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!

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.

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!

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!

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.

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'.

Appleman ch 7

We are finally invited into the semi-personal lif eof the teacher who has allowed her classroom to be the laboratory as we intently observe studnet interactions and responses to the previous theories. Martha Cosgrove is asked questions in throughout this chapter and gives some insightful answers especially for future educators. She talked about her beginnings as an English tecaher. Her approach to literature was traditional and her style was didactic; not a good combination. She followed New Criticism methodolgy, defining terms, literary devices and vocabulary. It wasn't until she was placed in a totally different setting about 10 years later that her style and purpose transformed. Her focus was now the students and their abilities. Her approach had no choice but to morph to fit the students ability.
Cosgrove gave alot of great advice and said some really thought-provoking things. She said that one thing she has learned over the years is 'sensing' or temporing her class to see what will work, how to push them or to fall back. I think this takes a teacher to be tuned to his/her students. You must have a passion to get to know them indivually and collectively. I know that at the beginning of the book, Appleman gave many suggestions for why we should teach theory. Cosgrove gives her profound reasoning for her instruction of theory '...teaching literary theory is about teaching kids metacognition and encouraging flexibility in thinking. It's about giving them power as learners, because literary theory enables them to know what they are doing while they are doing it' (123). It's not only about offering different lenses to se ethe world but it involves the process by which they do this. This is where problems with deconstruction may dissolve; we help students acknowledge their advanced thinking skills, therefore they are appreciative of how much they've grown as a thinker rather than their focus being the relevance of existence. Because after all we are not philosophers but teachers. Martha shared her story in this chapter and it gives proof that if you start off wrong you don't hav eto end up on that same track. I also like that she incorporated the 'lenses' in her own life as she moved and started a different journey in her career and family. Over all the chapter was helpful for future teachers like myself.

Appleman Ch 6

In this chapter on Deconstruction, Appleman offers bountiful resources to the reader in efforts to help us grasp the concept of deconstruction. The beginning of this chapter served as sort of a disclaimer for the audience, warning us that this topic is dense and extremely controversial. Although her intension was to lead readers into an unbiased definition of the term, she actually ended up defending it more so than defining it. The tone of the first portion of this chapter inspired a sense of dread for this particular theory. I felt 'if I have to defend a theory with this much fervor, then how am I supposed to present it to a class of adolescent students?'. However, as the chapter progressed and the explication of deconstruction continued, the theory became less and less daunting. I like how deconstruction does not shove a proposed meaning to a text down the audiences throats. I like the contradictory nature of deconstruction; it can be both a liberating enterprise and a stifling one. The freedom of looking at a text while simultaneously acknowledging your own biases or influences or the authors influences is quite interesting. On the other hand, it has potential to frighten people as well.
The exercise that the students did on semiotics (looking at classic metaphors) is something that can definitely serve as a heuristic for deconstruction. This can also bring about feelings of anxiety and hopelessness as alluded to at the end of this chapter with the student rachel. Although I don't agree with Appleman's comparison of deconstruction to nihilism (this comparison seemed a bit rash), I know that it can produce feelings of utter frustration. In teaching my students this theory, I would let them know that this represents only one among a host of lenses to read the world. I'd teach them that deconstruction is a way to uncover misconceptions, overgeneralizations and hackneyed assumptions. Appleman explains the theory's purpose in light of a high school classroom: 'Deconstruction helps students question the certainty of meaning without relying exclusively on the personal lens of reader response....it requires the redaer to be an active meaning maker, unlike reader response, with its sometimes sloppy overgeneralization and overapplication, deconstruction requires the rigor of close reading' (114). The function of deconstruction in the classroom should allow students to think critically and be an inductive learner.

