Before this class, I hadn't truly considered teaching theory in my own classroom. I was introduced to theory last year in my English 415 course. This experience might explain my lack of concern for theory, as it was quite difficult to understand many of the theories presented in our class. Yet, from that experience, I was always intrigued by the idea of learning more about theory. English 480 was a breath of fresh air. Theory is multifaceted and can be obscure yet, there is a way to simplify it to make it more feasible. This course fulfilled that purpose. The course as a whole including the activities and required texts, provided examples of how theory can effectively be incorporated into any secondary classroom. Most of all this class provided a reason why it is a good idea. In general, literary theory sharpens students thinking skills. I think it is a privilege to have the influence of cultivating those skills through the activities we did in our class; deconstructing a poem, doing multi-genre pieces and literary circles. The course is helpful in allowing future teachers to discuss the relevance of literature as it relates to adolescents.
I liked the relaxed/informal atmosphere of the class as well. We could be honest in expressing our opinions and I never felt pressured to have the same opinions as the instructor. We were encouraged to be an individual. I really liked my classmates, especially since I knew some of them before this class. As a result of the activities done in class and discussions, we were able to
exchange ideas about literacy; we were able to network with one another. Th group teach assignment was probably one of my favorite. It reminded me of the literature circle I did when I was in high school (minus the theory part!). This also allowed us to get ideas from one another that we can use when we have our own students.
Overall, I enjoyed being under Todd's tutelage! I would say that the only thing I had difficulty with was the blogging and online assignments. I'm still getting used to the whole cyber instruction thing, and I often forget things when they are not written down on paper. Other than that, I had a blast!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Impressions of the texts
You gotta Be the book, Wilhelm.
I really enjoyed this book because the author wrote in a very relaxed tone. Sometimes writers (especially those with credentials in English or literature) can write with a very stuffy tone, so I appreciated Wilhelm's ability to write to the audience as peers as opposed to students. As I wrote in my blog concerning the first chapters, it seemed to me that the book provided readers with a foundation for why literary theory is important. The book's content suggested complete subversion from the quintessential or 'traditional' methods of reading literarture and evaluating student reading. I think this book was very useful and conducive to the intent of the class as a whole.
Critical Encounters, Appleman.
This was by far my favorite of the three. Although the conclusion was slightly redundant, it conveyed an essential element of teaching theory. I liked the classroom examples she gave, they were really helpful in giving me ideas of how I can incorporate the lenses into my own classroom. The set up of the book also contributed to why I liked it. Th eorganization made it easy to understand. She often gave the definition of the theory and then gave classroom examples. She gave her own side commentary within the text, which was more beneficial than not. There were aspects in which I did not agree with but I think a text is supposed to challenge the reader to evaluate the text and compare it to your own personal ideas. This is a great text for teachers who either are beginning to journey through the path of literary theory with students or those who ponder it's relevance. It isn't an exhaustive theory book, which s good because that would be overbearing. It also just touches the tip of the iceberg with the theories presented in the book. Thi sbook serves as an introductory tool that a tecaher can refer to at any point of their instruction of literary theory.
Literature and Lives, Webb.
This seemed like the more intimate of the three. The author invited the reader into his classroom and his mind as he gave his own opinions and insights; giving real-life examples of the journey from one perspective to the next as it pertains to literary theory. I found the book to be helpful, yet not as engaging as the other two. I think it read like a biographical sketch at times rather than a tool for new teachers. Nevertheless, it still contained some useful information.
I really enjoyed this book because the author wrote in a very relaxed tone. Sometimes writers (especially those with credentials in English or literature) can write with a very stuffy tone, so I appreciated Wilhelm's ability to write to the audience as peers as opposed to students. As I wrote in my blog concerning the first chapters, it seemed to me that the book provided readers with a foundation for why literary theory is important. The book's content suggested complete subversion from the quintessential or 'traditional' methods of reading literarture and evaluating student reading. I think this book was very useful and conducive to the intent of the class as a whole.
Critical Encounters, Appleman.
