Grammar's hard.
But by that I mean, teaching grammar is hard. And it's not because it's actually hard, it's really just because no one cares to learn it. "It doesn't matter" whether I use the adjective or adverb form of the word, even though I sound like a fool saying I "did good." It doesn't matter what a preposition is or even which preposition I use. No one cares. It doesn't matter that my verb tense doesn't match my subject. That won't be confusing. You know what I'm trying to say. It doesn't matter if I know what an adjectival clause is. I can clearly point out what it's modifying (and therefore understand the gist of the sentence) without knowing what an adjectival clause is.
The biggest problem with teaching grammar is that no one cares, but everyone should care. Everyone should care that the second "I did good" comes out, anyone listening should be judging their intelligence. Everyone should care that using the wrong preposition makes the sentence confusing for the reader (or the translator). Everyone should care that the world is a place of credibility and reliability, and words reflect those things. Words mean things. Wrong words mean even more things. (See?)
So how do we get students to care? How do we teach them grammar and make it stick? Judging from discussions with Cumberland Valley's English Department Supervisor, they've got it right: teach traditional grammar in elementary school when students still care what their teachers think, what their parents think, and what their peers think. Allow them to learn and to make mistakes at a time in their lives when they're quick to forget mistakes and not be so self-conscious that they refuse to participate because they're afraid to get the answer wrong. Teach them while they want to learn. Enrich and review when they no longer actually care, but still remember the foundations that were laid.
Should we teach grammar in secondary schools? No. Not really, anyway. Grammar should have already been learned. Students should know nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, and maybe prepositions. If they still need to learn appositives and absolutes and relative clauses, fine. We shouldn't be teaching basic skills in high school. If we're teaching what a noun is or what a verb is, we're wasting our time and every teacher before us has neglected to do his job.
Image Grammar is a book that has good ideas. It's a book that has useful practice activities. And it's a book that has fundamental flaws. How does one know what an absolute is if the book never tells what an absolute is? One or two sentences do not suffice. Showing examples of absolutes without addressing which part is the absolute in each sentence does not suffice. Most of all, expecting people who don't already know what those grammatical pieces are to understand them based on those exercises is a pipe dream. Does it teach aspects of grammar in context of writing? Sort of. Does it make students better writers? Probably. Does it actually teach what those grammatical constructions really are? No. Are there far too many rhetorical questions in this post? Probably. Will I add one more? Why not.
So, my teaching of grammar will probably look a lot like the traditional teaching does. There are plenty of opportunities throughout the year for "high interest" material. But I'm not a TV show, or a movie, or a video game. I'm not a rock star, I'm not a circus performer, I'm not an NHL player. My job is not to entertain. My job is to teach. Sure, there will be games and activities, but there will probably be some worksheets and lectures, too. And you know... if students don't care to learn it, I can always manage this. And they can always manage this.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
Post title?
I'm not gonna lie: I'm more than a little concerned about having to teach writing. First of all, I don't follow the "writing process" that we've always been taught to follow. Second, it's very difficult in a school setting to help people revise/edit their papers without doing their paper for them. I sat down with my roommate last night and had an extremely productive revision session with him, and he did about 80% of the work. It was a great model of how revision should work. That said, we took about a half hour to work on what ended up being around eight sentences.
While we haven't had enough hands-on instruction when it comes to teaching writing, a lot of the things we've been reading have helped with ideas and practices. It's hard to tell exactly how these activities will work in practice, or how effective they'll be at teaching writing (as opposed to simply being things to write), but they should be helpful. In no particular order:
All of these activities/strategies are ones I'd like to use with my students. Looking at the list seems so daunting, though. It seems impossible to have time to do all of these things. I can only hope that I work in a school with 50-minute periods instead of 40-minute ones, or I'll have a hard time doing anything I want to on a regular basis.
