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.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
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.
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.
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