Readicide

            The first half of this book was a major bummer, because it focused on the damage English teachers re doing to their students, but readicide is definitely a real tragedy in our schools, even in college.  Honestly, I did not choose to become an English teacher because of any other texts besides Shakespeare and writing.  Literature, real literature (Not Amy Schumer's autobiography, even though I loved it) was ruined for me long ago when teachers decided to force us to pick apart every single part of a particular text.  It still happens in my college literature classes, and it ruins my interpretation of what the piece should be.  The “chop-chop” as Gallagher calls it, happens every day, and it only deters students from enjoying the beauty of literature.  This activity has happened so much in my education, that reading for pleasure hasn't happened in a long time.  While there is something to be said for the creative, ambitious, and exuberant teacher, the over analysis of text murders individual thinking.  Gallagher says it best on page 90, “…I know some of my students will like 1984, and I know some of my students will like 1984, but my goal is that all of them attain something valuable from their reading.”  I often question (since I’ve been in college) teacher reading choices.  What drives their selection choice?  Why do I have to read something someone else thinks is good?  What am I supposed to gain from this?  All of these questions are important, but I think the last one is the most important.  I think that is the question on most students’ minds (besides: This is lame. Why do I have to do this right now?).  Questioning the teacher and the text choice is an important step in gaining something from a reading selection.  I like that Gallagher is realistic in that he knows there are certain texts teachers have to teach due to curriculum mandate, and finding methods for students to understand those texts is challenging.  I like that Gallagher is unconcerned with whether his students like the text or not.  Gaining something from “lousy classics” should be the goal.  Many of my teachers and professors have said, “You don’t have to like the book, but you do have to read it and think about it.”    But that brings us to how do we get our students to think about something they loathe.  Teaching reading is important, making a text relevant and comparing it to the modern world is important.  But, if we teach reading alongside writing, both concentrations will begin to improve.  Read the “classic” text, talk about it in terms students can apreciate, make it relevant, write about it.  This is a sure fire way to improve reading, writing, and thinking skills in our students.  That’s the idea, right?

I read it, but I don't get it

“I Read it, But I Don’t Get it” had so much good information about the struggles of reading and reading comprehension.  It’s true that most students do not have a solid background in reading comprehension skills, and these need to be taught.  The term “resistive readers” in Chapter 2 fully defines the type of student we will be encountering when the moans and groans begin when assigned a text.  I don’t care what class you’re teaching, the students will have to read, reread, and try to problem solve or think critically.  What we don’t realize as beginning teachers, is that the foundation of these skills probably aren’t there which is usually the reason behind the moans and groans.  The Redefining Reading section and the “Shouldn’t They Have Learned This in Elementary School” sections, although early in the book, really brought it home for me.  As an avid reader, and one without comprehension issues, the list of HOW to redefine reading for those struggling (along with the tools provided throughout the book) were eye opening…especially the Elementary school portion.  I often think about this question.  I naturally have high expectations for my students, o to think their teachers before me were unable to build the foundation for successful reading comprehension is hard to imagine.  However, many teachers do what they can with what they know and most often, skills and strategies do not stick with students.  As with many other skills, repetition is the key to success, each year builds, or should build (scaffolding) on the previous year’s skills.  We need to teach our students patterns, how to ask questions about the text, and how to recognize when they have questions.  I love the idea of guided reading questions, text to self connections, and the “I’m Stuck” activity (I would choose another word than “stuck," but I digress). 

