Appleman-Chapter 3

In the beginning of chapter 3, Appleman discusses reader response and how it effects making meaning of literature when it becomes to individuals. On page 29 Appleman quotes Bonnycastle's work where he says, "If each of us only pays attention to the individual experience, the communal basis for the discipline will disappear and literature classes will have nothing to hold them together." I have to say I agree most definitely with this particular quotation because I can see many students losing focus of the actual text, and focusing more on how they have actually experienced something similar. I can see this causing many problems in the classroom where literature will become less important in the classroom atmosphere, and students like Leah in chapter 3, will use it as a venting session. However, I do feel that the teacher should have full control of reader response, and incorporating personal responses is not entirely wrong, but should not be the main focus of those responses.
Appleman then briefly discusses those who are uncomfortable with personal response. Again, although personal response is not the focus of a literature class, it does help in discussions, relating to the texts, understanding character perspectives, and so on. For those students who are uncomfortable with personal response may have trouble with this part of an English classroom. I feel that personal response should be an option in reader response since there are those students who are uncomfortable. Maybe instead of relating the texts to their own lives and experiences, they could relate it to our society. For example, if a character in a book is a young teenage girl who gets pregnant, comes from a broken home, does drugs, etc, we could ask students if they believe there are young teens in our society that can relate to these types of issues and they could expand off of that if they do not want to talk about themselves.
Overall, I like the discussion of personal reader response in the classroom. I gave me a good idea of what may happen if you allow too much leeway in personal response as well as considering those who may not feel comfortable doing them.

Appleman-Chapter 2

After reading this particular chapter by Appleman, I found that this chapter was more relatable and interesting since it contained 4 vignettes. I was most intrigued by Bob's vignette on "Little Miss Muffet". I loved his approach to throughout the entire lesson but the most striking part was his motive for it all. "the meaning depends on who's doing the reading. Meanings are constructed: We create meanings that are influenced by who we are and what we are culturally, historically, psychologically" (Appleman, 15). I believe that multiple perspectives in a classroom provides a relaxing, interesting, fun, and a strong learning environment for all. Like Bob was saying, meaning varies for everyone when it comes to literature. It depends on how you read it and what meaning you make out of what you read that makes the most difference. "encouraging multiple perspectives provides a conceptual introduction to considering the different 'readings' of a text that literary theory can provide" (Appleman, 20) Acceptance of all serious perspectives will create a great classroom atmosphere.
Reader response is a great way of promoting perspectives in the classroom. "Reader response clearly claims that the meaning of texts changes from reader to reader, that there is no single 'correct' interpretation, that it is created by the transaction of reader and text, and that every reader may create a different interpretation of a text, given our different backgrounds and orientations" (Appleman, 20). By allowing and accepting different interpretations, more students will be willing to accept others interpretations as well. This create an environment where more students will become more engaged in the readings and discussions and less isolated from the class and the texts that are being read.

Appleman-Chapter 1

In Appleman's first chapter he justifies several reasons to use literary theory in the classroom with support of various scholars. I found much of what he said to be interesting and persuasive when it comes to literary theory. One thing in particular that I found most suprising was the statistic on English teachers being knowledgeable of literary theory. "72% of the high school literature teachers he surveyed in schools that had a reputation for excellence 'reported little or no familiaritiy with contemporary literary theory'". This I find quite shocking, although I do not recall a time before college that I came across a discussion on any literary theories throughout high school. I do not find myself near an expert in literary theories; however, I think it is wise for me to be aware of these theories in order to incorporate them into my lesson planning.
I also found the three basic textual skills to be agreeable. These being reading, interpretation, and criticism. I find reading and interpretation to be the most important, not to say criticism is not. When I began taking my literature courses here at WMU, I was shocked to experience the formatting of an average English classroom. Thinking analytically? What is that? Not summarizing what I've read in papers? That's all I know how to do. My point being that if I was taken through high school with the practice of interpreting literary texts analytically, I would not have only been more prepared for my English major, but I think it helps every individual's overall intellect regardless of their major and lifelong goals.
What made Appleman most persuasive in my eyes when it comes to literary theory is when he discusses its teaching purpose. "...to encourage adolescents to inhabit theories comfortably enough to construct their own readings and to learn to appreciate the power of multiple perspectives" (Appleman, 9). If part of goal as English teachers is to teach literary theories, then we must make sure we motivate our students and guide them into understanding the importance of multiple perspectives and providing enough guidance along the way.

