Ann’s Blog

            After reading the narrative of technological instruction use in an urban Midwest school in Aslup & Busch’s book But will it work with real students? it has been proven yet again that technology is a risky endeavour to take on due to classroom management, administrative understanding and proper technological equipment that will perform. It is clear that only the brave can use technology in their literature, writing and reading instruction. I am a huge candidate of technology in the classroom. The generation of students we face day to day is a generation inundated with video games, internet and all sorts of technology. The only way to catch our studnets’ attention in a speedy manner is to use some method they are accustomed to in theirvv daily lives. Using technology to deliver a lesson plan is risky, but rewarding. Students of different languages and cultures may find technology an easy to follow guide through a difficult concept or topic. Not to mention the visual learners who can find technology useful in their comprehension through the use of images. It is not a question as to whether or not technology is useful, but a question as to whether or not teachers should change their methods of instruction to including technology in a meaningful and useful way.  

Being that I have recently begun student teaching in a sixth grade language arts classroom, I was excited to read what Janet Alsup and Jonathan Bush had to say about secondary literature and reading pedagogy. Yesterday my mentor teacher incorporated modeling of reading comprehension processes into her classroom, and today the students participated in literature circles. I was so encouraged by the student’s responses to these strategies, and felt excited to see firsthand how well they really do work. I have only been with these students a short time; however, I have never seen them so engaged with a lesson. The students listened intently as their teacher modeled her own comprehension processes yesterday, and today in their literature circles they read to one another and discussed their own comprehension problems. Has anyone else yet had the opportunity to see these types of strategies in action, and if so, how well did they work in your classrooms?

As I have stated previously, I am a strong believer that literary theories such as Reader Response, Marxism, and Feminism should be taught in tandom in the secondary English classroom. However, since Marxism and Feminism are so closely related in many ways I think that each of these theories becomes stronger and more relevant when viewed in comparison to one another. As students begin to view a text through different literary lenses, I believe their responses will attest to the fact that secondary students are indeed capable of such critical interpretation. Much responsibility lies with us as teachers as we begin to introduce students to the various ways a text, as well as the world, can be interpreted. Although the ability to analyze texts through literary lenses helps students become more critical readers, I would argue that the real power of such literary lenses lies in real world applications. For example, when students analyze the Miss America pageant from a feminist perspective. I think strategies such as this with real world relevance help students to become critical thinkers not only when reading a text, but also when viewing and interpreting the world around them.

I have always been a believer that Shakespeare’s work can and should be made relevant to high school students. The work of Shakespeare naturally seems to open itself to lively discussion as it approaches universal life themes such as love, conflict, appearances, and order. Rex Gibson’s book Teaching Shakespeare was very useful to me as it discusses how Shakespeare’s language, stories, characters, and themes all play an important role in helping students both understand and appreciate the plays. Shakespeare’s knowledge of the power of language was certainly extensive, and Gibson’s book can help future teachers such as myself understand how to use active methods to help students grasp certain language characteristics of Shakespeare’s writing and to understand the importance of these characteristics as they pertain to the overall interpretation of the text.

Rex also offers teachers active strategies for helping students to recognize and comprehend such aspects of Shakespeare’s work such as story, charaterization, and theme. Since Shakespeare’s plays were indeed meant to be presented in a theatrical manner, it naturally follows that by actively engaging students in strategies that include acting and imaginative writing we can help them to come to a deeper understanding of Shakespeare’s complex works.

As I begin to reflect on my own experiences with literary theory, I realize that never during my four years of high school English did I ever hear these two words put together. In fact, I was well into college and had declared English as my major before I began to learn how to interpret texts from theoretical perspectives such as Marxism, Feminism, or Reader Response. Unfortunately, I believe that many high school students share a similar lack of experience with theoretical interpretations of texts.

Certainly literary theory must have a place in the secondary classroom. If we are to begin moving away from a teacher centered curriculum and towards a student centered curriculum, than part of our responsibility as English teachers is to teach our students not only to appreciate the multiple perspectives from which a text can be read, but also to think critically, asking themselves how their interpretations may change when viewed through the point of view of a different literary theory or lens. By introducing various literary theories such as Reader Response, Deconstruction, or Marxism, we can help our students to consider multiple perspectives when approaching a text and perhaps more importantly when approaching life.

Hello All,

My name is Ann and I am currently a graduate student in an English Education program. Before joining this program I earned my Bacholor’s degree in English and I have some experience as a substitute teacher as well. I am very excited about beginning my teaching career next year as teaching has been my dream for many years. This will be my first time ever creating a blog, and I cannot wait to learn and explore all the ways I will be able to use this type of communication technology with my own students. I am pleased to have the opportunity to share some of my thoughts and experiences with you as I continue to grow and learn throughout this current semester.