Monday, December 10, 2007

Early Field Reflection

When my early field experience began, I really did not know what to expect. I knew that transitioning from the student to teacher role might prove difficult at first. Although first days can be quite intimidating, the moment that I stepped into the early field classroom, I knew that I had found my calling. For several weeks, I was able to build relationships with seniors and freshmen, and I had the chance to share my passion for English with them in the classroom. I learned that there is no such thing as the perfect classroom with perfect students. Instead, I figured out how to work closely with students and listen to their unique voices. By listening and expressing a genuine interest in their lives, I was able to engage students easily, but all relationships take TIME. I saw myself over the semester planting seeds in each classroom that I taught in. Progress as a teacher, I have learned, is not measured by students' grades alone. Progress to me, this semester, meant anything from keeping my male students awake in 2nd period to having seniors drill me with questions about the Renaissance.

If I am caught off guard with something in the classroom, I have learned how to relax and work with the available resources. If I know the material well, I can create a lesson only minutes before class if I need to. Being honest and real with students is also important. Giving students genuine feedback on assignments is just one way to incorporate this open communication in the classroom. I also learned the importance of sharing yourself with students. At different points, I incorporated two of my other passions (art and music) in the classroom, and students really responded to them. It was as though I instantly became someone they could relate to.

Each day, I can feel myself growing as a teacher. The early field experience allowed me to see some things that work and some things that fail in the high school English classroom. I learned that no matter how much you plan, you will never accomplish exactly what you would like to in any given day. This upcoming semester, I will have a better idea of how much to plan for each lesson. Working with high school freshmen this Fall has also prepared me for the Spring. I was able to observe their short attention spans and all the little things that can distract them in the classroom. I will work hard this Spring to keep students on their toes and engaged.

I believe that I am ready to make the transition into student teacher intern. I realize that I have so much left to learn, but it is that fact that makes teaching so exciting to me. I am always learning.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

On Writing.

I believe that students can discover and accomplish things they never thought possible through writing. When learners read, the effect is comparable to that of an individual watching a movie. The writer gives you specific details or snapshots that you, as a reader, are given to form characters, themes, and a plot. When they have finished reading, readers step back often with only what the writer has left them. Alternately, writing amplifies thinking as learners are left with only their own thoughts and a place to jot them down. I am sure that my students will ask me, "Miss Fix, why do we have to write? What is the difference?" My answer is simple: You understand and comprehend information better when you are forced to do something with it. Writing is one excellent way to process and store information into long-term memory in an effective and relevant way.

Personally, I am a big brainstormer, and, just as Romano, I believe it will be important to reveal my writing process to students. Now that I have spent some time observing in the high school classroom, I see just how important it is to start students off on the right writing foot. I have learned it is VERY dangerous to assume that students understand all steps of the writing process and minimal instruction is okay for certain assignments. I have observed many students who do not take writing seriously, either because they feel that the paper is too much work or because they think they know exactly what they are doing. As an English teacher, an essential part of my job will be to help students see both a process AND a reward. Unlike tests, writing assignments give students a chance to be creative, show others what they have learned, and allow them to have a permanent copy of their hard work. Writing also allows both teachers and students to see progress and areas in need of improvement.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Media: The Magic of Pairing

The most important thing that I gained from Milner and Milner's chapter on media was the power of pairing. If I plan on utilizing media in my classroom, I need to be sure that it matches the purpose for my lesson and the material that I am covering. I really appreciated all of the examples that Milner and Milner provided to complement classic texts or themes with modern pieces. I think that it is VERY important to really consider how media can work within a specific classroom within a specific period. Some students may really enjoy the connections between literature and paintings, while others may feel that music works more effectively. It might take trial-and-error exercises before teachers can really understand what media is best suited for each class.

Milner and Milner discussed music, film, comics, magazines, and advertising as different ways to engage students further in a piece of writing or grammar concept. One of my personal favorite suggestions presented was the idea of having a class make a one-time issue of a grammar magazine. Grammar is an area in the English curriculum that students should be encouraged to be creative in and make their own. Class magazines can incorporate the individual experiences and personalities that comprise the group to produce a unique, educational product. As a teacher, I will try my best to use different forms of media throughout the year to keep students surprised, yet appreciative of the helpful tools that exist in our everyday life.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Language is power.

