Last Post!

For my last point I thought I would talk a bit about the class as a whole. This was my first in University where I 1) Got a text book that will be very valuable and useful to me! and 2)learned useful teaching tips and strategies for teaching English! I really loved the class discussions we did at the start of the class. They eased up into the readings and it was really nice to hear some stories and opinions of my classmates. I think we can learn so much from one another that it is nice to be able to share opinions in a safe and inviting environment. I have to admit I have not been a huge fan of blogging! We do not get along very well! But I do see the positives of it for sure. Its a neat way to seeing everyones creative voices on line. I have learned so much of everyone and I am sure we will all use what we have learned in the years to come! Geraldine has been an amazing facilitator she is very open and her classes are always os inviting! I have learned so much from her and I am sure I will be contacting her in the fiture for advice! Also I guarantee at more than one time in our teaching careers that Gallagher will be our best friends! Cheers to Geraldine and Gallagher!

Kids today are often bombared with information and ideologies on political  perspectives such as the social-class lens and the gender lens. In chapter 4 of Critical Encounters Applemen talks about the recent introduction of these lenses into the secondary schools. Normally they are focused on greatly in universities and other post secondary institutions. I feel like even in university I felt a bit bombarded by these perspectives. I no it is important to look at literature through these different lenses but it is difficult sometimes to understand the literature at all let alone being able to formulate an opinion and understanding through a different more complicated political lens. I think bringing these lenses into the high school classroom in an intensive way is perhaps a bit to much for most students. In my opinion many students have a difficult enough time to sorting through all of the social aspects of life that distract from their understanding of literature let alone looking at the text from a gender or social lens. I also think gender and social lenses are difficult for kids to wrap their heads around because they are so steadfast in their biases that they learn from the world around them that they can't look, in my opinion, through any lens but their own! It takes a maturity and complex thinking structure to focuses on literature through different lenses and I simply don' t think many students are ready for that. But, I do think that is important to introduce those lenses to students in high school but maybe not trying to looks through such lenses at literature!

Rest of the Books I Read!

Aside from the Hunger Games and The Help (which I already posted on!) I read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and also Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (the 2nd book in the Hunger Games series). The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian was a fascinating book! I really enjoyed it. I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened it and their was illustrations but the first page of the book just draws you in! It is, "I was born with water on the brain." From that moment on I was hooked! The main character, Junior is so raw, honest and that you can't help but feel a connection to him. I would absolutely teach this book. It has so many point for conversation and reflection. As Junior journals his life he experiences, race issues, love, hate, and death. This book is a rare gem when it comes to books by Aboriginal authors that show a honest perspective of the affects of the reservation and the complex between white and Aboriginal people. I think that all students would enjoy the book because it is very funny and clever but also quite deep at times. The illustrations add so much depth to the book and will totally keep students interested. This was a fascinating book that I would recommend to anyone whether young or old!

The fourth book I read was Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. I originally was reading I am Hutterite but I could not get into it. It was a good book but it was not very attention grabbing and I found myself having to make myself read it. So I moved onto Catching Fire. It was awesome! Just as good as the first book in my opinion! The book begins in succession as the first one ends. I don't want to give any of the plot away because it will ruin the first book if you haven't read it! But, it is not necessarily one that I would teach. My reasoning is because the first book has so many point for critical thinking and reflection. I feel that the the second book repeats many of those point and I personally feel like it would be very hard to teach unless you taught the first one. I love the book because of the "IT" factor. Catching Fire grabs your attention and keeps it throughout the entire book. The end has a major twist that I was not expecting and it really makes you question what has happened throughout the entire story! Once again I would highly recommend this one!

