforming literary landscape we live in I think will only enhance students' experience of Drama. They'll have access to more resources, be able to see more, consider more, create in different mediums, explore possibilities from all over the world, think outside the box... I think they'll also be able to teach me a thing or two as many will be far more technologically "literate" than me.
So how does redefining writing come into it? Written communication is a major aspect of Drama for a number of reasons. I've been asked to consider "purpose" by a number of sources this week. Why? Why write? I've always enjoyed writing, so I can't really connect to the question unless I consider "purpose" from another perspective. I've never liked computers, so I've always sucked at using them. I was a very basic email and word processor user, and that was as far as it went. This year we were asked to create a wiki - nightmare of nightmares - and I had to figure out how to hyperlink, how to embed videos, upload, download, attatch, insert. Fortunately as each of these elements were introduced I could see a use for them beyond the assignment. I could blog. Create a website. Get connected! I had a purpose, so I learned.
So what is the "purpose" of writing for a Drama student? I would say it's twofold - creating and reflecting. Self devised works, scripts, journals, self-evaluations... there's a number of reasons for Drama students to write and to express themselves effectively, and it's definitely not a distraction from my core disciplinary business to illustrate and facilitate this aspect of their learning and to encourage their explorations.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Post Presentation
I can't log into Moodle this morning... but can log in to Blogger, so all is not lost. It's week four, and time to reflect on the literacy aspect of this unit as a whole. The first thought that comes to mind is how inspired I am to pursue this aspect of teaching much, much further. It is such an incredible thought to think that it is not too late to address a student's literacy skills once they reach secondary school. And it is not too late to inspire reluctant readers. I think what has been really outstanding about this unit is that it has demonstrated how effective its own principles are in the way that the coursework was delivered and the assessments were designed. I really wanted to read the material. I wanted to write the blog - mainly because it was so clear to me that it was my own ideas and learning and how I engaged with the material that was going to be most valued. This is a rarity, but it shouldn't be!
I find myself wishing I had time to do more. To read other people's blogs - because I've discovered there are many teachers and writers from all over the world blogging about this very subject - and I really look forward to reading them. I think that Professor Lowe's tutorial and Chris Tovani's book are an excellent starting point. Already their principles have entered into my thinking about how to plan lessons and assessments that enhance real learning. And I know this is just the beginning. My fervent hope is that I remember how strongly this course and the time I spent speaking with Don has made me feel about the importance of being a teacher who NOTICES things, CARES about them, and DOES something. I don't want to be a teacher who takes the easy way, and lets the "invisible" kids slip through the cracks.
I find myself wishing I had time to do more. To read other people's blogs - because I've discovered there are many teachers and writers from all over the world blogging about this very subject - and I really look forward to reading them. I think that Professor Lowe's tutorial and Chris Tovani's book are an excellent starting point. Already their principles have entered into my thinking about how to plan lessons and assessments that enhance real learning. And I know this is just the beginning. My fervent hope is that I remember how strongly this course and the time I spent speaking with Don has made me feel about the importance of being a teacher who NOTICES things, CARES about them, and DOES something. I don't want to be a teacher who takes the easy way, and lets the "invisible" kids slip through the cracks.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
The Tovani Finale (Ch 8 & 9)
The chapter on assessment was another which I read with great interest, as this is one of the more alarming aspects of the role I am about to undertake. How on earth do I set assessments? How do I mark them? Even more frightening, how do I do either of these things in a way which is worth a damn to my students or to me as a teacher? Tovani raises the point that teachers want to know "...how I can tell if my students are improving as readers" and says that she as a teacher wants to "assess my students' thinking in a way that informs my teaching". Yeah. What she said.I loved the quote from David Perkins that says "...inert knowledge is the knowledge equivalent of a couch potato: It's there, but it doesn't move around much or do anything." This quote made me laugh out loud - and it's so true of so much of the way that knowledge is taught and assessed.
I thought the idea of "Conversation Calendars" was a great one, an excellent way of getting to know students and finding out what they care about in order to help them see how the work they do in class connects to their lives. "Reading Response Logs" - helping students get better at reading, writing, and thinking by reading, writing, and thinking. Seems so obvious when it is illustrated in this way. A "File Folder Collection of Work Samples" - collecting throughout the year especially selected pieces of work which give a piece of the puzzle as to who our students are. And final examinations which explicitly examine metacognitive processes. Testing what they have learned about their own reading and learning processes. What a great idea! I really appreciated the importance of getting students to share their thinking - so valuable for them as learners, and so valuable for us as learners about learners.