Why doesn't vocabulary stick with students? Why don't they use the words from vocabulary instruction in their papers? Why don't they use the words in their speech? These are serious questions that I ponder at least once each day that I am in a school. In the classroom that I currently observe in, each period begins with a vocabulary cartoon on the overhead projector containing a new vocabulary term and a link word or phrase captured in the cartoon (A cactus caucus). At the bottom of the transparency, the new word is used in three sentences, often revealing how the term can appear in different forms. Initially, I actually felt that this vocabulary strategy might help students remember the vocabulary words as they connected a definition with an image. When I graded the first vocabulary quizzes, however, I discovered that it would take more than vocabulary cartoons like these to improve students' comprehension and make the words meaningful to them.

Allen's chapter in Adolescent Literacy reviewed what research has proven about vocabulary instruction and how we can use that to reach learners. I do not think I could use all of the vocabulary strategies that Allen suggested because I felt that some would not work as well in the secondary English classroom as they would in other content areas. The vocabulary that is taught in English classrooms (the kind that we teach students to prepare them for the SATs), is not a collection of words that are interconnected. Concept Circles and Possible Sentences, as the examples in the text suggest, work well in health and science courses. Highlighting "stopper words" on the board/overhead and Context Plus seem as though they would be more effective in English education. For instance, I believe both of these strategies would be effective in the Shakespeare unit that my 12th grade classes are about to begin. As for teaching students SAT-like words, I believe the words themselves must come alive to hold any meaning to students. Instead of an overhead cartoon generated by a textbook, perhaps teachers could give students a five-minute opportunity to create their own short cartoon. Students could even form small groups and act out their interpretation of the new term. I think one problem in English classrooms today is a lack of emphasis on creativity. If students can create something and call it their own, suddenly something meaningless or annoying becomes worth putting their time and energy into. I believe the purpose of vocabulary instruction goes beyond helping students learn the definitions of new or vaguely familiar terms. My goal in vocabulary instruction is to help my students see the power of language in literature and, more importantly, in their own lives.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Grammar 2.0.

This week's readings made me think about grammar instruction in the English classroom that I am currently observing in. I observe in a twelfth grade classroom in which grammar is rarely, if ever, taught. I agree with Anderson, in his "Zooming In and Zooming Out" article, that grammar should be reinforced throughout an English course. Anderson suggests that grammar should be woven into context in ways like "teach[ing] one thing at a time and apply[ing] it to our daily writing," and encouraging "rich experiences in the writer's notebook" (32). Just as most teachers approach reading instruction, I believe that they must, too, focus on a small example of a grammatical rule and lead their students out to a larger context. I liked Anderson's idea of utilizing books that are already present inside of the classroom to help students connect grammar lessons with real writing. Schuster also revealed that examples taken from professional writing (essays) can be used to reinforce particular lessons. He discussed the appropriateness of sentence fragments, an important lesson that may prove difficult for new teachers.

The usage chapter that our class read this week brought a few thoughts to mind. Will I be ready for the grammar questions that my students will ask me? What will my students know about grammar before they enter my classroom? How will I acquaint myself with the dialect and language features used in the area that I teach in? I found this selection to be very helpful because it included sections on how to approach different types of grammatical issues in the classroom. Double negatives and split infinitives are common errors that students in my English classes have been making. Activity 3-5 (tracking a public figure's speech habits) revealed one way that I can engage my students in discovering standard English rules by making students aware of the relevance that grammar has in today's society. More than anything, my goal as a grammar teacher will be to prepare my students to use standard English "when the occasion demands it" (64).

Monday, October 22, 2007

Grammar.

I believe that I will always have to work at learning grammar. Before I came to college, I did not have structured grammar education. As a result, I am a twenty-two-year-old who must constantly refer back to grammar guidelines. Just as Milner and Milner state in a grammar section in Bridging English, I believe that "grammar...means different things to different people" (79). Bill Gribin attempts to classify grammar into three useful parts: Grammar 1 (our unconscious knowledge of grammar), Grammar 2 (our conscious knowledge of grammar), and Grammar 3 (our concern for proper usage). I agree with Milner and Milner that too often people, when debating grammar instruction, leave out one of these essential grammar components. After all, every student will be exposed to different language environments and there is a time and a place for particular words. I think it is important for English teachers to keep these different grammars in mind as they teach students.