Critical Encounters Chapter 6

In chapter 6 of Critical Encounters I found the section on 'The Origins of Post colonial Reading' quite interesting. Before reading this I knew what Post colonial literature was by definition. However, I wasn't really clear on what the true point of the ideology was. I found this passage very interesting and insightful because it gives a deeper definition of the concept. I found one sentence in particular very effective in expressing the overall goal of post colonial literature, "The movement that we now call post colonialism was both an invitation and a recognition" (87). I think it is important to include the recognition component of that sentence. I think that in society we get quite caught up and concerned with the inclusion of First Nations peoples but do not properly recognize them. I personally think their is a sense that including Aboriginal people is enough to warrant recognition, but that is simply not accurate. I found the entire passage very  insightful because it gives a very detailed account of post colonialism. For the most part this text is very dense and complicated but this chapter was a lot more accessible to the reader in my opinion!

Deeper Reading Chapter 10

I found the first page of the chapter very insightful and thought provoking. Gallagher talks about the two strategies that students have when reading challenging literature.  The two strategies are as follows:
Strategy 1: They begin reading, struggle briefly, and give up.
Strategy 2: They begin reading, become lost and, out of duty, continue reading--even when they don't understand most of what they are reading.
I think it is interesting and extremely accurate that Gallagher brings up these strategies. In my opinion these strategies are dominating the classroom. I find that the students in my classroom I am observing have no idea what is going on the literature they are reading. If they don't understand they give up or carry on with no idea whats happening.  These students need help! They are not getting anything from the literature and that makes the act of reading them pretty pointless! I think as a future teacher it is my job to try to break down these strategies to work towards a more successful reading style. I think planning is such an important part of breaking down these reading strategies. There needs to be a definitive outline of how the literature is going to be approached. That way the students aren't thrown into literature and bombarded by content and context that they are not prepared for!
I think its also very important as a teacher to know before you teach a piece of literature what you want them to get from it. As the teacher if you don't no what you want the students to learn how on earth can we expect our students to learn effectively!

Critical Encounter Chapter 5

I really appreciate the way that Appleton does says that feminist/gender theory provides a lens where students can interpret life and literature. I think that often students and society in general often steer clear of the issue pertaining to feminism because of the stereotype that I think Appleton cleverly articulates. She says that people often equate feminism with unfemininity. In my opinion this is a very accurate description of the way many young women nowadays see femininity. When I think about the girls in my co-op classrooms if I told them we would be talking about feminism and gender theory they would immediately go on the defense. I don't say that I blame them and it is in no way their fault that they feel this way. They are simple uneducated about the important reasons for feminism and how important a feminist lens can be in literature. They are stuck in the mindset that if feminism is brought up in the classroom and they show a bit of interest or agreement that they will be immediately labelled a man hater. The boys immediately slip into a "zombified" state and shut out the rest of the class because they think it will be the same man hater mentality. I really think that figure 5.1 in the textbook and the explanation of the activity is exceptionally accurate in demonstrating my above point. Gender biases and labels are still a massive issue in society and our youth are being given the difficult task of trying to succeed and prosper through these labels. The worst part for them is that society expects them to be knowledgeable and unbiased when it comes to these issues which is such a difficult task. That is why I really appreciate Appleton's theory of feminist theory as being a lens, not a label. This allows the students to become more diverse and critical thinkers and enables them to interpret many different modes of literature.

Teaching Literacy Chpt 7-Sarah Being a Good-Enough Teacher

I find the Teaching Literacy textbook an interesting but frustrating read. Perhaps it is because I have not read many textbooks that incorporate such person opinions in such academic ways. To be honest it throws me off a little bit and I struggle to get into it. In Chapter 7 they talk about the goo-enough teacher. One of the examples is about Sarah. The authors say she is a good-enough teacher, but when I read the case about her I do not know if I would call her a good-enough teacher. In my opinion she sounds like a fantastic teacher who truly cares about the success and well being of her students. I don't no how I feel about this term the good-enough teacher. I understand that they are not referring to her this way in a negative connotation but to refer to her as just good in my opinion is not appropriate.  They call her the "all-time favorite" teacher and that she is always experimenting and doing innovative and exciting things in her classroom. Everything the chapter says about Sarah proves that she goes above and beyond everyday to create and inclusive classroom for her students. One that facilities their learning and encourages them to become active thinkers and life long learners. Sarah reflects on her experiences in the classroom and is self-critical of her teaching. To me, all of these characteristics are demonstrating the kind of educator that most beginning teachers strive to be. She reflects on her teaching, encourages her students, genuinely cares about their well being and success in the future. I understand the chapter is trying to emphasize and promote the good-enough teacher. Yet, I find the term they use, although intending to be positive, comes off as ironic and almost mockingly. Maybe I am focusing to much on the simple term they use to describe the teacher but I just feel like its far from the most appropriate term.

