Blog #6 - Deeper Reading Ch. 7, Critical Encounters Ch. 7

 

When I started reading Chapter 7 in the Critical Encounters text I was reminded of this pin I saw on Pinterest a long time ago. As someone who has taken several English classes over the years, I can relate to the frustration and dread the word "deconstruction" is capable of evoking. I recall long, painful English classes where passages within texts have been mutilated and twisted until every last drop of possible meaning has been squeezed out (cough* cough* notice the use of metaphor! cough*). There have also been times (and I'm sure everyone can relate) where I've wanted to blurt out something along the lines of whoever created the above image had in mind: "Maybe the curtains were just fucking blue!"
Jokes aside, I realize that deconstruction is an important aspect of reading. Gallagher's previous chapter on "Second Draft Reading" falls under the same category of deconstruction. When we deconstruct text, we realize things we may not have realized before. Everyone enjoys watching movies a second time and discovering hints that lead to an epic ending, so why is deconstructing text in a classroom sometimes like pulling teeth? Sometimes we are surprised at what we learn, and in the end we are left with richer understandings.
Teachers need to make sure that students understand the importance of deconstruction. Text is never literal, and sometimes books and novels can be interepreted differently depending on what is happening within a global context when the text is read. A text written fifty years ago may have relevance in 2012 if the contect can be compared or related to something that is happening in current society. Deconstruction can be fun, and many times individuals become aware of meanings they never would have considered had they not attempted to deconstruct the text. However, there is a fine line between thoughtful analysis and disrespectful manipulation of the author's intentions. We've all had an English class where that one student tries to analyze a segment of text while everyone is rolling their eyes and the professor must politely reply with "I've never heard that before, but that's an interesting idea." (I'm pretty sure that most of the time these students are just fishing for bonus points - "Look how deep I am!")
On the reverse side, it is extremely important to let students know that text may have several interpretations and that there is never one correct meaning. There were times in my high school career where teachers brushed aside a student's analysis because it wasn't what the teacher had written on his/her paper as being correct. Deconstruction is an important lesson in encouraging students to explore their creative sides, and they should be taught that whatever interpretation came to their mind cannot be wrong, because it is what first came to their minds. (Unless, of course, the analysis is merely an attempt to impress the teacher and his or her peers!)
Deconstruction is a tricky topic, and I think that one of the greatest challenges teachers face is finding a balance between leaving some aspects to the imagination and having students understand that there is always more than one meaning to everything. Lastly, I believe that teaching the metaphor is also one of the most useful, important lessons a student can learn. Metaphors make life richer, and will make deconstruction a whole lot easier. This week's readings go hand in hand.

Blog #5 - Critical Encounters Ch. 6

Chapter 6 in Critical Encounters this week instantly had me thinking about an ELA 20 class I attended this week at Nutana. Chapter 6 has to do with choosing literature that accommodates to the diversity of students within classrooms. The ELA 20 class had just completed reading Keeper'n Me, a novel written by an Aborignal author about the many challenges during the life of an Aboriginal boy. I haven't read the book myself, but from the class dicussion and from the information on the back of the novel I gathered that the plot begins with the main character at a young age after he is sent to a residential school. The boy was then sent to live with a White foster family, and as he got older he began to lead a dangerous lifestyle and eventually landed himself in jail. While in jail, his original Aboriginal family contacted him and the rest of the novel has to do with the main character's struggle to find his identity after everything he had been through.
The classroom I sat in on had eleven students, seven of whom were Aboriginal and four of whom were White. They had just completed the novel and were going over questions with a substitute teacher when I found out that their reaction to the novel was mostly negative. When asked if the book impacted them, many replied with "No." When the teacher tried to squeeze an answer out of them, they hardly gave in, and at least four of them replied with "It was so boring," "It put me to sleep," or "It was a waste of time." Two Aborignal girls, however, said they enjoyed the novel and felt a connection with it because they were Aboriginal themselves and could relate to what the author went through. When the teaher asked the White students if they thought they would feel differently about the novel if they were Aboriginal, two of them replied with "No. It would still be boring."
As I was sitting there, I was wondering why on earth they had no reaction to the novel, because it was clear they had read it. Another one of the Aboriginal students said he enjoyed the novel because he could really relate to certain parts of it. In general, I would say the White students had a more negative reaction to the book.
As I was sitting there taking all of this in, I was trying to think of reasons some of the students may not have liked the book. Was it because they had no background information or framing beforehand? Or was it because they truly couldn't relate to it? A person is allowed to dislike a book, but I feel as though a lot of the students didn't even try to identify with it. It was evident that the theme of "identity" was strong throughout the book, and I thought perhaps if more work had been done around the theme, students would have been able to relate to the novel more effectively.
Another example of when I realized the importance of framing, not only for text but for any activity, was when a treaty educator spoke to the Grade 9 class at Nutana about the history of treaties. I spoke with the speaker after the presentation, and he told me about an experience with one of his previous groups at another high school that week. He said he spent the hour talking about treaties, and at the end of the hour, a Black African student put up his hand and said, "Who is an Aboriginal person?" The treaty educator said he was embarrassed that he had taken for granted that everyone had previous knowledge of the subject.
What, then, can we do to make every student feel comfortable in a classroom? I feel as though the proper amount of framing combined with a variety post-colonial texts that supplement each other are extremely important to include when teaching an English class. Once students are given more than one perspective they seem to start to understand concepts more effectively.