While we haven't had enough hands-on instruction when it comes to teaching writing, a lot of the things we've been reading have helped with ideas and practices. It's hard to tell exactly how these activities will work in practice, or how effective they'll be at teaching writing (as opposed to simply being things to write), but they should be helpful. In no particular order:
- Providing students with models of assignments
- FCAs for rough drafts
- Revising rough drafts in groups (twice)
- Reader-response journals
- One-pagers for SSR choices
- Comics as summaries
- Free-writes
- Correcting relevant writing mistakes after assignments are completed
- Asking questions
- Personal journals
- Article of the Week
All of these activities/strategies are ones I'd like to use with my students. Looking at the list seems so daunting, though. It seems impossible to have time to do all of these things. I can only hope that I work in a school with 50-minute periods instead of 40-minute ones, or I'll have a hard time doing anything I want to on a regular basis.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
I can haz tekst?
http://prezi.com/jdpae4kw_k1_/tuck-everlasting-text-satellite/?auth_key=9b9d013c84d2bf24ce56f135d5a64e083be506ff **fixed
My text satellite is based off of the novel Tuck Everlasting and its themes of duty, greed, mortality vs. immortality, change vs. stagnation, and the natural order of things.
Speaking of the natural order, I chose simply to organize the works by their types.While many of the works I chose specifically deal with death, most deal with at least two of the themes. For example, "A White Heron" relates to greed because the hunter wants to kill the white heron, while the girl's sense of duty compels her to lie to the hunter despite being enamored by him.
My text satellite is based off of the novel Tuck Everlasting and its themes of duty, greed, mortality vs. immortality, change vs. stagnation, and the natural order of things.
Speaking of the natural order, I chose simply to organize the works by their types.While many of the works I chose specifically deal with death, most deal with at least two of the themes. For example, "A White Heron" relates to greed because the hunter wants to kill the white heron, while the girl's sense of duty compels her to lie to the hunter despite being enamored by him.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
One of the most difficult things for me about assessing students is that I tend to want to create only the assessments that would like to do as a student. In other words, I don't want to make students create drawings, posters, or anything else too artsy, because I always hated those projects. I always felt that if I wasn't in at class, I shouldn't be forced to do art projects. That said, there will be a number of students in classes that do enjoy those types of assessments, so I need to be able to create them as second or third options.
The difficulty in using an art-related project is making it equivalent to a traditional essay/assessment. A five-page paper is not the same as a poster. The time involved might be the same (for a student like me, who has no art skills whatsoever), but the level of thought is entirely different. So, what steps can be taken to make them equivalent? Adding a short write-up to the art assignment would be fair, but I still don't think that gets the student to the same level of depth with the work. That is one of the biggest problems I'm having right now, because I know there are students who do like the non-traditional assignments. Between the task and the grading, though, I'm not quite sure at this point how to create them effectively.
On the other hand, I feel pretty comfortable making the traditional assessments. My feeling is that reading quizzes should be based on the topics I want students to take away from the reading, but at the same time--if I'm truly checking to see whether students read--I need to be conscious of what's on Sparknotes. That is what makes it hard to make a "fair" reading quiz, or one that's not just based on details that are hard to pick out. In that case, I'd rather lean towards a "prove to me that you read the chapter" quiz. It would be open-ended, and students would be required to prove more than that they read Sparknotes to get full credit. It's difficult, but it's also higher-level thinking using the text. The different responses and their scores would probably need to be modeled for the students.
Rubrics for essays and other assignments are relatively easy. Make requirements for the assignment, then read down the assignment sheet and create a section for each part of the assignment. If the paper is supposed to be 2-3 pages, there should be a "length" section on the rubric. Makes sense.
Exams and assessments for middle-schoolers are also a concern, because I don't know what those are like. I know papers are capped at one or two pages, but is that a good thing? Should we actually be pushing them to write two or three pages instead? Part of the problem is the education the students have received up to middle school and high school, because many teachers have not properly equipped the students with the appropriate skills for their age. That means topics and will have to be retaught, or certainly enriched, before moving on to more difficult skills. How do we compensate for the failures of prior teachers?
The difficulty in using an art-related project is making it equivalent to a traditional essay/assessment. A five-page paper is not the same as a poster. The time involved might be the same (for a student like me, who has no art skills whatsoever), but the level of thought is entirely different. So, what steps can be taken to make them equivalent? Adding a short write-up to the art assignment would be fair, but I still don't think that gets the student to the same level of depth with the work. That is one of the biggest problems I'm having right now, because I know there are students who do like the non-traditional assignments. Between the task and the grading, though, I'm not quite sure at this point how to create them effectively.
On the other hand, I feel pretty comfortable making the traditional assessments. My feeling is that reading quizzes should be based on the topics I want students to take away from the reading, but at the same time--if I'm truly checking to see whether students read--I need to be conscious of what's on Sparknotes. That is what makes it hard to make a "fair" reading quiz, or one that's not just based on details that are hard to pick out. In that case, I'd rather lean towards a "prove to me that you read the chapter" quiz. It would be open-ended, and students would be required to prove more than that they read Sparknotes to get full credit. It's difficult, but it's also higher-level thinking using the text. The different responses and their scores would probably need to be modeled for the students.