And then the piece de resistance: "Base your assessment on what you value". I remember Dr Shann saying just that. And then I thought about this very unit of work and how it is being assessed. I realise how much I have enjoyed this unit. How very, very valuable blogging has been as a means of contemplating readings and tutorials, how validated I have felt as a learner by being able to express exactly what I have thought (not what I am expected to have remembered), and how all this has really enabled me to engage with the material I am being asked to consider. I have really enjoyed it, and I have learned a lot by thinking about the material. Lol! There it is. Just what Tovani is saying. In a nutshell.
Three things are highlighted in the concluding chapter of the book. Firstly, "...focus on what is important and, as much as possible, ignore the rest". That statement really struck a chord, because one of the things that surprised me most on prac was how very disrupted a place a classroom really is. Fire drills. Sports carnivals. Dramas (unscripted ones). It really is important to prioritise and focus, and teach these skills as well!
The next thing was the final verse of the poem "Did I Miiss Anything?" by Tom Wayman. I highlighted it for no other reason than I loved it, I thought it was such a beautiful thought:
Contained in this classroom
is a microcosm of human existence
assembled for you to query and examine and ponder
This is not the only place such an opportunity has been gathered
but it was one place
Yes! Learning is important! Significant! Worth turning up for!
And finally - this: Tovani hopes that I, her reader, am saying to myself "I can do this!"
I can do this.
I thought the idea of "Conversation Calendars" was a great one, an excellent way of getting to know students and finding out what they care about in order to help them see how the work they do in class connects to their lives. "Reading Response Logs" - helping students get better at reading, writing, and thinking by reading, writing, and thinking. Seems so obvious when it is illustrated in this way. A "File Folder Collection of Work Samples" - collecting throughout the year especially selected pieces of work which give a piece of the puzzle as to who our students are. And final examinations which explicitly examine metacognitive processes. Testing what they have learned about their own reading and learning processes. What a great idea! I really appreciated the importance of getting students to share their thinking - so valuable for them as learners, and so valuable for us as learners about learners.
And then the piece de resistance: "Base your assessment on what you value". I remember Dr Shann saying just that. And then I thought about this very unit of work and how it is being assessed. I realise how much I have enjoyed this unit. How very, very valuable blogging has been as a means of contemplating readings and tutorials, how validated I have felt as a learner by being able to express exactly what I have thought (not what I am expected to have remembered), and how all this has really enabled me to engage with the material I am being asked to consider. I have really enjoyed it, and I have learned a lot by thinking about the material. Lol! There it is. Just what Tovani is saying. In a nutshell.
Three things are highlighted in the concluding chapter of the book. Firstly, "...focus on what is important and, as much as possible, ignore the rest". That statement really struck a chord, because one of the things that surprised me most on prac was how very disrupted a place a classroom really is. Fire drills. Sports carnivals. Dramas (unscripted ones). It really is important to prioritise and focus, and teach these skills as well!
The next thing was the final verse of the poem "Did I Miiss Anything?" by Tom Wayman. I highlighted it for no other reason than I loved it, I thought it was such a beautiful thought:
Contained in this classroom
is a microcosm of human existence
assembled for you to query and examine and ponder
This is not the only place such an opportunity has been gathered
but it was one place
Yes! Learning is important! Significant! Worth turning up for!
And finally - this: Tovani hopes that I, her reader, am saying to myself "I can do this!"
I can do this.
Tovani Chapters 5,6,7
Just a couple of hours up my sleeve but time enough, I think, to note my reflections on the rest of Cris Tovani's book, and I think this is an exercise well worth doing - I came across so many points which made me think "Ah-ha! I can use that!" or "Ah-ha! That's so true!"
The first point was the idea of ensuring that readers have a purpose for reading, because this helps them remember more of the text. The purpose for reading determines what is important - so teachers need to be clear in their reasons for assigning their reading. (I can think of another very good reason, too - so when students groan "WHY do we have to read this?" I have an answer. A good one. Worth their while.) By giving students a purpose we give them "a lens through which to read the piece" and help them to identify what is important. And we as teachers need to know what we want them to be able to DO with the information once they have read it. By doing this we may be assisting students with their comprehension by giving them an indication of what they are looking for as they read. We should tell them up front what they are looking for. I can see how this works for both English and Drama texts and, in fact, it's something I already practice. I do think it's very important to tell students what we'll be doing with the text, so I might have them keep a "character journal" in which they note as we read the character's actions, descriptions of the character, what they wear, what other characters say about them, what motivates them. I think this helps readers to make a connection to a character in a play or story and seek out details which tell us who he or she is.