Critical Pedagogy in an Urban High School English Classroom

Relevancy is an important part of the education of an English class.  I was very touched by the efforts Duncan-Andrade and Morrell made to introduce and teach “dead white guy” literature next to pieces of popular culture.  They were teaching specifically in urban schools, but whether a school is in the ghetto of Los Angeles or in the affluent areas of Dallas, relevancy remains the same.  It’s true, most literature can be boring to kids, especially to those who live in a low-socio economic area, because in reality, they are just trying to survive.  They find the music and writings of contemporary artists more relatable than Mark Twain.  Frankly, I understand them.  What these teachers did was pretty innovative for English teachers.  They recognized who their students were, where they were from, what they had experienced, their personal interests.  They asked themselves how they could make important classic literature interesting to their students, and, in my opinion, they did it.  By knowing their students, they were able to incorporate popular culture to keep classic literature relevant.  I think it’s a constant battle for English teachers to make reading and writing attractive to their students, but if we develop a relationship with our students and make the learning about them, reading and writing can become fun.  I loved the idea of comparing popular music lyrics with classic poetry; putting them side by side and finding the similarities and differences each artist used, understanding word choices, determining where the metaphors are (both old time-y and new), and analyzing them to a point where students can use the examples to create their own piece of writing.  I think this is the answer to any English class.  Yes, English teachers in urban areas may have more of a struggle, but I honestly think English teachers in ALL areas fight a similar battle.  It actually doesn’t just stop in English class, it’s important for all teachers to be able to compare modern day events with historical events.  Be in the know, stay abreast of popular culture and use it in the classroom to keep kids engaged.  Stay relevant and relatable.  English classes have the potential to be awesome and student-centered.   

Philosophy of Education-Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Well, if I understood this philosophical (I’ve never been very philosophical) piece correctly, relationship building between teacher and student allows for a more beneficial experience in an educational setting.  Am I right?  I think this goes without saying.  In my experience, the classrooms I have gained the most from, were the classrooms of teachers that genuinely cared about the students.  Unfortunately, some teachers believe in absolute power and treat their students as if they are peons with zero life experience.  The author here describes the students who have encountered such teachers as “oppressed”.  Even though the use of the word is a little exaggerated, maybe misplaced, I get it.  The idea here is that students who are able to develop a relationship with their teacher are better able to gain skills in the content of that classroom.  In fact, this piece encourages free thinking in the classroom as a method for students to grasp, not only the ideas being taught, but to develop their own thinking skills.  While I don’t think the section of the assigned pages to read was necessary (students do need guidance), I think what the author was trying to get at was, if the student wants to read ahead, let them.  I don’t know about you, but I have never met a teacher, especially an English teacher, who has begged students to stick ONLY to the pages assigned.  Maybe I’ve been lucky?  Maybe the idea of free thinking and not being held in a box has contributed to my choice to become an English teacher.  Honestly, I haven’t been able to pin that down yet.  But, if the author is preaching about building teacher-student relationships to create a harmonious classroom and how it obviously benefits everyone, I’m all for that.  I don’t believe the teacher is all knowing (I know I’m not) and I don’t believe students are know-nothings, either.  We can’t go into a modern education system thinking we know it all.  The truth is, we learn as we go, and I think that’s fair to say about any of us.  We will learn more from our students then we think we will, and hopefully we can pass along some of our passion to them.  Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the student to learn, but it is the responsibility of the teacher to make it learn-able through relevancy and relationships.

Assessing and Evaluating Students' Learning

In Beach, Appleman, Hynds, and Wilhelm’s piece Assessing and Evaluating Students’ Learning, the section titled, “Alternatives to “Correct Answer” Tests struck me the most.  We are doing this type of assessment in this class right now, instead of testing students for information retained, we are writing responses to the texts we have read.  As suggested in the article, this method is used to allow students to think critically about their interpretation of written text.  As a student and future teacher of English, this method makes so much sense to me.  I am an avid advocate of the interpretation of literature being a personal experience.  Each person will view a text differently, and I feel there is no right or wrong way to do this.  As long as the student/teacher/regular Joe is able to argue their interpretation of it, how can anyone prove them wrong.  Granted, there are different ways to go about analyzing literature, but the interpretation remains personal.  I, for one, loathe the idea that there are right or wrong answers in literature classes at all, but using written responses with specific criteria, as suggested is one way I would go about it in my future classes.  Also, the idea of how students should be evaluated for their work is a grey area, but if the teacher clearly states their expectations of the assignment, rather than create fear in the student of being evaluated, the creation of rubrics for the written work is more beneficial.  Feedback, constructive feedback, of work is also highly beneficial.  Giving the student control and responsibility in the creation and editing of their own work allows them to build the confidence needed in their written interpretations.  There is no right or wrong in literature, unless plot and timelines are being discussed.  Therefore, giving “correct answer” tests are pointless if a teacher is seeking an interpretation of what their students read. Studies show that giving a student a paper marked in red magnetizing all their mistakes does harm to the confidence of the writer.  Rubrics, feedback, and free interpretation seem to be the answer on how to evaluate a student’s understanding of literature.