English 480 wrap up

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!