Appleman Ch 5

Chapter 5 of Appleman's Critical Encounters in High School English is centered on feminist critique. Here she discussed the conventions of feminist critique and aimed to subvert the common notion of feminist theory being a male bashing tool used by angry women. Through the classroom examples, Appleman showed readers that feminist critique isn't about choosing a side a staying loyal to it. Infact, it's aim is to help readers to view their world through an unbiased lense. Appleman noted that 'the point is to help adolescent readers read texts and worlds more carefully as they become aware of the ideologies within which both are inscribed' (Appleman 76). The classroom examples further enriched this aim. There were a few classroom examples thatI really liked. She had students think of traditional and feminist outlooks on certain characters. This was awesome because it simplistically shows students the bias built into our societywhen it come sto gender roles, sexuality and general perceptions of women. I would definitely encourage my students to do an exercise like this not only with texts but also national monuments and other cultural artifacts.
She also used the same text to cover two theories. I like the idea of overlapping modes of critique to help students thoroughly examine a text. Another idea I would use from this chapter is the poem from Epithalamium-II. So simple yet simultaneously complex, this poem got her students thinking and their response were intelligent, evidence of critical thinking. Overall I think this chapter does an exceptional job at explaining feminist critique. Her examples and classroom exercises all, in some form, allowed readers to put on the bifocals of feminist theory and gather their own conclusions. I will definitely use the examples given in this chapter.

Webb Chapter 2

Webb introduces a theme in his classroom and uses it to guide instruction; homelessness. This topic informed his choice of literature as he decided upon books like Oliver Twist and Nectar in a Seive which bring the issue of homelessness to the forefront. I like how his experience talking one on one with a homeless man prompted him to inrtoduce the issue to his students. I appreciate the idea of allowing students undestanding the world before they participate in it.
He also discussed New Criticism. He divulged the conventions of it and also the drawbacks to looking at literature through such a narrow lense. New Critics look at the elements or devices that an author uses instead of the historical aspects or authors background to find meaning from a given piece. I don't completely agree with looking at literature in this way. Webb seems to favor the cultural approach over this particular theory. Cultural studies allow for diverse pieces of literature by diverse authors. New Critic's favorable standards seem to privilege one group of literary expression over another. This is not at all what we want to ingrain into our students, thus the cultural approach to studying literature seems better for the classroom.

Webb Ch 1

In the first chapter of Webbs' Literature and Lives, he starts out by discussing some of his first experiences teaching studnets literature, some of which weren't so successful. He looked for different ways to engage his students including finding different texts for them to read. One very useful tool he incorporated into this chapter is the list of texts that would suit different theoretical frameworks. This is helpful for me as a future teacher because I will be given the opportunity to find literature that would be conducive to my students learning. There are also blurbs about reader response and cultural studies included in this chapter. Here, he explains what the two are and clearly shares his opinions about what they contribute the clssroom and what they lack.

Appleman ch 3

Here, Appleman discussed reader response; the benefits and the defecits. I think that reader response is a good structuring device to help students validate their interpretations and relate to the text. However, some of the examples she used from students who filled out a reader response diagram were a bit vague. I am not a huge fan of using diagrams when it comes to something as huge and multifaceted as literature. The reader response diagram only gave way for students to come to a conclusion that didn't help them thorougly develop interpretive skills. The students thought that if they could not relate to the characters i.e. find characteristics parallel to their own (race, beliefs, sexual orientation etc) then the book had no meaning. As an English major, I know that it is not imperative for the reader to relate to the protagonist in order for a book to have meaning. Thus, using this method to develop reader response skills is not very helpful in assisting students learn how to construct meaning. Reader response is great but I don't think I'll use the diagram as is, I'd tweek it to help students think critically about a writing piece.

Appleman ch 2.

As Appleman introduces the idea of bringing literary theory into the secondary classroom, she gives ideas on how to do just that. She includes three vignettes of classrooms and tecahers who brought in the idea of lit theory. I think that some of the ideas she brought up were helpful especially the first example of the students reading th epoetry differently to convey an alternative interpretation. This is something very practical that students can do in order to ease into reading literarture through the lense of a school of theory. It is important for students to slowly yet progressively study literary theory and I think this is a helpful way to assist students. The second vignette was of an assignment that stretched the imaginative muscles of students. The teacher asked students to look at fairy tales and short stories in a whole new light, from the perspective of various occupations. This seems like a fun activity and students may be intrigued with the variations. Certain theories call for students to read literature from a certain perspective and this is a step in that direction. My only concern is that students will only focus on the characters in a story and not the context surrounding the character. In using theory to dissect literature, it is important for teachers to give a sound description of what to look for in a novel that will appeal to the school of theory they are using. Otherwise, this chapter gives suggestions on how to introduce theory without scaring students away from the concept as a whole. She also talked about the defecits hidden within reader response but furthured this discussion in chapter 3.