The next point - "If the piece isn't going to entertain, teach, or improve my life in some way, I throw it out" - I feel exactly the same way! I cannot focus for long on anything which is not interesting or informative, so I need to remember to make explicit to my students the purpose of their reading, because they probably feel just the same. Setting a purpose will help them (and me) to persevere when reading is boring or difficult.
Tovani discusses a student called Aaron, a reluctant student and reader, and she quoted Richard Vacca who said "All struggling readers have to do is act tough and say nothing, and they can become invisible". Tovani then asks "...if students become invisible, does it mean we no longer have the responsibility to teach them?" I thought straight away of Don, who said on a number of occasions to look for the kids in the back row, because they're the ones who are struggling and in trouble.
I have made a note of Tovani's strategies for holding information: Highlighters (as I've said, already I'm a big fan of these), sticky notes, whole group charts, comprehension constructors, double-entry diaries. I thought these were excellent strategies, just requiring that little bit of extra forethought and effort on the teacher's behalf. Well worth it, I should think.
Then another point which reminded me of Don - "...asking questions is a signal that you are constructing meaning. Readers who don't ask questions are often disengaged and unable to remember what they've read." Tovani then discusses the potential for allowing students' questions to clear up misconceptions and see where the gaps are and what is unclear and needs reteaching. Don had a great deal to say on the subject of questions as this is his primary source of information. He believes whenever you are addressing a group you must allow questions to be asked AS THEY ARISE, not at the end, because your listeners' questions will inform your delivery by letting you know what they want and need to hear, and what is not clear. I reckon Don and Cris Tovani would get along like a house on fire.
In Chapter 7 Tovani discusses group work - and I read this chapter with real interest because, as she states, the benefits of group work are so often discussed, and yet the reality can be slightly chaotic, with much time spent off-task. Having said that, I tried a number of group work exercises with a very - er - lively group of year elevens during prac, and they surprised me by responding and engaging very enthusiastically. Tovani's suggestions for guiding group activities, showing them how to collaborate and discuss, and providing feedback are very useful. I loved the quote from Harvey Daniels: "Students who are given the opportunity to collaborate every day receive the loud and clear signal that working and thinking with others is an important skill, valued both in school and in the real world." I'll remember that - that it's worth the effort.
The first point was the idea of ensuring that readers have a purpose for reading, because this helps them remember more of the text. The purpose for reading determines what is important - so teachers need to be clear in their reasons for assigning their reading. (I can think of another very good reason, too - so when students groan "WHY do we have to read this?" I have an answer. A good one. Worth their while.) By giving students a purpose we give them "a lens through which to read the piece" and help them to identify what is important. And we as teachers need to know what we want them to be able to DO with the information once they have read it. By doing this we may be assisting students with their comprehension by giving them an indication of what they are looking for as they read. We should tell them up front what they are looking for. I can see how this works for both English and Drama texts and, in fact, it's something I already practice. I do think it's very important to tell students what we'll be doing with the text, so I might have them keep a "character journal" in which they note as we read the character's actions, descriptions of the character, what they wear, what other characters say about them, what motivates them. I think this helps readers to make a connection to a character in a play or story and seek out details which tell us who he or she is.
The next point - "If the piece isn't going to entertain, teach, or improve my life in some way, I throw it out" - I feel exactly the same way! I cannot focus for long on anything which is not interesting or informative, so I need to remember to make explicit to my students the purpose of their reading, because they probably feel just the same. Setting a purpose will help them (and me) to persevere when reading is boring or difficult.
Tovani discusses a student called Aaron, a reluctant student and reader, and she quoted Richard Vacca who said "All struggling readers have to do is act tough and say nothing, and they can become invisible". Tovani then asks "...if students become invisible, does it mean we no longer have the responsibility to teach them?" I thought straight away of Don, who said on a number of occasions to look for the kids in the back row, because they're the ones who are struggling and in trouble.
I have made a note of Tovani's strategies for holding information: Highlighters (as I've said, already I'm a big fan of these), sticky notes, whole group charts, comprehension constructors, double-entry diaries. I thought these were excellent strategies, just requiring that little bit of extra forethought and effort on the teacher's behalf. Well worth it, I should think.
Then another point which reminded me of Don - "...asking questions is a signal that you are constructing meaning. Readers who don't ask questions are often disengaged and unable to remember what they've read." Tovani then discusses the potential for allowing students' questions to clear up misconceptions and see where the gaps are and what is unclear and needs reteaching. Don had a great deal to say on the subject of questions as this is his primary source of information. He believes whenever you are addressing a group you must allow questions to be asked AS THEY ARISE, not at the end, because your listeners' questions will inform your delivery by letting you know what they want and need to hear, and what is not clear. I reckon Don and Cris Tovani would get along like a house on fire.