I found the whole passage about Sarah quite refreshing though you hear so much negative feedback and stories about lazy teachers only interested in their summers off. Its lovely to hear about the good ones who still have a true passion for teaching!

Deeper Reading Chapter 8

In class today we were discussing the idea of teaching to change people. A couple different perspectives were brought up and in my opinion I think teachers need to have a realistic perception of what their English classes are going to represent to our students. I think we all set out to try and change people and we all have ideas about what we want our students to get from our class. Yet, in reality I think there are some students that no matter how hard we try as teachers, to change their perspective and mindset about literature and reading, they will leave the class just as oblivious and ignorant as they came in. I think that perhaps a better and more realistic goal is to try and get our students to understand that literature expands ones thought. In chapter 8 Gallagher talks about how important it is for students to understand why they are reading a book or any prose. When I think back to high school I read the literature I was assigned strictly because I was told to. Even the books that I enjoyed and got something out of I was never told why I should read it. Although I personally never questions why we had to read a book, often my classmates did. I think that Gallagher's point about being aware and having a response to these concerns from our students is important. When I am planning the literature for my students to read I am going to try and address the possible questions my students could ask concerning the importance of the literature.
My favorite quote from this chapter is, "Though I am not naive enough to believe that every one of my students is going to love every book I assign, I start with that as a goal. I know that what I do as a teacher will greatly influence the level of my students' involvement. Though not every student will like every book, I want every students to see the value in what they are reading." This quotation is honestly my hopes for my English classes in a nut shell. Whenever I am ranting about University to my Mom she tells me I don't have to like what is going on but I do have to try and get something out of it. This is exactly what I want my kids to no. Just because the book or poem isn't something they would choose to read doesn't mean that it doesn't have something in it that can be valuable to them.

Book Talk Book #1 The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I finished The Help about a month ago. I had heard so many good things about the book and the movie that I was excited to get to read some books of my choice. The Help was a very good book. It was well written and inspiring book about racial issues in Jackson Mississippi in the 60's. The book follows Eugenia Skeeter Phelan as she struggles after returning home from University with a degree but certainly not a husband. She wants desperately to be a writer. Skeeter runs in an upper class socialite circle. Her friends are all married and having babies and in Jackson these rights of passage come with having an African American maid who often is more of the mother than themselves. Skeeter finds the racial discrepancies in her community disgusting and hopes for change. She gets a job at a newspaper answering a column dealing with household issues. Having absolutely zero experience with any household tasks Skeeter enlists the help of her friend Miss Hilly's maid, Aibileen. Aibileen is extremely hesitant to help because of the risk involved but she slowly over time comes to trust Skeeter. They start to write a controversial book about the experiences of "the help" in Jackson. Many of the other maids are very hesitant to help because of the terrible repercussions that would come if their employers found out what they were doing. The books follows the lives of Skeeter, Aibileen, Minny, Miss Hilly and Miss Celia as they deal with the ups and downs of life in Jackson in an extremely racist time. I wont spoil the ending for those of you that might want to read it!
I did thoroughly enjoy the book but I did find that I had to make myself read it at some points. There were parts of it that were not as attention grabbing as they could have been. I would recommend the book to students but I think it would be important to talk to them about perspective before reading the book. The author is Caucasian and she often writes throughout the book from an African American perspective which I think can be problematic. If I was to teach the book I think that it would be more appropriate for a Grade 11 or 12 classroom. I also don't think I would make it mandatory for all of the class to read. I think it would be most effective if it was a choice novel study option. That way people who were interested in it could give it a try. It certainly is not a hard read but there are many complex relationships to be explored such as Skeeter and her mother, Minny and Miss. Celia and Miss Hilly and Miss Skeeter. This would be a good book to study if the students were perhaps learning about racial issues in their History class.
Overall I enjoyed the book but I don't no if would be an ideal book to teach in class but I would recommend it for a pleasure read to anyone!