Rubrics for essays and other assignments are relatively easy. Make requirements for the assignment, then read down the assignment sheet and create a section for each part of the assignment. If the paper is supposed to be 2-3 pages, there should be a "length" section on the rubric. Makes sense.
Exams and assessments for middle-schoolers are also a concern, because I don't know what those are like. I know papers are capped at one or two pages, but is that a good thing? Should we actually be pushing them to write two or three pages instead? Part of the problem is the education the students have received up to middle school and high school, because many teachers have not properly equipped the students with the appropriate skills for their age. That means topics and will have to be retaught, or certainly enriched, before moving on to more difficult skills. How do we compensate for the failures of prior teachers?
Friday, September 14, 2012
:(
Even though I was interested in the topic, the sheer length of the first two chapters made me want to commit readicide halfway through.
Much of that feeling was due to the fact that Gallagher is preaching to the choir, at least when I'm the one reading. For the last couple years I've been planning to take the Social Studies Praxis exam when I graduate so I can be certified in both English and Social Studies. While part of that is a way to (maybe) increase my chances of finding a job, the other part is that I'm interested in history (and, to a lesser extent, the other aspects of Social Studies). That being the case, I included texts on the American Revolution and the web collective Anonymous as reading in my conceptual unit. These are real-life examples of some of the topics covered in Fahrenheit 451. I'm all about putting real-world texts in the classroom, because I know that many people lack information on many fronts. CNN.com and the front page of Yahoo aren't in everyone's "Wanna Waste Time?" bookmarks.
That being said, I love the idea of the Article of the Week, and I would love to be able to require SSR on Fridays (though the classes at the end of the day might need that moved to Mondays...or I could just move it there for everyone). I know that there will be some push against that idea, but one of my high school teachers used to play a class game of Taboo with us on Fridays; as an administrator, I'd be much more apt to think, "But that's a game," than, "Why are they reading?" (I'm not saying Taboo has no merit. It does.) Something else I'm trying to do is work off the Khan Academy model and move all of my parts-of-speech instruction outside of the classroom and work on practice inside it--maybe using the AoW as a basis for the sentences we'll break down.
The idea about using Amazon to build a classroom library is a great idea, too. No one wants to be "that guy" and push and push for things in department meetings and planning centers, which is likely a large part of the reason that schools are lacking in positive change. The Amazon library avoids that issue totally. I actually ask for people to buy my birthday and Christmas presents (I feel awkward mentioning my own "birthday and Christmas presents" at 22-years-old. Huh.) used on Amazon. Why? Well I'll be honest--I can get more of them that way. Do I want Patton Oswalt's Zombie Spaceship Wasteland for $18 or for $6? Duh.
So basically, I'm all in. I just wish there had been a SparkNotes version of the first two chapters, because I really didn't need to be convinced.
Much of that feeling was due to the fact that Gallagher is preaching to the choir, at least when I'm the one reading. For the last couple years I've been planning to take the Social Studies Praxis exam when I graduate so I can be certified in both English and Social Studies. While part of that is a way to (maybe) increase my chances of finding a job, the other part is that I'm interested in history (and, to a lesser extent, the other aspects of Social Studies). That being the case, I included texts on the American Revolution and the web collective Anonymous as reading in my conceptual unit. These are real-life examples of some of the topics covered in Fahrenheit 451. I'm all about putting real-world texts in the classroom, because I know that many people lack information on many fronts. CNN.com and the front page of Yahoo aren't in everyone's "Wanna Waste Time?" bookmarks.
That being said, I love the idea of the Article of the Week, and I would love to be able to require SSR on Fridays (though the classes at the end of the day might need that moved to Mondays...or I could just move it there for everyone). I know that there will be some push against that idea, but one of my high school teachers used to play a class game of Taboo with us on Fridays; as an administrator, I'd be much more apt to think, "But that's a game," than, "Why are they reading?" (I'm not saying Taboo has no merit. It does.) Something else I'm trying to do is work off the Khan Academy model and move all of my parts-of-speech instruction outside of the classroom and work on practice inside it--maybe using the AoW as a basis for the sentences we'll break down.