This was by far my favorite of the three. Although the conclusion was slightly redundant, it conveyed an essential element of teaching theory. I liked the classroom examples she gave, they were really helpful in giving me ideas of how I can incorporate the lenses into my own classroom. The set up of the book also contributed to why I liked it. Th eorganization made it easy to understand. She often gave the definition of the theory and then gave classroom examples. She gave her own side commentary within the text, which was more beneficial than not. There were aspects in which I did not agree with but I think a text is supposed to challenge the reader to evaluate the text and compare it to your own personal ideas. This is a great text for teachers who either are beginning to journey through the path of literary theory with students or those who ponder it's relevance. It isn't an exhaustive theory book, which s good because that would be overbearing. It also just touches the tip of the iceberg with the theories presented in the book. Thi sbook serves as an introductory tool that a tecaher can refer to at any point of their instruction of literary theory.
Literature and Lives, Webb.
This seemed like the more intimate of the three. The author invited the reader into his classroom and his mind as he gave his own opinions and insights; giving real-life examples of the journey from one perspective to the next as it pertains to literary theory. I found the book to be helpful, yet not as engaging as the other two. I think it read like a biographical sketch at times rather than a tool for new teachers. Nevertheless, it still contained some useful information.
Appleman Ch 8
This chapter, I believe, is designed to put the final toppings on her suggestion for teachers to use theory in the classroom. Equipped with student journal entries, affirming the efficacy of dissecting a novel using literary theory. I think this chapter, like the first, provides reason after reason why teachers should use theory in the classroom. It challenges students to read not only text in a different way but their world. Personally, I think she did a good job of showing how theory does this through the entire book. The content of this chapter was slightly redundant. However, every book needs a conclusion and I presume it must reitterate the initial purpose of the book.
As a final invitation to teach literary theory, Appleman adds a line in her conclusion that I think is most profound. Concerning the teaching of literary theory she says '...when we teach theory, we are...naming what it is that we naturally do....try to construct frame or world view to help us make sense of the seemingly disconnected events that confront us' (Appleman 146). This sums up why we should teach theory in the classroom. It simply provides a name for what we already do which is try to make sense of things. I'm sold by this statement alone!
As a final invitation to teach literary theory, Appleman adds a line in her conclusion that I think is most profound. Concerning the teaching of literary theory she says '...when we teach theory, we are...naming what it is that we naturally do....try to construct frame or world view to help us make sense of the seemingly disconnected events that confront us' (Appleman 146). This sums up why we should teach theory in the classroom. It simply provides a name for what we already do which is try to make sense of things. I'm sold by this statement alone!
Appleman Ch 4
Appleman's introduction to Marxism is simlply that, an introduction. The topic of Marxism has so many layers and elicits many responses, some curious others unfavorable. She suggests using Marxism as a tool to go further into the background of a text. She juxtaposes Marxism with other lenses such as feminism and cultural studies. She asserts 'This quest for additional knowledge helps set the stage for cultural criticism or for political lenses such as Marxism and feminism' (Appleman 59). This in a nut shell provides the reason why teachers should at leats consider teaching through a Marxist lense. She later demonstrate what it may look like to tecah through this lense in a reading of 'Hamlet'. It focused on being socially conscious and aware of the political biases present in even the most classic literature such as 'Hamlet'.
I believe that Marxism is a useful tool in allowing students to dig deeper into the political framework of a given literary piece. It encourages students to be conscious of our political constructs and how they shape the authors voice as they tell a story through novels. Although Marxism compels readers to scan their world with a political eye, it is often associated with communism (as Appleman mentioned), which is a sour subject for most Americans. I imagine that while introducing this lense into the classroom, an instructor would have no choice but to anticipate possible problems from parents and potentially students too. Sending a note home may ease the tension. I, personally would take from Marxism, all that I want my students to know (political biases, seeing things through a socially conscious lense etc) and call it something else just to avoid any issues!