Teaching Literacy for Love and Wisdom Chapter 4

I don't find the Teaching Literacy text quite as interesting or informative as Deeper Reading but it certainly is easier to read than the Critical Encounters text. I found the three stages of pedagogically evoking the evocative dimension of literature very interesting. As future English teachers I think it is very important for us to think about how to help our students engage in their reading before they start, while there doing it and after they have read the piece. I am very excited to get into my own classroom and choose a novel or piece that I have to inspire my students to want to read. I think it will be a challenge to get all of my students to become evocative readers. The authors point out that unless students are engaged and enter  into a book than reading is a chore. As I have been in the schools doing my student teaching I am finding this to be very accurate.

The section of the chapter devoted to the question of why we read literature made me think about the real importance of making sure we front load lessons and make sure out students are engaged in literature. Unless the students are engaged in their reading and find the texts meaningful then they are simply reading to complete a task. Reading is such an important part of life and English classrooms should be the place where students learn how to become critical thinkers through engaging in the literature they are reading. As teachers I think it is our job to advocate to our students the importance of reading in all aspects of life.

Deeper Reading Chapter 6 & 7

As I was reading Gallagher this week one part from each chapter struck a bit of a chord with me. The first part was about Gallaghers lack of fondness for multiple choice exams. In my opinion multiple choice exams have a place in certain classes and under certain circumstances like very large social science classes. Yet, I think it is quite problematic to use them as an assesment tool in English classes. However, after reading the way Gallagher utilizes mulitple choice as a tool in group activities it changed my opinion slightly. I don't think that they are a good way to necesarily have students demonstrate their understanding of reaching the ciriculum outcomes but they can be useful to clarify aspects of novels and other prose.

In chapter 7 Gallagher talks about the importance of metaphors. When I saw figure 7.2 with the iceberg I thought about all the times we have been taught to not just see whats on the surface. Same old story. Yet, then I rememberd the video we watched, "The Danger of a Single Story" and I grew a new appreciation for the iceberg metaphor. The iceberg directly correlates to the video. There is so much more to a person, more than one story, that needs to be taken into consideration all of the time. Not necessarily just with people but with characters and plots in novels, poems and poetry. Since I watched that video in class I have thought about the power in her words and how quick to judge we are as a society. The iceberg is a way to show students visually the importance of what is under the surface not just in life but in literature!

Deeper Reading- Chapters 1-3

I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading the Deeper Reading text. It is very interesting and for once in my school life I think I might actually use this text after the class is over!! I no it might be a bit pointless to respond to the very first chapter but I was so intrigued by the comparison he made between reading baseball. I think that his comparison is so accessible for teenagers and I really think I will use this analogy in my English classrooms. High school students really don't understand the real meaning of reading and why it is important to do so. I think high school students, especially boys, need to find a correlation between what they are learning or are expected to do and something that they understand and enjoy. Connecting it to a sport or to something else that they connect with is a strategy that might look simple to students but is really a complex comparison that will help them in their understanding.  Many of the exercises Gallagher uses in the first three chapters are very interesting, because they are simple but get his point across about the importance of deeper reading. For example the mystery story on pg 5. The first time I read it I was confused but still got the gist of the story. It really showed me that you need to read things more than once to get the intricate details!

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Tester Blog!

Hey guys!

So I am very sorry about my lack of knowledge in blogs but I think I figured it out this time! Fingers crossed!!