Appleman ch1

This chapter outlines what the author will discuss throughout the text. She justifies her books aim in this first chapter, clearly stating why literary theory should be taught in the classroom. As i read this chapter I could only think of how to make literary theory relevant and redaily accessible to my students. Appleman brought up a good point about the real life issues students face and how students could ever view literary theory as useful. The task of making it relevant is certainly not an easy one but with research and dedication, I believe a teacher can successfully pull it off. But one of my main queries is the fact that literary theory, although a fairly new phenomena, is just now being introduced into secondary classrooms. I am a fifth year college undergraduate student and my first encounter with literary theory was my fourth year in college. Students should be introduced with literary theory in middle school, just a breif introductory thing, nothing exhaustive. With this background it will be easier for students to transition once they are in highschool in learning about different theories and applying it to their reading and ultimately their lives.

Chapters 4-6 Wilhelm

These chapters focused on utilizing various outlets to encourage reading. Drama is one of the key elements that the author talked about and has incorporated in his classes. I believe that drama is a great way to encourage students to read and even to evoke excitement for reading. In my own experiences, I've found that when an exciting activity follows reading, I am more prone to analyze characters more thoroughly by comparing them to people in my life. For example, in high school I was apart of a literary circle group. After we had all read the book, we were supposed to dramatize one of the scenes in the book as a commercial for the rest of the class to read it. I was one of the characters and I really wanted to do my best to invoke the essence of this character so I followed the book closely. The scene turned out to be hilarious yet, gave the audience insight into our book and of course everyone wanted to read it!

Although I had an amazing time channeling the 'inner actor' in me, I never thought of the students who were'nt thrilled by drama, watching it or performing it. Thus, Wilhelm's ideas about drama being one of the most effective ways to reach students as it relates to reading is just that; only ONE of the ways. There are so many students who are not visual learners, so the classroom must be a place where those needs, no matter how different are met. Wilhelm gives great ideas and techniques to use in the classroom (including the activity to tell the truth, one of my personal favorites!) however, as tecahers we must think of even more ways to connect the text to lives of our students.

Chapters 1-3 Wilhelm

In the first 3 chapters of Wilhelm's "You gotta BE the book", he explores the many dimensions of reading and the literary thoeries that have informed the teaching and evaluation of reading for some time. I was imressed with his juxtaposition of New Criticism with ideas proposed by Rosenblatt. It made me realize that contemporary methods of teaching reading are highly influenced by the idea that the text creates meaning and it is up to students to find what that meaning is. This approach does not help students (or anyone else for that matter) connect to the text in a way that would allow them to enjoy what they are reading. It definitely becomes more of a task than something you do for leisure and excitement.

Thinking back to my days in middle school, I could completely relate to the ideas expressed by his students about reading. He noted that one of his students said that reading is something people tell you to do so that you can spew out the 'correct' answers. How doe sthis help students? This chapter really made me think of even ways that I wa stauht redaing and the deficits affected me. In grade school a 'good' reader wa sone who could read fast. It had little to do with actually understanding the text and allowing it to speak to your life.
Chapters 1-3 are positioned beautifully in the beginning of the book to set up a framework from which teachers should start. The author used examples of students who weren't the best readers to provide a foundational question of how to encourage students to read. I want to adopt this approach for my own classroom in efforts to learn from my students and provide assistance or modify the curriculum as it benefits my students. I also liked the idea of 'studying' my students, which beyond reading, will encourage a love for them as individuals.