Because I do not have experience yet with grammar instruction in the classroom, it is hard to say which method for teaching grammar is most effective. I do think that some of Burnette's strategies (presented in "Daily Grammar Practice") work through grammar concepts as students are encouraged to write daily. I like her idea of sentence diagramming. I diagrammed several sentences in college courses and, even though they were not the most entertaining exercises, they really helped me learn grammar. A necessary evil if you will. I believe that diagramming sentences and instruction that doesn't isolate individual parts of speech make it easier for students to learn grammar in a more whole sense, as they see how unique words and phrases connect. I agree with Barton's view that "connecting written, read, heard, and spoken language" (86) is significant teaching grammar to students. As an English teacher, I will not always be able to make grammar lessons exciting, but I know that, if I work hard, I can make them meaningful.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Comic books, technology, and writers...oh my!

I attended my first English teacher conference this weekend, and I learned a great deal not only about teaching, but also about English teachers. While I found some sessions to be quite helpful, there were a few that I might not have benefited as significantly from. I enjoyed the presentations on technology and comic books the most because I feel like I can really use strategies from both presentations to engage my students in the classroom regardless of what material I am covering. One of my favorite experiences at the conference was with the author that I met, Scott Loring Sanders. In an intimate environment, we were able to hear this writer read from his new book. This was an exciting situation that I have not been in since elementary school. His reading and his book discussion really got me thinking about finding local writers in the areas that I teach in and inviting them to share their stories with the class. Personally, I felt encouraged by him to take chances and pursue my dreams. I feel like local writers can really move students in ways that their text(s) alone cannot.

At the conference, I also was able to meet and interact with English teachers from around the state. I quickly noticed that there was a large age difference between most of the conference participants. Either participants were graduate students or very new teachers, or participants were older, more experienced teachers with years of teaching under their belts. In sessions like the 21st century skills session, this difference was magnified. The new teachers or graduate students had fewer questions about emerging technologies, while the more experienced teachers listened closely and asked more questions. I felt as though both groups had so much to offer one another. The conference also allowed me to see how every teacher brings a unique dynamic to the English classroom. We all have different strengths, and an important element of teaching is to tap into that dynamic, embrace it, and, above all, use it to help students reach their potential.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

An iPod Generation

About a year or so after hearing about iPods for the first time, I purchased my very own black 8GB second generation iPod nano. Until I began my first methods course, I had never really explored the educational benefits of such a device. As the course has progressed, I have learned about different ways that students can use iPods in the English classroom (e.g. podcasts). This week's article, however, discussed how iPods can help students who are not native English speakers. The article, published by The New York Times, discussed how hearing popular American songs in English can help students learn English in less time than the traditional English education would take. Some schools have moved so far as buying enough iPods so that every student who is trying to learn English will have the opportunity to interact and learn with one.

Although I see the benefit in iPods for students who are not native English speakers, I do not feel that pop music (e.g. The Black Eyed Peas) contains the right phrases and words for new English speakers to learn. Not to mention, do we expose our English-speaking students to today's pop music or promote it? No. In fact, for the most part, the very things that today's pop music encourages are ideas and behaviors that we as teachers either avoid discussing or discourage. I do like the idea of music as a tool for education, but I believe teachers must be very careful in their selections of music as it is very influential in the lives of young people.

One final thought: my theory on what I call "iPod isolation." iPod isolation is very common among young people today. It occurs when individuals cannot seem to go anywhere or do anything without their iPods. It distances the listener from the world outside, and, as a result, their social skills and relationships may suffer. If students are not native English speakers, teachers who utilize iPods in their classes should be careful to educate them on when it is appropriate to use iPods, for students will see the average American doing most anything with those white earplugs lodged in their ears, insulated in their own worlds and separated from the world outside.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

"Monsters" & Assessment

Following a unit on Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxon period, my cooperating teacher asked students to complete a two-page essay in which they identified and described a "monster" in their lives that they have overcome. Yesterday, most students handed in a draft of their essay for my cooperating teacher and I to look over and provide feedback on. As I read the first draft, I was amazed at the eating disorder that one of my male, yes male, students is currently facing (and has been facing for over two years). That paper was only the beginning of my journey into the problems that my students are dealing with. Just as other students in the program have confessed, I felt completely overwhelmed. What are the lines between being a teacher, a parent, and a friend for our students? The "monster" papers haunted me the rest of the day.