In Chapter 7 Tovani discusses group work - and I read this chapter with real interest because, as she states, the benefits of group work are so often discussed, and yet the reality can be slightly chaotic, with much time spent off-task. Having said that, I tried a number of group work exercises with a very - er - lively group of year elevens during prac, and they surprised me by responding and engaging very enthusiastically. Tovani's suggestions for guiding group activities, showing them how to collaborate and discuss, and providing feedback are very useful. I loved the quote from Harvey Daniels: "Students who are given the opportunity to collaborate every day receive the loud and clear signal that working and thinking with others is an important skill, valued both in school and in the real world." I'll remember that - that it's worth the effort.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
(Ch 3 &4) Highlights
One of the things I have become very conscious of as I have begun to collate resources and information and guidelines and ideas for my own development as a teacher is observing teachers and texts that practice (or do not practice) what they preach. For example, the long, boring, too difficult, poorly set out textbooks instructing readers on the importance of being mindful of students' cognitive capacities and improving students' retention - or the two hour long passive listening sessions on improving retention which outlive my attention span by approximately an hour and forty-five minutes...
Chris Tovani's book is a breath of fresh air. It's stuff I need to know presented in a way I can understand. I particularly like the fact that Tovani uses anecdotes to get her message across. I've highlighted a couple of the anecdotes which I found particularly relevant to my teaching (...and if I highlighted 'em, they must be important!)
I particularly liked the story of the teachers attempting to make sense of "Di Tri Berrese" because I found it very interesting to see the process broken down into the various individual strategies the teachers used to interpret the text. I have picked out a few of the strategies identified that we use regularly to read and understand. Skipping words/phrases that are unknown and moving on to passages that are more readily understood. I do that! Phonetic pronounciation. Thinking hard whilst reading and making connections to known/familiar information. Asking questions about confusing parts and substituting logical phrases for ones that make no sense. Wrestling with words and being flexible in thinking. Perhaps the reason this particular anecdote stood out is because I seem to recall applying a number of strategies very similar to these to attempt to decode the piece of text in Professor Lowe's lecture last week. Interesting how quickly it all fell into place when just one part of the code became known - the fact that it was about a birthday.
Next I have highlighted Tovani's description on how to support readers who are struggling with a book and might like to abandon it. Having devoted much of my time as an undergraduate to the study of literature I can certainly relate to the torturous experience of wading through text that has failed to grab me, whether it be due to content that is not interesting to me, or writing that is verbose, difficult, and BO-RING (as the students would say - and in all honesty, sometimes they have a point...). Using Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as an example, Tovani identifies her own strategies for persevering with a challenging text. These include getting an overall picture of the novel and how it is organised to provide a frame of reference and help stick it out through the slow bits, knowing about the author and the context in which the book is written (in fact, even as I read this paragraph I recalled a really interesting film called Gothic about the night Mary Shelley conceived of the monster, and suddenly I found myself wanting to read the book, which is sitting on my bookshelf - unread!), remembering that it is not important to understand every single word, and piquing interest by reading a good part. This example stood out to me because I know it is going to be a challenge to get students enthusiastic about novels, particularly the classics (or anything written more than five years ago...) and it was fascinating to see how Tovani used her own challenges with the book to work out how to support the students with the same challenges - with the result that they all wound up excited to read it. Me too!
Next I have highlighted a question put to Tovani by an English teacher called Rick: "Do you think we focus too much on teaching our curriculum, and don't devote enough time to teaching our students?" I appreciated this discussion on perceived academic rigor versus selecting accessible texts and alternative reading that is interesting to students, connected to real life, and appropriate for their reading ability - not too easy, and not too hard. I thought referring the student to the Website to assist with To Kill A Mockingbird was really helpful, because, as Tovani points out, now that the student has gathered some information she can understand about the book, perhaps someday she can return to the book. I'm a big fan of information available online. When I was at school there were pretty much just Cliff Notes to provide additional reading to supplement a text. Now it is possible to explore firsthand any aspect of a text which might arouse curiosity. Of course this applies to any subject - but using Drama, specifically Death Of A Salesman, as an example - it is possible to guide students on an exploration of Arthur Miller, America in the 1950's, the Committee for Un-American Activities, Marilyn Monroe, Broadway Theatre, The Pulitzer Prize, staging techniques, reviews of the play - I could actually go on and on - but the potential for enriching and enhancing students' appreciation of the text and arousing their curiosity and encouraging them to persevere with a text utilising supplementary, easily accessible material online is pretty much limited only by the teacher's own imagination (and enthusiasm level). And of course this is also true of the Text Sets Tovani describes - collections of reading material of varying style and difficulty about and surrounding the area of study providing students with a variety of perspectives and a well rounded view of the subject. As you can see - I'm all for it. I'm a pop culture junkie. When I read history, or a play, or a novel, or a poem my understanding and appreciation are greatly enhanced by knowing what the clothes were like, what the music was like, what the furniture looked like, what people did for fun, who was in the movies... that's how I learn and remember!