I believe that Marxism is a useful tool in allowing students to dig deeper into the political framework of a given literary piece. It encourages students to be conscious of our political constructs and how they shape the authors voice as they tell a story through novels. Although Marxism compels readers to scan their world with a political eye, it is often associated with communism (as Appleman mentioned), which is a sour subject for most Americans. I imagine that while introducing this lense into the classroom, an instructor would have no choice but to anticipate possible problems from parents and potentially students too. Sending a note home may ease the tension. I, personally would take from Marxism, all that I want my students to know (political biases, seeing things through a socially conscious lense etc) and call it something else just to avoid any issues!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Group Teach- Neil Gaymen's 'Violent Cases'
This group teach was truly impressive. The idea of teaching a graphic novel is becoming more and more appealing to me and this presentation pushed my curiosity even further. The leaders had us look through the book and point out what we thought wa sinteresting about the dialogue, narration, illustration and/or other parts of the book that stood out to us. I particularly liked the illustration in the novel and how it gave further emphasis on whatever the narrator said. This provided a segue for the group to talk about comics and the different elements within them. They showed us a book that had the technical terms of some elements used in creating a comic. That was interesting because in a high school classroom, it could gude students on how to write their own comic, which is pretty cool.
The activity that I liked the most was the whole 'is it a comic' activity. The leader of this portion handed out a sheet of paper with photos seemingly in sequential order. He asked if this could possibly be a story and if there was some connection between the photos. The questions he asked really just led to the premise that illustrations lead to imagination and so does text. I would definitely use this in my classroom. There are other ways this can be tweaked in a classroom. Thi scan even serve as a heuristic to begin a graphic novel, asking students whether the illustrations take away from the imaginative element of literature. It can get students thinking even before they start reading.
Graphic novels are extremely unconventional and are a great way to be 'revolutionary' as a teacher today. I also liked the whole memory segment that this group did. Even though they didn't use psychoanalytic theory, this novel can be viewed through this lense, particularly concerning memory and repression. This book had many different aspects and the group did a great job touching on a few of them.
The activity that I liked the most was the whole 'is it a comic' activity. The leader of this portion handed out a sheet of paper with photos seemingly in sequential order. He asked if this could possibly be a story and if there was some connection between the photos. The questions he asked really just led to the premise that illustrations lead to imagination and so does text. I would definitely use this in my classroom. There are other ways this can be tweaked in a classroom. Thi scan even serve as a heuristic to begin a graphic novel, asking students whether the illustrations take away from the imaginative element of literature. It can get students thinking even before they start reading.
Graphic novels are extremely unconventional and are a great way to be 'revolutionary' as a teacher today. I also liked the whole memory segment that this group did. Even though they didn't use psychoanalytic theory, this novel can be viewed through this lense, particularly concerning memory and repression. This book had many different aspects and the group did a great job touching on a few of them.
Group Teach- Sylvia Plath's 'The Bell Jar'
As my group prepared for the team teach on Sylvia Plath's 'The Bell Jar', we felt that we should be organized. We started by talking about different aspects of the book and the ways in which the book expressed a varied array of meanings and perspectives. We divided the aspects into five segments; intro, the life and poetry of the author, theory, symbols and multi genre activities concerning the ending of the book. The sequential tone of our presentation lended itself to the flow which made it understandable.
I think the students were engaged in our presentation and it allowed them to think differently about the books meaning. Especially when we gave insight into Sylvia Plaths life, the parallel between her life and the life of the protagonist Ethel was uncanny. This book would be great to bring in the classroom. It would require lots of planning but it could definitely be pulled off. I'd be cautious of the sexually suggestive material such as the rape scene and also the suicide attempts. I would like to teach this in a 12th grade class because I feel that they are slightly more mature and would potentially be able to handle such graphic material with maturity. Overall, I enjoyed working with a group of people to put together this unit on 'The Bell Jar'.
I think the students were engaged in our presentation and it allowed them to think differently about the books meaning. Especially when we gave insight into Sylvia Plaths life, the parallel between her life and the life of the protagonist Ethel was uncanny. This book would be great to bring in the classroom. It would require lots of planning but it could definitely be pulled off. I'd be cautious of the sexually suggestive material such as the rape scene and also the suicide attempts. I would like to teach this in a 12th grade class because I feel that they are slightly more mature and would potentially be able to handle such graphic material with maturity. Overall, I enjoyed working with a group of people to put together this unit on 'The Bell Jar'.
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