When my thoughts had finally settled from the students' papers, I began to think about assessment. This paper served as an outlet for many students to reveal their deepest thoughts and feelings about struggles in their lives, so how would I, as a teacher, grade this assignment? I found Griswold's idea of assessment lists to be a great way to assess students with an assignment like the "monster" essay. If I were grading the "monster" paper, I would make it clear to students that I was grading how they wrote the paper not the details they discussed in the paper. Assessment lists provide students with the exact elements that they are expected to include in their assignments so there is no guessing or confusion. I really like Griswold's idea of distributing the assessment list at the same time as the assignment is given because it helps get students have a clear direction from the beginning. Assessment lists are flexible, yet students know they must meet each assignment expectation, as the list serves as an "assignment contract" between teachers and students.

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Beyond the Classroom



This past Friday, I attended my observing school's Homecoming football game. I must say that I was surprised at the world that it took me back to. At first I felt a little awkward because I was neither parent nor sibling, and I definitely was no longer a high school student. I took a seat in the stands and began to wonder what my presence at the game would mean for the students that I was with two days a week. I ventured to the concession stand at half-time and found my answer. Several of the students that I have formed relationships with inside the classroom over the past five weeks approached me, and they were very happy that I was there to support them. They wanted to talk about anything and everything and they loved that I was someone who wanted to listen. I learned so many new things about my students just from seeing them outside of the classroom. One of my students won Homecoming Queen, and I was so glad that I chose to be there for her and all of my students that night.

Student as Writer, Teacher as Writer

When I look back on the courses that I have taken in graduate school, it seems that I have been prepared to be more of a reading teacher than a writing teacher. I enjoyed this week's readings because they focused on teaching writing and practicing writing myself. It is hard for me at times to imagine a classroom that, as various writers recommend, maintains the perfect 50:50 ratio between reading and writing. I really appreciated the chapter that discussed how to plan a unit of study because I was able to see each step of one teacher's journey through a unit that blends reading and writing effectively.

Tom Romano's chapter really made me begin thinking about writing as an important learning activity for both students AND teachers. His chapter revealed that when teachers travel through the same writing process as students they have more "empathy for student writers and also gain more credibility in students' eyes" (BPR 171). When teachers model their own writing process step-by-step, writing suddenly becomes a more manageable activity and students have an idea of where to start. Another writer suggests that modeling also benefits teachers' instruction as it helps them monitor how long a given assignment might take for students to complete, and it also helps teachers become aware of problems that students might experience in the process of writing. The most important thing that I got out of the BPR readings was that I will need to practice patience when I am approaching students' writing in the classroom. I must be aware that not all students encounter the same problems in the writing process, and students may have different ways of arriving at a polished final piece.

The Bridging English chapters and the assessment article that we read this week discussed portfolios as a way of measuring student progress. I remember completing one portfolio in my high school career, and, looking back, I do not feel that it reflected my best writing. Unlike the ideas discussed in Bridging English, my teacher did not have us write in several genres and we did not continuously work on our portfolio for the entire semester. As a graduate student having completed various writing portfolios in college, I now understand that, as Milner and Milner note, students must actively participate in the compiling of their portfolios and revision must be an intense, on-going, and engaging undertaking. Portfolios should also be assigned with rubrics that are distributed to students so that they are aware of a teacher's expectations, requirements, and methods of assessment. I would really like to use portfolios in my English classroom one day because they are a great resource for students as they monitor their own progress and reflect on just how far they've come.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Classics and Choices

Although several readings were assigned to our class this week, Julie Lause's "Using Reading Workshop to Inspire Lifelong Readers" struck me as the most insightful and personally relevant piece. As a future English educator, the idea of engaging all of my students in a list of required classic texts is a little intimidating. I appreciated how Lause focused her piece on student choice and how it can be used as a tool for getting students interested in reading. I found myself taking notes on nearly all of her article as she traveled step-by-step through a unique reading workshop process.

