(Page 92) "Hamlet isn’t the problem; the problem lies in how the work is taught.”
(Page 94) “I am a teacher, not an assigner, and my students need me most while they are reading.”
May I go back to high school and have Kelly Gallagher for my English teacher? For all four years? I have seen him present before, so I know he’s good at delivery. (I have seen a professional education author before who was horrible at presenting…she even made the comment that it was the norm to lose half the audience after lunch. Huh?!? That doesn’t happen if you’re good at what you’re doing.) If I had Mr. Gallagher as my English I, II, III, and IV teacher, I think there is a strong possibility that I may actually like the “classics.” I don’t think I’d necessarily become a classic literature a fan on Facebook, but I probably wouldn’t abhor most of it quite so much and would be able to get something from it.
I realize the two quotes I selected pretty much reiterate what I wrote in the final paragraph of my last post, but I suppose that’s because I think how the teacher approaches material is so important. When asked, can we even explain why we teach the particular texts or issues we choose? (I’m talking about things that we aren’t required to teach—the material that we select.) I recently asked a couple of teachers why they were teaching a particular book, asked what they wanted the students to get out of it. One teacher gave me a long answer and the other just basically said, “The same reasons she said.” The second teacher didn’t even try to add an additional thought. I wonder if the second teacher truly agrees with the first or if she didn’t have a clue why she uses the novel. There’s a strong possibility that the second teacher chooses to teach the book because she does think it’s a “good book” and “stuff” is already done for this particular novel—it’s been taught for years so there’s nothing to create for it. It’s so much easier when everything is already done!
The bottom line is good teaching is hard work. Dang hard work. And it takes time. Yes, there are many things that we can use from year to year, but we need to tweak them when necessary. How many times have you done the same lesson multiple times in a day when it went well for one class and bombed for another? We have to make material relevant to students’ lives so it sticks with them. Gallagher made a great point when he said he doesn’t expect every student to enjoy reading the books he uses (page 93), but he does want them to get something out of it. Just because we think a book is good doesn’t mean all of the students will, so we have to have a better reason for teaching something. What is it that we want students to get from it? And how are we going to deliver the lessons so that the students do get something from the material and don’t just “play school” with what we’re teaching?
(Page 94) “I am a teacher, not an assigner, and my students need me most while they are reading.”
May I go back to high school and have Kelly Gallagher for my English teacher? For all four years? I have seen him present before, so I know he’s good at delivery. (I have seen a professional education author before who was horrible at presenting…she even made the comment that it was the norm to lose half the audience after lunch. Huh?!? That doesn’t happen if you’re good at what you’re doing.) If I had Mr. Gallagher as my English I, II, III, and IV teacher, I think there is a strong possibility that I may actually like the “classics.” I don’t think I’d necessarily become a classic literature a fan on Facebook, but I probably wouldn’t abhor most of it quite so much and would be able to get something from it.
I realize the two quotes I selected pretty much reiterate what I wrote in the final paragraph of my last post, but I suppose that’s because I think how the teacher approaches material is so important. When asked, can we even explain why we teach the particular texts or issues we choose? (I’m talking about things that we aren’t required to teach—the material that we select.) I recently asked a couple of teachers why they were teaching a particular book, asked what they wanted the students to get out of it. One teacher gave me a long answer and the other just basically said, “The same reasons she said.” The second teacher didn’t even try to add an additional thought. I wonder if the second teacher truly agrees with the first or if she didn’t have a clue why she uses the novel. There’s a strong possibility that the second teacher chooses to teach the book because she does think it’s a “good book” and “stuff” is already done for this particular novel—it’s been taught for years so there’s nothing to create for it. It’s so much easier when everything is already done!
The bottom line is good teaching is hard work. Dang hard work. And it takes time. Yes, there are many things that we can use from year to year, but we need to tweak them when necessary. How many times have you done the same lesson multiple times in a day when it went well for one class and bombed for another? We have to make material relevant to students’ lives so it sticks with them. Gallagher made a great point when he said he doesn’t expect every student to enjoy reading the books he uses (page 93), but he does want them to get something out of it. Just because we think a book is good doesn’t mean all of the students will, so we have to have a better reason for teaching something. What is it that we want students to get from it? And how are we going to deliver the lessons so that the students do get something from the material and don’t just “play school” with what we’re teaching?
3 comments:
Amen, Diane! I would sooooo have loved to have Kelly Gallagher as my English teacher! I also agree that being a good teacher is hard work. That makes me feel guilty, too, though. Maybe I don’t always add enough new things. I’m sure there are times I’ve gotten comfortable with using what I’ve already created! Oh how I miss SCRI classes!
