During my reading of the chapters from Literature Circles, I was able to think more about one aspect of being a teacher that I think is important. This aspect is being "present" in your classroom. To me, this means that as a teacher I want to interact with my students in a way that makes them more willing to participate in class. I think that if a student sees that a teacher is participating (or had participated) in an activity or assignment for class, the student will be more apt to not find the activity to be pointless.
The reading connected to my line of thinking on page 24, where Harvey Daniels writes, "Perhaps the one element most grievously lacking in the experience of most American schoolchildren is regularly seeing a mature adult reader connecting with a book for the first time, constructing meaning, talking about the thinking process, and sharing here-and-now responses." During literature circles in my classroom, I would definitely consider joining one of the groups and becoming a member of a circle in order to encourage a positive response from my students. Daniels also writes about teachers being involved in literature circles on page 87 when he writes about literary mini-lessons saying that "One worth repeating frequently is when the teacher simply talks about whatever she herself is reading, whether an adult or children's book." Daniels also writes, "This is simply modeling in its purest form, with a veteran book person 'opening up her head' and showing kids how life-long readers think and act" (87). Being able to tell the students why you chose the book you did and what kinds of connections you are able to create with a book is very influential for students to know. Letting your students see you participate in one of your class activities can show them that you are interested in the activity also and if you view it as something that you would like to do, you will have more success in gaining the interest of your students (note that I said more, and not a complete success - we still have yet to figure out the perfect way to engage all students, especially those who do not like English).
With that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Book Thief and constantly pondered how I could use this novel in my classroom and the main difficultly that the text presented me with is the length. Perhaps it would bode well as a selection for a literature circle...
"I think that if a student sees that a teacher is participating (or had participated) in an activity or assignment for class, the student will be more apt to not find the activity to be pointless."
ReplyDeleteThis is a great observation. When is the last time, for example, you witnessed a teacher writing WITH her students? This small act communicates miles....
I agree that teachers should also participate in the activities that they want their students to be involved it. Not only does it give connections but it interests the students to want to know the teachers thoughts (if in writing etc) I think it is beneficial for teachers to also engage in the activities even if it is watching the movie they are. Instead of looking over at the teacher doing busy work, they can be encouraged to do their work because the teacher is doing it also!
ReplyDeleteI will NEVER forget a teacher I had in High School that used to put ear plugs in while we were doing in class assignments so that she could do her leisure reading without interruption. Because of her, I have always been a huge proponent of teachers being PRESENT in the classroom. I always want to be a teacher that my students can rely on to talk to about virtually anything, ESPECIALLY things that are academically related. It's so frustrating when students are too afraid or uncomfortable to talk to their teacher when there is a problem.
ReplyDeleteI really love your point about being "present" in your classroom, and I cannot believe your teacher used to put earplugs in to do leisure reading during your class!!! Some of my most telling moments in my career have been when most senior management of companies participate in brainstorming sessions as equals with most junior. If you get too high up (as a teacher), you may miss the story and miss the opportunity (student learning). This actually reminds me of a 20/20 video shown to a group of us at my old job by the (future) COO of the division. Take a look at this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M66ZU2PCIcM . Is a very cool video about a product development company and the process they do to come up with designs. Creative teams for innovation MUST be eclectic. For some reason, I remembered this video when I thought of your comment about how students will view a teacher joining into the learning. When it comes to books and reading, so much more can be gained by exploration with others. We come to that "A-HA" idea through a lot of iteration. Some days may be inspiring... some challenging. Fail together-to-succeed if that makes any sense. Anyway, check out this video.
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