I have read about reading workshops before, but Lause's article seemed to take a different, more honest approach. The first thing that surprised me in this article was that Lause expects her students to read for forty-five solid minutes a night. In the English classroom that I am observing in I could not imagine my teacher assigning forty-five minutes of reading daily to her students. Homework in my cooperating teacher's class is rarely assigned. I agree with Lause that "readers develop by reading" (25). If students rarely read or are unable to find a reading rhythm, it is unlikely that they will be active readers. I think that beginning the class with the same book and initially allowing students to read silently in class will strengthen the reading workshop.

How will I engage my high school students in reading the classics? Will I be able to incorporate both required classic texts AND free-choice books into my classroom? How can I accomplish this? For years, I have pondered these very questions. As I reflect on my high school career, I realize that not having a choice in the books that I read for my English classes turned me off as a reader. Lause suggests having "students continue reading their own selections for forty-five minutes each night" between required texts (26). I really like this idea because students have a say in their required daily reading at different points in the course. The classics that students are assigned to read can open them up to different genres and writers that may influence their free-choice selections. As Lause suggests, students may find a particular era that they enjoy exploring frequently in the books that they choose. I found her section on the different types of student readers to be particularly helpful because she addresses where each type will probably start reading and where I (as a teacher) should lead them.

Finally, one of the most exciting parts of the reading workshop that Lause describes is the community aspect. Not only does the reading workshop allow students to take control of their own learning, but it also gives them a chance to recall and process new information with other students. Lause notes that students will often decide to read the same book so they can talk about it. In my opinion, nothing can make reading a more engaging experience than sharing the journey with another person. When students are given the chance to share and compare readings with one another, they learn about new texts and the various ways that different writers experience the world.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Podcasts and Multiliterate Youth

As my group worked on a podcast last week, I began to think about how I can incorporate emerging technologies into my classroom. In her chapter in Adolescent Literacy, Donna Alvermann discusses how multiliterate youth embrace technology and use it to help navigate their world. Reading, for instance, has become a digital experience. Literacy is just one of many areas in adolescents' lives that has been changed dramatically by the Net movement. Video games alone, Alvermann notes, can "sit beside [books], interact with them, and change them and their role in society in various ways" (BPR 25). As a teacher, it will be important for me to view young people as having expertise in areas that are specific to certain situations and places. My hope is that I will be able to give students many opportunities to explore their special talents.

It is no surprise to me that podcasts have found their way into the English classroom. Podcasts can serve as a creative outlet for all students as they are given a voice to discuss literature and poetry in an intimate and comfortable way. Podcasts extend far beyond the standard analysis paper and book reports as they give students the opportunity to make their work public on the Internet. Podcasts connect students with the global classroom as different classes share their pieces. Also, students both young and old can benefit from the podcast experience as podcasts vary widely in their complexity. Personally, I find that the most exciting part about podcasts is the way that they prepare students to talk with one another about reading. Podcasts provide students with excellent practice in articulating their thoughts, feelings, and ideas about English before an audience.

Monday, September 10, 2007

The Book Thief: A Journey Beyond Historical Facts

When I first began reading The Book Thief, I anticipated myself as a reader being overwhelmed with historical facts about Nazi Germany, Hitler, and the Holocaust. As I kept reading, however, I discovered that innocence, human relationships, and the brevity of life are the central areas of focus in Markus Zusak's novel. Zusak could have shortened the novel considerably, cutting out several details of Liesel's story, but, I believe, his book's purpose is to move beyond historical facts, and to reveal one story that mirrors the story of thousands of victims in Nazi Germany. I think that it is important for Liesel's character not to be Jewish because her innocent life and death reveal how war and violence affect all things.