The idea about using Amazon to build a classroom library is a great idea, too. No one wants to be "that guy" and push and push for things in department meetings and planning centers, which is likely a large part of the reason that schools are lacking in positive change. The Amazon library avoids that issue totally. I actually ask for people to buy my birthday and Christmas presents (I feel awkward mentioning my own "birthday and Christmas presents" at 22-years-old. Huh.) used on Amazon. Why? Well I'll be honest--I can get more of them that way. Do I want Patton Oswalt's Zombie Spaceship Wasteland for $18 or for $6? Duh.
So basically, I'm all in. I just wish there had been a SparkNotes version of the first two chapters, because I really didn't need to be convinced.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Oh-ooh-oh, listen to the music
Train - When I Look to the Sky
[Verse 1]
When it rains it pours and opens doors
And floods the floors we thought would always keep us safe and dry
And in the midst of sailing ships we sink our lips into the ones we love
That have to say goodbye
[Chorus:]
And as I float along this ocean
I can feel you like a notion that won't seem to let me go
Cause when I look to the sky something tells me you're here with me
And you make everything alright
And when I feel like I'm lost something tells me you're here with me
And I can always find my way when you are here
[Verse 2]
And every word I didn't say that caught up in some busy day
And every dance on the kitchen floor we didn't have before
And every sunset that we'll miss I'll wrap them all up in a kiss
And pick you up in all of this when I sail away
[Chorus:]
And as I float along this ocean
I can feel you like a notion that I hope will never leave
[Verse 3]
Whether I am up or down or in or out or just plane overhead
Instead it just feels like it is impossible to fly
But with you I can spread my wings
to see me over everything that life may send me
When I am hoping it won't pass me by
And when I feel like there is no one that will ever know me
there you are to show me
Cause when I look to the sky something tells me you're here with me
And you make everything alright
And when I feel like I'm lost something tells me you're here with me
And I can always find my way when you are here
Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen)
Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ?9...
Wear Sunscreen
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.
The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas
the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience
I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand
the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years
youll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you cant grasp now how
much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.
Youre not as fat as you imagine.
Dont worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying
is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your
worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you.
Sing.
Dont be reckless with other peoples hearts, dont put up with people who
are reckless with yours.
Floss
Dont waste your time on jealousy; sometimes youre ahead, sometimes youre behind
the race is long, and in the end, its only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing
this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch
Dont feel guilty if you dont know what you want to do with your life
the most interesting people I know didnt know at 22 what they wanted to do with
their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds know still dont.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, youll miss them when theyre gone.
Maybe youll marry, maybe you wont, maybe youll have children,
maybe you wont, maybe youll divorce at 40, maybe youll dance the funky chicken
on your 75th wedding anniversary.
What ever you do, dont congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either
your choices are half chance, so are everybody elses. Enjoy your body,
use it every way you can dont be afraid of it, or what other people think of it,
its the greatest instrument youll ever own..
Danceeven if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you dont follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you never know when theyll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and
the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get,
the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard;
live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander,
you too will get old, and when you do youll fantasize that when you were
young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their
elders.
Respect your elders.
Dont expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Dont mess too much with your hair, or by the time its 40, it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past
from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling
it for more than its worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen...
Rascal Flatts - My Wish
I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,
But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.
But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
This is my wish
I hope you know somebody loves you
May all your dreams stay big
[Verse 1]
When it rains it pours and opens doors
And floods the floors we thought would always keep us safe and dry
And in the midst of sailing ships we sink our lips into the ones we love
That have to say goodbye
[Chorus:]
And as I float along this ocean
I can feel you like a notion that won't seem to let me go
Cause when I look to the sky something tells me you're here with me
And you make everything alright
And when I feel like I'm lost something tells me you're here with me
And I can always find my way when you are here
[Verse 2]
And every word I didn't say that caught up in some busy day
And every dance on the kitchen floor we didn't have before
And every sunset that we'll miss I'll wrap them all up in a kiss
And pick you up in all of this when I sail away
[Chorus:]
And as I float along this ocean
I can feel you like a notion that I hope will never leave
[Verse 3]
Whether I am up or down or in or out or just plane overhead
Instead it just feels like it is impossible to fly
But with you I can spread my wings
to see me over everything that life may send me
When I am hoping it won't pass me by
And when I feel like there is no one that will ever know me
there you are to show me
Cause when I look to the sky something tells me you're here with me
And you make everything alright
And when I feel like I'm lost something tells me you're here with me
And I can always find my way when you are here
Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen)
Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ?9...