Chapter four came at such a perfect time for me. Tomorrow I’m going to have my students do some brainstorming to figure out what good readers do. I love the idea of having students keep a list throughout the year of strategies that good readers use. I might just have to use that. I also appreciate how Gallagher emphasizes the importance of teachers as models. I think too often we have students come into our classrooms with their minds made up that they’re not good readers and that they’ll never be good readers. It’s my job to model good reading for them and to help them grow as readers. When they leave my classroom more confident in who they are as a reader and how they can successfully tackle a challenging text, I know I’ve accomplished something. Another thing I love about Gallagher’s writings is that they’re so real. They’re based on realistic classrooms. When I was in classes in high school, I had those teachers who would assign so many pages to be read by a certain date. And, oftentimes, I struggled through the texts. (And I’d often find myself with those little yellow and black books. Now trust me, I read the novel, but I had to have support because it was lacking in the classroom.) The novels were not always impossible, and I can’t believe I came out of high school loving the classics, but I would have benefited from at least a little direction. That’s especially why I think it’s neat that Gallagher gives students guidance with specific passages (the second or third time they’ve read it). The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde passage was neat. I mean, I would have skimmed through that passage without gaining much insight if it weren’t for the direction he gave me as a reader. Also, I still love the idea of giving students their essay questions at the beginning of a book. It truly does give them direction into what they’re even expected to learn. They gain much more from a reading experience if they know where they’re heading. Gallagher said it best (as always)…
“Let’s never forget there is beauty and value found in reading difficult literature. Our job is to lead our reluctant students to discover this beauty and value.”
AMEN!
Chapters 4 and 5 in Readicide
One of the things that I enjoy the most about Kelly Gallagher’s books and teaching is the many references he makes to sports. So of course, I loved his idea of the “sweet spot” in teaching. On page 90 he says, “Where is the reading sweet spot? It certainly is not found buried in a 122-page curriculum guide. However, it is also not found when we hand students book that are too difficult for them and ask them to navigate on their own. The sweet spot lies somewhere between those two extreme instructional approaches.” I have used the novel Comfort for about four years with my Academic Support II students. It really isn’t a difficult book to understand, and honestly they could read chunks of it on their own instead of me reading to them as they followed along (shared reading). So I know that I will try teaching that book differently next school year. Because my students are out and about in all kinds of English classes with different teachers, I have experienced both the teachers who do too little and those who do too much with a novel, and unfortunately, there are a few who do the same thing with the novel that they have done for years. No offense to any of them, but they really need to read this book. Ruth Anne, maybe you could share with them during a department meeting. Yes, teaching is hard, and constantly creating new activities is time consuming, but there is nothing more exciting than seeing a student become a reader because a novel you taught or suggested to them has inspired them to want to read more!
I also like the information on page 101 on the three important steps of conducting a close reading. These three steps pair easily with Gallagher’s Articles of the Week, and I am going to create a handout for my students and use this with the articles that I have them read in the future.
On another note, I wanted to mention that I have tried the one-pagers that he uses in his classroom and that are found in Appendix C of the book. This semester, I am requiring my students to read two books each nine weeks and complete a one-pager on the books. The first one we did was due this past Thursday, and they were to focus on the character that changed the most from the beginning of the book to the end of the book. I had some very good responses, and I had some that were not too great. I am asking three of my students to type theirs for me to use as samples in the future. Tomorrow, I am giving out the next one-pager, and this one will focus on evaluating the ending of the book and whether or not it was effective. My first attempt at this new assignment brought mixed results, but I like it better than the weekly reading logs I used to assign.
And last, but not least, I looked at the list Gallagher provided in Appendix A, “101 Books My Reluctant Readers Love to Read,” and I ashamed to admit that I have only read 28 of them. I need to get back into the groove with my appreciation and knowledge of YA literature.
Readicide: Chapters Four and Five
Diane, I am definitely in agreement with you and Ruth Anne about Gallagher being our teacher in high school and even in college. I know that I would have been a fantastic and better teacher. I would have gained many more skills that I could utilize in my classroom. Through the reading and being part of this study group I have gained a plethora of valuable information. Gallagher and you have challenged me to grow and work harder on being the best teacher I can be. What I have learned and put in practice has definitely been an asset that has provided me with greater and rewarding challenges for my students. Ruth Anne, I also miss the SCRI class; because afterwards it presented me the guidance and opportunity to take what I learned immediately to my classroom.
Being a good teacher requires dedication, hard work, patience, and a passion for teaching and your students. Reading chapter 4 of Readicide you can become a little overwhelmed. Being a good teacher does requirement all those attributes and willingness to do what it takes to provide a successful learning environment. When reading about finding the sweet spot in motivating adolescents to read; you must and should have all the attributes I mentioned earlier. Gallagher states on page 40, “However, when it comes to helping students become excellent readers of difficult texts, finding the sweet spot of teaching becomes more problematic.” I am saying all this to say that teaching and motivating our students is very challenging and hard work; but as always Gallagher doesn’t leave us drowning. He provides some strategies we can use on page 95 to help: 1. Recognize the Importance of Framing. 2. Remember the Value Found in Second-Draft (and Third-Draft) Reading. 3. Adopt a “Big Chunk/Little Chunk” Philosophy. On page, 104 Gallagher notes the strategies that good readers employ when reading becomes difficult. Using some of these strategies on this list are helpful tools to model and demonstrate to my students to use in learning to read some difficult text.
In Chapter 5, what stood out to me was the question and answer found on page 116. The question read, “How did the Finns build the best readers in the world?’; and the answer states, “By eliminating standardized testing and emphasizing the importance of reading and critical thinking, by nurturing deeper thinking and creativity, and by leading their students away from the drill-and-kill instructional approach that is currently permeating American schools.” I personally feel that standardized testing in the United States is a marketing business and that is why this will continue to be a problem. It would be gratifying for the United States to adopt similar actions and thoughts on education as it is Finland.
Post a Comment