I feel that The Book Thief is a powerful book because it is written in a style that blends different genres. Readers of various ages can appreciate its short chapters, informative definitions, and handwritten text and drawings. As a teacher, I believe that these literary elements can heighten students' interests and encourage them to keep reading. For example, when Liesel begins to read the story that Max, her secret Jew, wrote for her during his time in her family's basement, she learns about the information that Hitler includes in his Mein Kampf. In the classroom, it will not be efficient to have students read Hitler's book, but Zusak's unique way of conveying a brief summary of Hitler's story with handwritten text and illustrations provides students with information that will help them navigate The Book Thief and Nazi Germany history. I felt that, throughout the text, Zusak does an excellent job of hitting the historical high points.

My thoughts on The Book Thief are captured perfectly by Liesel, "I have hated the words and I have loved them" (528). I believe that this novel is important because it tackles big issues that many of us will inevitably come across at some point in our lives. My hope is that I will be able to share this novel with my students one day.

Friday, September 7, 2007

The Book Thief Connections

While reading The Book Thief, I have made connections between this book and other texts, as well as connections between this book and myself. When I began reading The Book Thief, I immediately made a connection between this text and Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, a novel by Stephen Crane. Both pieces depict a young female attempting to, as Crane puts it, "blossom [] in a mud puddle." Although Maggie lives in a New York slum in the late nineteenth century, Liesel's situation is equally dark as she struggles with similar issues of poverty and violence in Nazi Germany. I also see connections between the language and the tone in both novels. Crane begins chapter four of Maggie with the following line: "The babe, Tommie, died." This line strikes me as cold and disconnected as the facts are told in a matter-of-fact fashion. Similarly, Death, The Book Thief's speaker, tells his story in an indifferent tone at times, "He was nearly two years old when his father died, shot to pieces on a grassy hill" (188). I believe that the novels' tones give readers an even greater idea of the dark realities that the characters both stories face.

One of the first connections that I made with The Book Thief had to do with its inclusion of different German words and phrases. I took three years of German when I was in high school, and I fell in love with the language. If I see German now, it's almost like a puzzle to me to see what I can remember. That is the way I have traveled through this novel, as though each word and phrase included is a little riddle for me to figure out. I really get excited reading this text because it includes elements of a language I have experience with and enjoy. When I am a teacher, I want to provide my students with diverse selections so that they may have a chance to make connections between themselves and their reading.

Monday, September 3, 2007

So What?

I was surprised by the So What? responses we were given to read. Five years removed from high school, I did not expect such detailed answers from students regarding "On the Subway" by Sharon Olds. I began to think of my own experiences with poetry in high school. What made these reactions so different than when I was in school? It suddenly hit me.

In my high school, I can't remember a single time in English class when we were given the opportunity to jot down our own ideas in this way and have them respected. Activities like So What? genuinely give students the space and freedom to critically think about a piece and honestly write their ideas. So What? is non-threatening and it invites students to share. The questions are so open-ended that students should feel that teachers are interested in what they have to say. There is no single right answer. If a student doesn't have to worry about being wrong, they will almost always provide some type of response.

I feel that "On the Subway" is a great poem to do for an activity like this. A controversial piece evokes students' emotions, backgrounds, values, prejudices, etc. So What? allows students to write their most personal thoughts without the judgement of their peers. Also, each student is given the opportunity to have their voice heard, even the quieter students who do not often participate in whole-class discussions. So What? lets students explore more deeply, as they have more time to organize their thoughts and write them all down. I also feel that it is harder for students to personally connect to poetry because it is often concise. When students are given more time for response, they have a greater chance of finding their own personal connection.

Discussion and Choice in the Classroom

Engaging students in reading is an important daily task for any English educator. Several factors must fall into place for this to occur. First, a student must find the piece interesting. I think we can all remember suffering through a novel or story that bored us to tears! A text must also meet a student's reading level in order for the reader to be engaged. If a student is unable to read and understand a piece of writing, an English teacher can only expect half-hearted effort and unsatisfactory connections. Finally, students must find relevance and personal meaning in their reading. Students need to find something they can hold onto. Everyone needs an idea, an event, a setting, or a character that encourages them to keep reading. When students are engaged in reading, their understanding expands, their attention is focused, and their comprehension improves.

