Readings for Feb. 11
February 10, 2008
These readings make me cringe a little bit, mostly in self-recognition. I’m that teacher who teaches literature out of context. When I teach, I usually nudge my kids toward that one correct answer. It’s not that I wouldn’t appreciate hearing other considered viewpoints; I would. Problem is, especially with the ESOL students, getting any response out of them is a major accomplishment. Many of them, especially the college-prep students, seem to have tuned out to me altogether. So getting them to say something, anything, would be great.
Is it possible to use theory to get them to talk? I don’t know. I’m of the opinion, though, that I have to get them used to opening their mouths first. Any suggestions as to how I should do that would be greatly appreciated.
One last thing: As one of our authors pointed out – I think it was Appleman – teaching context requires continuity. One idea ought to flow smoothly from the preceding idea. But with the high-stakes exams we have to give — where test prep and the tests themselves keep eating into our schedule – continuity is darned near impossible. What’s a teacher to do?
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February 10th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
“Problem is, especially with the ESOL students, getting any response out of them is a major accomplishment. Many of them, especially the college-prep students, seem to have tuned out to me altogether. So getting them to say something, anything, would be great.”
I have one suggestion; however, I know that it is difficult to fit in extra things when we have to focus on preparing students for tests. In my Contemporary Literature class, I had a few ESOL students who were immigrants or whose parents were immigrants. These students tended to stay very quiet in class and not participate very much if the class work was vocal. However, they really spoke out when we had debates in class on current issues. The topic that they had the most to say about was what immigration policy should be. They took different points of view because those who went through the whole process of becoming a legal citizen felt that it was unfair for others to not have to go through all of the work. Others thought that the US should just make everyone legal who was already living, working, and paying taxes here. I think that, if you had time, a debate about some topic that they feel strongly about would help draw your students into discussion. Also, in a debate, there has to be two opposing sides. This demonstrates multiple viewpoints.
This is a suggestion; however I understand your frustration with “continuity of curriculum.” How does one connect everything and fit in everything that needs to be done to benefit the students? Some activities, such as the one above, may work well for improving one aspect of class. The only way that it connects is if you are teaching about multiple perspectives. It is also difficult to take a whole class period out to teach one thing that connects to only a small part of the overall curriculum. I feel your pain!
February 10th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
“I’m of the opinion, though, that I have to get them used to opening their mouths first.”
Maybe they would be willing to talk to each other. One thing that I’ve struggled with is ensuring that students have enough time first to come up with an answer. I have a tough time with silence, and giving students that wait time is unnatural for me because, like you, I often already have an answer. After they have an idea, try letting them share it with a neighbor or two. Don’t give them a lot of time, but make sure they talk. Then ask them the question again. According to my mentor, they will either have confidence in their own answer, or feel safe offering someone else’s answer.
Another suggestion is that you allow students to write down their thoughts first. You can incorporate the sharing thing, too, or not. Again, giving them that time to think and prepare will, at least theoretically, make them more likely to share. The ideas they write down can be shared anonymously with peers, who can write their own responses to preface a class discussion, or by you to propose to the class for discussion.
These are just some thoughts. Let me know if you find a particularly useful variation, or another idea altogether, for me to try out with my own students.
February 11th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
I think one problem is that students have been trained in the art of regurgitation. School for high school students is no a constant state of scholarly bulimia in which they are to learn the right answers and then write them down verbatim on tests. It is what they get graded on. When a student sees that red mark on a scantron because they filled in B instead of C, right and wrong are easily distinguished. Grading class discussions, however, is a whole other story.
Either they don’t get graded on their own ideas or the teacher gives some sort of participation grade where only the most disagreeable students pay a price for not contributing.
The grading system we have is flawed for independent thought. For math, 1-100 is great, but for English, we as teachers, are meant to grade ideas. GRADE IDEAS!??! What? I wish I had an answer. I don’t. It’s very confusing.
February 17th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Royaloil brings up a good point. How do you grade ideas? How do you teach kids that any answer is right as long as they can support it? My kids don’t understand that when analyzing poetry or literature, we all have something to bring to the table. A story can affect each of us differently. My kids and grade hungry and only actively participate in things that result in a grade. This is problematic because I dont know how to grade a conversation. I don’t know how create a grading scale for ideas. This causes me to give my students what they want… work!