I think that's enough out of me for one day...
Chris Tovani's book is a breath of fresh air. It's stuff I need to know presented in a way I can understand. I particularly like the fact that Tovani uses anecdotes to get her message across. I've highlighted a couple of the anecdotes which I found particularly relevant to my teaching (...and if I highlighted 'em, they must be important!)
I particularly liked the story of the teachers attempting to make sense of "Di Tri Berrese" because I found it very interesting to see the process broken down into the various individual strategies the teachers used to interpret the text. I have picked out a few of the strategies identified that we use regularly to read and understand. Skipping words/phrases that are unknown and moving on to passages that are more readily understood. I do that! Phonetic pronounciation. Thinking hard whilst reading and making connections to known/familiar information. Asking questions about confusing parts and substituting logical phrases for ones that make no sense. Wrestling with words and being flexible in thinking. Perhaps the reason this particular anecdote stood out is because I seem to recall applying a number of strategies very similar to these to attempt to decode the piece of text in Professor Lowe's lecture last week. Interesting how quickly it all fell into place when just one part of the code became known - the fact that it was about a birthday.
Next I have highlighted Tovani's description on how to support readers who are struggling with a book and might like to abandon it. Having devoted much of my time as an undergraduate to the study of literature I can certainly relate to the torturous experience of wading through text that has failed to grab me, whether it be due to content that is not interesting to me, or writing that is verbose, difficult, and BO-RING (as the students would say - and in all honesty, sometimes they have a point...). Using Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as an example, Tovani identifies her own strategies for persevering with a challenging text. These include getting an overall picture of the novel and how it is organised to provide a frame of reference and help stick it out through the slow bits, knowing about the author and the context in which the book is written (in fact, even as I read this paragraph I recalled a really interesting film called Gothic about the night Mary Shelley conceived of the monster, and suddenly I found myself wanting to read the book, which is sitting on my bookshelf - unread!), remembering that it is not important to understand every single word, and piquing interest by reading a good part. This example stood out to me because I know it is going to be a challenge to get students enthusiastic about novels, particularly the classics (or anything written more than five years ago...) and it was fascinating to see how Tovani used her own challenges with the book to work out how to support the students with the same challenges - with the result that they all wound up excited to read it. Me too!
Next I have highlighted a question put to Tovani by an English teacher called Rick: "Do you think we focus too much on teaching our curriculum, and don't devote enough time to teaching our students?" I appreciated this discussion on perceived academic rigor versus selecting accessible texts and alternative reading that is interesting to students, connected to real life, and appropriate for their reading ability - not too easy, and not too hard. I thought referring the student to the Website to assist with To Kill A Mockingbird was really helpful, because, as Tovani points out, now that the student has gathered some information she can understand about the book, perhaps someday she can return to the book. I'm a big fan of information available online. When I was at school there were pretty much just Cliff Notes to provide additional reading to supplement a text. Now it is possible to explore firsthand any aspect of a text which might arouse curiosity. Of course this applies to any subject - but using Drama, specifically Death Of A Salesman, as an example - it is possible to guide students on an exploration of Arthur Miller, America in the 1950's, the Committee for Un-American Activities, Marilyn Monroe, Broadway Theatre, The Pulitzer Prize, staging techniques, reviews of the play - I could actually go on and on - but the potential for enriching and enhancing students' appreciation of the text and arousing their curiosity and encouraging them to persevere with a text utilising supplementary, easily accessible material online is pretty much limited only by the teacher's own imagination (and enthusiasm level). And of course this is also true of the Text Sets Tovani describes - collections of reading material of varying style and difficulty about and surrounding the area of study providing students with a variety of perspectives and a well rounded view of the subject. As you can see - I'm all for it. I'm a pop culture junkie. When I read history, or a play, or a novel, or a poem my understanding and appreciation are greatly enhanced by knowing what the clothes were like, what the music was like, what the furniture looked like, what people did for fun, who was in the movies... that's how I learn and remember!
I think that's enough out of me for one day...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