Several writers this week discussed how English teachers can engage students through discussion and choice. In Adolescent Literacy, Probst stresses the importance of talking in the English classroom. When I began reading this chapter, I began to think about debates. In my classroom experiences, debate was the most common discussion-oriented exercise. When speaking of debates, Probst notes, "Conversation should lead to something better for both parties" (BPR 47). This passage really made me begin thinking about the type of discussions that I want to take place in my classroom, and how talking should be beneficial for all students. Among the ideas in Probst's chapter, I think freewriting and the dialogue booklet can be quite effective in the classroom because both activities give students more control over their learning. Freewriting allows students to read a passage (or hear one read aloud), jot down their thoughts, and work through their own questions, rather than the teacher's. The thoughts that students have recorded will facilitate group work that follows. Similarly, the dialogue booklet, as Probst puts it, "begins to move the teacher out of the middle" (BPR 55). Although the English teacher generates the questions to provide structure for the conversation, the students in each group have complete control over what is discussed and when. While the activities in Probst's chapter focused on smaller group discussion, Milner and Milner, in Bridging English, suggest that small-group discussion is a way for students to develop a confident voice and prepare themselves for whole-class discussions.

Giving students choices will be also be an important element of my English classroom. In her chapter in Adolescent Literacy, Lesesne discusses the various ways that adolescent literature is changing. As a result, so too will our decisions as teachers change. For example, she explains how students may identify with and engage themselves more fully in graphic novels, as opposed to the standard dramatic novel. More and more, students are reading stories that blur the lines that exist between genres. Students are increasingly embracing novels told through multiple perspectives. Lesesne notes this shift, "This explosion...means that more and more teens have the opportunity to use books both as a mirror...or as a window" (BPR 72). As teachers, we must give students options to explore the books that speak to them. In Mini-lessons for Literature Circles, Daniels and Steineke suggest book pass stations as a way of bringing choices into the classroom. At each station, teachers give students a chance to look at a few different titles. For two minutes, students read as far as they can in each of the books, and jot down notes on a sheet provided or in their journals about what they liked and what they didn't like. The cycle continues until all of the books at the station have been sampled, and all of the stations have been visited. This activity familiarizes students with different genres and different authors in an intimate way.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

This I Believe

I believe that English teachers have the opportunity to prepare young people for the world outside of the classroom by teaching them literacy strategies and by strengthening the literacy skills that they already possess. I believe that reading is one door that opens students to the “outside” world—a professional realm where relationships and communication are among the keys to success.

I believe English educators should be inviting, that is, they must make reading exercises and literature relevant and interesting for students. Activating prior knowledge in young minds engages learners in new material. Students will find the most meaning in pieces that can connect to past experiences or previously learned information. For instance, I can remember struggling through Stephen Crane’s famous short story, “The Open Boat,” as a senior in high school. I remember asking myself, “Why should I care about this piece?” Only years later, after sitting through extensive history and literature lectures, do I now understand the story’s naturalism and the ways that Crane weaves historical accounts throughout the piece. I believe that effective teachers remember their own reading experiences and help their students navigate similar situations.

I also believe that English teachers should give students choices. As I mentioned earlier, English educators must encourage students to find meaning and relevance in all forms of writing. However, students may not make these important connections if all of the materials they experience are chosen by the teacher alone. Just as all the decisions in the world outside of the classroom that affect young people, all of the decisions in the classroom that affect them should not be determined by an authority figure. By offering choices in areas like reading, English educators can help students take control of their own learning experiences. One of our goals as educators is to have our students engage themselves in a text. In giving students a choice, young people are likely to pick a text that has the potential for optimal engagement. Students are also aware of their individual reading levels, and, when given the chance, they will choose suitable pieces of writing that they can read, understand, and explore.

Finally, I believe that English teachers connect students to the human experience—the situations that all humans find themselves in at some point in their lives—through reading. When English educators teach literature and poetry, they reveal different scenarios and emotions to a class that can provide insight into personal struggles or problems that some students may be facing. English teachers also reveal various perspectives to students to show them that no two minds think alike, and each human is influenced in unique ways by their gender, culture, background, ethnicity, etc. Through various genres, English teachers show young people the diversity that exists among humans across the globe, while also revealing the common links among us all.