Chapter 6

I am a firm believer in getting to know your students as Wilhelm portrays himself to be as well. Chapter 6 deals with many aspects in the English classroom but the most intriguing area was when Wilhelm discusses testing situations. I was angered by the ending result of his staff meeting where they were discussing standardized student testing as a means for assessing students' knowledge. I have personally veered away from this aspect as a future educator feeling that this serves no purpose other than stressing out students. There are plenty of ways to test a students' knowledge and learning other than making a written examination. I do, however, think formative assessments like quizzes are good to maintain the students' comprehension as they read.
Tests also set the tone for a classroom. A classroom with tests may cause students to not take the class as seriously or become as motivated. Comparably, a classroom without tests there is less pressure on each student to answer a questions correctly when every person may have different interpretations of a specific text. Doing projects and hands on activities will release the anxiety of most students and create a real learning atmosphere for everyone. I know when I am teaching my classroom will not be filled with written examinations to simply test a students' learning process. That, to me, is a waste of time. Wilhelm showed great courage by standing up for what he believes in. The sad thing is that it did him or the students no good because the administrators were not willing to overlook standardized testing.

Chapter 5

After reading chapter 4 on how to incorporate drama into the classroom, I wondered what to do with those students who still refuse to engage in reading. Chapter 5 then discusses visually seeing what you are reading in relation to the three students Tommy, Walter, and Kae. I was quite relieved that Wilhelm is showing different perspectives of different students who may be reluctant to participate into drama and reading. Other students may be more visual when they read as well. Wilhelm gives very good indications of what to expect as a teacher, as well as how to approach certain situations with students who may learn differently.
I think the different strategies he uses will be useful in a classroom where there a visual learning students like Tommy, Walter, and Kae. The symbolic story representations seem to be something that most students could enjoy especially if they enjoy drawing. This strategy still keeps the focus of the story with the student and allows them to express their thoughts through drawing and describing which would dramatize their perspectives well.
I also like the idea of doing collages. This type of activity will allow students to explore their stories and create images to represent and illustrate characters, themes, symbols, and characteristics of their book. Picture Mapping is also a great way for students to explore their book too. This activity allows choice for the student to construct a drawing that suits them.
Since every student learns differently, it is good to have different learning options that accommodate everyone. To compromise both parties (reading and drama, visual learners) the teacher can use both and negotiate with the students in order to ensure that they fully participate and get the full experience of their book.

Chapter 4

After completing the chapter 4 reading, I strongly encourage using drama to extend young readers. I really enjoyed reading the study Wilhelm did with his three students Marvin, Kevin, and Libby. It was interesting to see their perspectives on reading, and how they drastically changed after engaging in many drama activities that were also discussed throughout this chapter. I agree that many unmotivated readers have poor attitudes on reading because they are not making a connection with the material they're reading. I feel that Libby's reasoning was well said when she said that she only likes reading when she gets to choose what she is reading. I feel that this is true for everybody when it comes to reading which is why I think teachers need to allow their students to choose what they read the majority of the time. I know that I do not enjoy reading things being forced on me when I have no interest in the subject matter. If I am 22 years old and feeling this way, coming from a person who is anywhere from 14-18 is definitely going to reject most forced reading material rather quickly.
I also really think I benefited from the different implementations of drama in the classroom. Revolving Role Drama, Dramatic Play, Guided Imagery, Snapshot and Tableaux, Analogy Dramas, To Tell the Truth Game, Correspondence, Missing Scene Scripts, and Newscast are all tremendous ideas to use in the classroom. I think many young adolescents view reading as an "uncool, boring, and useless" part of school. They must feel this way because there has never been anything fun involving their reading to keep their interest. Using drama with secondary readers, I feel, will greatly influence their attitudes, perception, and values as a reader. Many of the strategies listed can be seen as fun, involving, and unique for an English classroom as well. As a past ignorant high school student, I can relate to not enjoying many of the activities that I did in the English classroom. I can remember being bored, anxious, and uninterested. I believe the influence on my attitudes towards these classes were because of the attitudes the teachers had exploited in their own classroom. Teachers need to portray themselves as energetic and interested people when it comes to their work and what they are trying to teach their students.
My favorite drama strategy is the Snapshot and Tableaux. I think this strategy can be very effective for students to get involved in the reading in many ways. It can help students think and recall scenes in the book, provide explanations and support for their specific scene, which is something that they can practice in their writing as well. Not only will this provide practice for each students' thinking process, but it is a fun way to learn and engage in the text without taking written tests or doing daily journals that can become redundant.