Wear Sunscreen
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.
The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas
the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience
I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand
the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years
youll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you cant grasp now how
much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.
Youre not as fat as you imagine.
Dont worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying
is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your
worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you.
Sing.
Dont be reckless with other peoples hearts, dont put up with people who
are reckless with yours.
Floss
Dont waste your time on jealousy; sometimes youre ahead, sometimes youre behind
the race is long, and in the end, its only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing
this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch
Dont feel guilty if you dont know what you want to do with your life
the most interesting people I know didnt know at 22 what they wanted to do with
their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds know still dont.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, youll miss them when theyre gone.
Maybe youll marry, maybe you wont, maybe youll have children,
maybe you wont, maybe youll divorce at 40, maybe youll dance the funky chicken
on your 75th wedding anniversary.
What ever you do, dont congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either
your choices are half chance, so are everybody elses. Enjoy your body,
use it every way you can dont be afraid of it, or what other people think of it,
its the greatest instrument youll ever own..
Danceeven if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you dont follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you never know when theyll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and
the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get,
the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard;
live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander,
you too will get old, and when you do youll fantasize that when you were
young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their
elders.
Respect your elders.
Dont expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Dont mess too much with your hair, or by the time its 40, it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past
from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling
it for more than its worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen...
Rascal Flatts - My Wish
I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,
But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.
But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
This is my wish
I hope you know somebody loves you
May all your dreams stay big
Objects in mirror are closer than they appear
Strategies I've learned:
Literature circles, gallery, stations, different systems for groups, Socratic seminar, using different mediums and versions of text
One of the most important things about giving assignments and delivering information is that it be interesting. If the teacher has no interest in the information, how can the students be expected to pay attention? Even the driest material can be made interesting to some of the class, so it's our job to make it that way. I'm completely fine with sitting in a class and being lectured on topics I'm interested in (which really includes almost anything) so long as I'm learning new information. Other people aren't quite so interested in the information, so it matters how it's presented. Before this class, I would've taught how I liked to be taught--in pretty much the traditional manner, with a few new things thrown in. Given some of the experiences we've had in the class, I've been able to get a little more creative with my plans (since 12th grade I've had a list of things I want to do when I'm teaching) and add to them significantly. Some of those new plans will take a lot of preparation; maybe I won't have the opportunity to use all of them the first year. That's okay. All that means is I'll get to focus more on the ideas in the first year, see how they worked out, and adapt them a little better, too.
Time is probably the most challenging aspect of teaching: time for preparation, time to grade, planning what can be covered in a certain amount of time, using time in class, and taking into account the time that students have outside of class. The worst teachers (both in terms of personality and ability) are those who think that their class is the only one students have, or that theirs is the most important. Planning lessons and homework by keeping other classes in mind gives not only a better experience for you and the students (students will complain less) but also makes teaching more efficient. At the same time, students need to be prepared to move on to the following grade. Striking that balance is important.
I still think the words are equally or more important than the feelings when it comes to teaching literature. As a reader I might want to feel the apprehension or fear in the main character, but that's a skill that a teacher can spend only so much time on if they're going to make students better in English. After all, these novels couldn't be written effectively if the author didn't have a solid grasp on English, even if they're written in dialect. In fact, dialect often shows an even better handle on language skills. My goal for students is that they enjoy the things they read and understand the "literary aspects" (e.g., motif, theme, foreshadowing, etc.), but also that they can actually write grammatical sentences and spell words correctly. I said it before and I'll say it again: the choices one makes with language are everything. The veracity of this example aside, I think it's perfect for what I'm trying to say (link contains potentially offensive language, but almost-guaranteed entertainment: #s 3 and 5 are the important ones). All of that said, a New Critical approach isn't going to appeal to many people and isn't what I'm recommending. I'm simply saying that, in class, books shouldn't be as much about feelings as they are outside of class. Feelings certainly have a place and can also give insight into the (perception of the) author's choices, but they're not paramount. As an English major (read: nerd), one of the best things about good books is how the author uses the language to make the story more interesting. I read The Shipping News twice just because I felt like I was missing things in the language that would've helped me. I'm pretty sure I'm still missing the key to understanding. Then again, maybe there isn't one. Round 3 to come later.
