- Project based learning: Many people seemed to agree that project based learning is effective because it helps students visualize the "big picture" and "end goal." I definitely agree.
- Learning more than "substance": We also discussed a quote from the article about how students learn more than just the "substance" of the discipline. Teaching is not about rote memorization, but rather stopping and making sure that kids stop and think critically. To quote my sister's college swim coach, "F.I.O." or "Figure it out." Teaching isn't about spoon feeding students the answers; it is, in the words of the late and great David Foster Wallace, about "teaching them how to think."
- Another part of discussion centered around where we all learned our "subject matter." Most of us seemed to agree that we learned more from our K-12 education than our college education. I felt this way before the discussion, and I still feel this way afterwards as well. I regularly think back to my time as a high school English student and draw on my own high school experiences when planning my lessons and conceptualizing units.
Here is David Foster Wallace's graduation address at Kenyon College before he died, in which he adresses what it means to "learn how to think." A well spent 23 minutes if you have it.
Our discussion ended with some talk about how outside-school experiences have shaped our teaching. At first this seemed like a difficult question to answer, but then after some prodding from Joan, I found myself thinking of many examples. I think for me the most important is how much I read outside of school. I have always loved reading and I still regularly read books for pleasure. This improves my vocabulary, expands my mind, and gives me possible book suggestions for my students. I also find myself reading the popular teen books so that I can talk to my students about their outside reading books. For example, I read Paper Towns by John Green about a year ago. Last semester I had my students do discussion groups based on an outside reading book of their choice, and I had several groups choose this book. Not only was I able to more critically assess their discussion questions, I was able to ask intelligent follow-up questions while they were discussing. I found these groups coming to me before and after class to ask me what I thought of the ending when they got there. (Spoiler alert: Most teenagers find the ending disappointing. Sorry John). This helps make me relevant and it turns out a lot of these books are pretty awesome. Win/win!
John and Hank Green, the "Vlog Brothers" of Youtube
In reflecting back on my educational experience, I still find myself drawn to writing and technology as crucial components of modern day English classrooms. I see myself pursuing an inquiry of the most crucial and relevant types of writing for students to know as they make their way towards college and the enigmatic "real world." I have a lot of possible questions, but I think one major content question for me is, "Can students improve their writing through blogging?" This will involve research on writing in general (I'd like to look specifically at the writing process) as well as research on blogging. I've done a few brief searches for scholarly articles on blogging and have found a few articles of interest, but I have a lot more to do. There is a TON of material out there on writing and teaching students to write, but much less on the effect blogging might have on the writing process. Right now I don't have any concrete ideas on experiential learning sources, but I have a feeling I might have to branch out into a larger scope to find sources. Maybe a writing workshop of some kind? Does making my own blog count?
I wrote comments to Mary Buckley, Brandon Runyon, and Marshall Kratter.
Kirsten,
ReplyDeleteYour first blog post was very insightful! I particularly enjoyed your outside-school experience of reading. I never thought of it that way! I too had significant difficulty coming up with an experience and reading did not even come to mind! Reading for enjoyment can greatly impact one's content knowledge without them even knowing. I appreciate this about reading and want to instill that love within my students. I would love to know the other books your students could choose from when you did the discussion groups last year. As a new teacher, discussion groups sound so amazing and kind of terrifying at the same time! Your input and ability to ask better questions because you too had read the novels make their experiences more concrete and valuable to their learning. Great job!
Kirsten-
ReplyDeleteI listened to the graduation address by David Foster Wallace and thought it was amazing. He had so much to say and spoke so quickly that I feel like I couldn’t catch it all. One of his main points was the well-known idea that a liberal arts degree teaches a person how to think, but Wallace took it a step further and said that we have a responsibility to choose what to think. If we don’t make a conscious effort to be open minded, we default to a very egotistical view of ourselves as the center of the universe. I think most teachers naturally think of others first as they sacrifice for their students. Wallace’s description of what “day in and day out” means was very humorous as he described a crowded supermarket. He said that we can choose to look at people in a crowded supermarket in a negative way, or we can look at them with empathy. I think this applies to the classroom also. We can choose to look at our day-to-day classroom situations and students in a negative way and complain, or we can choose to look at our students with empathy and hope. Looking at the glass half full or half empty is our choice.
Kristen,
ReplyDeleteLike Kathryn, I had completely ignored reading as a resources for gaining content knowledge. I too read a lot, and cannot believe I didn't think about reading as way of attaining content knowledge. I completely agree with you about all the benefits one reaps from reading.
I like that you held discussion groups for your students about an outside reading book. I cannot say how many times I have wondered why English teachers do not encourage more outside reading. Whatever happened to attempting to instill a love of reading in our students? I also believe that if a student is empowered to choose a book on their own, the teacher will gain more knowledge about which classic works will be most relevant and engaging to his/her students. As I said, I really do like that you fostered that in your classroom!
Kristen,
ReplyDeleteIn making English applicable to the real world, a capstone with blogging is on the right path! I think students will benefit heavily, as today's world relies so heavily on short fragments, bullet points, and butchered English. Arming students with the skills necessary to operate in this technological world and to be intelligent in it will truly empower your students. Thinking about the jobs in our society, many are required to deliver PowerPoints, fill out short summaries, and utilize technology in a multitude of settings and ways - be marrying proper English with the future advances, you're giving students something that each and every one will need.