Chpt 3-Gotta BE the Book

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Chapter 3
As I read chapter 3 in You Gotta BE the Book, I really enjoyed reading all the classroom research methods. A few I have heard of before, but it was a great reminder of all the cool things I can do in my classroom one day. In particular, I really liked the idea of having a teacher journal. What I really found fascinating was that the author kept a teacher journal for thirteen years of his teaching. I'm sure that was a great experience to look back to see how he had improved as a teacher, and also some things that have remained the same in his teaching career. One of my favorite research methods is the literary letters. I think this could be a very effective way to get the students involved with their reading and give them a chance to explore other students' reading/understanding as well. It seems to be a great way to get students thinking about thinking, and a great way for each student to work collaboratively with other students. Another thing I found exciting was the idea of "parallel focus" (Wilhelm, 57). After having read what this is all about I was relieved to have finally found the term for how I have felt as a reader for the majority of my life. To have a parallel focus while reading, to me, is proven evidence of a particular reader's engagement and relationship with the text. I have always found myself to be most intrigued by a particular text when I find a connection with a specific character in the book I am reading. When it comes to the classroom, I believe the idea of parallel focus can be persuaded to students and will get them thinking about the types of relationships they have formed with the characters in their books. A really cool activity to respond to parallel focus could be to have the students write a letter to a character in their book communicating their feelings towards them including specific passages from the book to support their feelings. This would allow ownership of each students' writing and reading to express themselves and the meanings they believe lie in the book.

Chpt 2-Gotta BE the Book

Chapter 2
As I read chapter 2 in You Gotta BE the Book, I found myself most intrigued by the "Studying Student Response" section. I found the author's strategy to seem considerably efficient and something I feel is worth doing with students as an English teacher. To sum up his strategy he says, "I study every student who comes into my classroom. To do less would be not to take each student with the seriousness she or he deserves" (Wilhelm, 28). I really feel that in order to engage a student in reading, it is important for your students to 1) understand how serious you, as the teacher, are about reading 2) to have teacher/student consultations on a regular basis to discuss their reading and 3) to do different work strategies like protocols, interviews, think-alouds, literature circles, etc to engage each student in their reading which the author mentions in this section of chapter 2 as well.One thing I do remember growing up in different English classroom settings was when one of my English teachers gave us choice in our reading. Everyday the teacher would have student silent reading and he would keep track of the pages we were on to see our progress. There was always a due date to be finished with whatever book we decided to read, but the one downfall was that there was never a fun final project to do in the end. We had a paper or a book report format due which did not motivate many to read (in fact I think many people slept during silent reading because of it). I think in order to keep the idea of giving students choice in their reading would work better if their final project could be something like a newspaper article, or a tabloid of some sort to display characters, symbols, and themes of the story.I plan on incorporating these types of final projects that I feel serves more of a purpose to the students individually than a standard essay does. These projects can engage the students in the classroom and put each of them in the a mind frame to focus their time on reading and less time on stressing about a 5 page paper they have to write afterwards. Since reading and writing go hand in hand, writing is definitely something to include in some way in the final projects as well.

Chapter 1

As I began reading the first chapter of You Gotta BE the Book, I found a particular line most agreeable and a statement that I could most relate to as a past and current student. "...studies by Durkin in elementary schools and Hillcocks in high school settings demonstrate that most reading and literature instruction involves seatwork and recitation that focus on cracking codes instead of creating meanings" (Wilhelm, 14). Growing up and attending public schools I was trained to read certain ways and respond certain ways when it came to reading. A lot of times my teachers would have the class read, write summaries, or answer questions based on what you read. As I have gone through college as an English major, and have seen so many other English majors that had much more experience with literature than I did, I began to wonder. Why was I trained to regurgitate material I have read in the classroom instead of having meaningful conversations about the text to make meaning? I then understood why so many people I went to school with have grown up hating to read.
Because of my experiences with this type of learning (if you can really call it learning) I feel it is my duty as an English teacher to encourage reading and motivate my students to understand how fun and interesting reading can be. I think I can accomplish this by allowing choice in my classroom. I remember that being a huge dilemma for many of my peers and even for me a lot of times throughout school. It is nice to have a common text in the classroom, however, giving students a choice on what to read motivates them to engage in reading because it is something they have interest in. It will also, in turn, result in students' willingness to discuss and think analytically about what they have read.
Based on my experiences with reading growing up, I want to have a significant influence on my students' attitudes and perceptions of reading and expand their boundaries of reading. I want students to pick up something to read other than a magazine, newspaper, or e-mailing and really want them to focus on literature or other important genres that seem to be neglected by many young adolescents.