Regardless of all that, I'm confident I have the tools to be an effective teacher. I might find in methods or student teaching that the... well, methods need refining, but that's what teaching is all about: refining lessons, objectives, and methods in order to help students learn in a more engaging and effective manner. If I could get the same outcome standing in front of the class for 42 minutes each day and talking at them, maybe I'd do it. However, I'm pretty positive that's not going to happen. My goal instead is to model proper English on handouts (just as it's usually modeled in novels) and make the class as enjoyable as possible through a bunch of different methods. One strategy I'll probably borrow from a professor here is to give students bonus points for noticing errors in spelling/grammar/punctuation on handouts. Not only will that help them get a better grade, but some students will be more interested than before in actually looking at how words and punctuation work together to give meaning. Maybe they're only interested in it in my class, but that's better than nothing.
Literature circles, gallery, stations, different systems for groups, Socratic seminar, using different mediums and versions of text
One of the most important things about giving assignments and delivering information is that it be interesting. If the teacher has no interest in the information, how can the students be expected to pay attention? Even the driest material can be made interesting to some of the class, so it's our job to make it that way. I'm completely fine with sitting in a class and being lectured on topics I'm interested in (which really includes almost anything) so long as I'm learning new information. Other people aren't quite so interested in the information, so it matters how it's presented. Before this class, I would've taught how I liked to be taught--in pretty much the traditional manner, with a few new things thrown in. Given some of the experiences we've had in the class, I've been able to get a little more creative with my plans (since 12th grade I've had a list of things I want to do when I'm teaching) and add to them significantly. Some of those new plans will take a lot of preparation; maybe I won't have the opportunity to use all of them the first year. That's okay. All that means is I'll get to focus more on the ideas in the first year, see how they worked out, and adapt them a little better, too.
Time is probably the most challenging aspect of teaching: time for preparation, time to grade, planning what can be covered in a certain amount of time, using time in class, and taking into account the time that students have outside of class. The worst teachers (both in terms of personality and ability) are those who think that their class is the only one students have, or that theirs is the most important. Planning lessons and homework by keeping other classes in mind gives not only a better experience for you and the students (students will complain less) but also makes teaching more efficient. At the same time, students need to be prepared to move on to the following grade. Striking that balance is important.
I still think the words are equally or more important than the feelings when it comes to teaching literature. As a reader I might want to feel the apprehension or fear in the main character, but that's a skill that a teacher can spend only so much time on if they're going to make students better in English. After all, these novels couldn't be written effectively if the author didn't have a solid grasp on English, even if they're written in dialect. In fact, dialect often shows an even better handle on language skills. My goal for students is that they enjoy the things they read and understand the "literary aspects" (e.g., motif, theme, foreshadowing, etc.), but also that they can actually write grammatical sentences and spell words correctly. I said it before and I'll say it again: the choices one makes with language are everything. The veracity of this example aside, I think it's perfect for what I'm trying to say (link contains potentially offensive language, but almost-guaranteed entertainment: #s 3 and 5 are the important ones). All of that said, a New Critical approach isn't going to appeal to many people and isn't what I'm recommending. I'm simply saying that, in class, books shouldn't be as much about feelings as they are outside of class. Feelings certainly have a place and can also give insight into the (perception of the) author's choices, but they're not paramount. As an English major (read: nerd), one of the best things about good books is how the author uses the language to make the story more interesting. I read The Shipping News twice just because I felt like I was missing things in the language that would've helped me. I'm pretty sure I'm still missing the key to understanding. Then again, maybe there isn't one. Round 3 to come later.
Regardless of all that, I'm confident I have the tools to be an effective teacher. I might find in methods or student teaching that the... well, methods need refining, but that's what teaching is all about: refining lessons, objectives, and methods in order to help students learn in a more engaging and effective manner. If I could get the same outcome standing in front of the class for 42 minutes each day and talking at them, maybe I'd do it. However, I'm pretty positive that's not going to happen. My goal instead is to model proper English on handouts (just as it's usually modeled in novels) and make the class as enjoyable as possible through a bunch of different methods. One strategy I'll probably borrow from a professor here is to give students bonus points for noticing errors in spelling/grammar/punctuation on handouts. Not only will that help them get a better grade, but some students will be more interested than before in actually looking at how words and punctuation work together to give meaning. Maybe they're only interested in it in my class, but that's better than nothing.
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