Blog #4 - Deeper Reading Ch. 5, Critical Encounters Ch. 5

I've decided to start this week's blog with the Appleman text because my last three have started with discussing Gallager. The issue of gender equality has always been of interest and importance to me, and that interest and importance has only been made stronger by taking university classes that have enhanced my knowledge of the subject. Appleman raises important points on why gender should be one of the lenses through which students interpet text, especially because the term "feminism" has come to be seen as something negative by current generations. It is important for students to learn that "feminism" isn't about masculine female activists who don't shave their armpits. Both males and females need to understand that feminist attitudes can be as simple as supporting equal work place rights and paid maternity leaves. And after all, don't men (and women) want this for their partners, sisters, mothers, and daughters? The term "feminism" needs to be revamped in a way that doesn't make today's teenagers think of bra burners in the 1960s and has them questioning things like why music videos so often include images of only beautiful, scantily-clad women.
My only problem with Appleman's text was the exercise on rewriting lines from novels such as The Great Gatsby from a feminist's point of view. I think an exercise like this may be too strong, and may reinforce the attitude about stereotypical feminism. If feminism is portrayed too strongly, students will start having an adverse attitude towards it - males may become defensive, and females are reluctant to express their feelings.
That being said, I do think Appleman suggests some positive activities, such as naming cultural artifacts and female figures and having students write contrasting statements about traditional and feminist perspectives. I think with the proper framing, feminism can be constructed in a way that can relate to everyone, both male and female. I also think that using terms like "gender equality," "gender perspectives," "gender construction," etc. may elicit more positive reactions from students. Sometimes I wish Appleman would provide some more concrete classroom examples of lesson ideas like Gallagher does, because I think she raises important points.
Gallagher was intruiging once again, and this week I particularly enjoyed the pie chart activity on responsibility when doing a novel study. My only problem, like I said in one of the last blogs, was that a lot of his concepts and ideas would work in an ideal classroom, something that none of us will likely ever experience in our 30-plus years of teaching. Sometimes I'm not sure if he remembers that classes are once a day, for an hour, and last half a year. Second draft reading is undoubtedly beneficial for understanding text, but in reality, time constraints and student attention span won't allow us to follow through. My pre-internship is at Nutana, and the school has a four quarter program instead of two terms. Four quarters allow for more intensive class time, so perhaps second draft reading would be more advantageous in some systems as opposed to others.

Blog #3 - Deeper Reading Ch. 4, Critical Encounters Ch. 4

First of all, I wanted to say that I'm enjoying Gallagher's use of metaphors at the beginning of each chapter. The metaphors are a great way to engage a reader right off the bat. He sure knows his reading!
The metaphor where Gallagher compares driving to work and not remembering the trip fit perfectly with how I feel with reading at times (along with probably everyone else). I've experienced both, and both scenarios are very comparable. As a History Major, there have been many times where I've read a 30-page article and, when asked to summarize the article the following day in class, my mind has gone completely blank and I think to myself, "I did read that article, right?" I found Gallagher's tips on how to concentrate on reading helpful, especially the tip about scheduling a block of time that is dedicated to reading. Concentrating on reading isn't always an easy task, especially when life's stresses have a way of creeping into one's mind.
My favourite part about Chapter 4 in the Deeper Reading text was the segment on how it's perfectly acceptable to be confused with a text. If only someone had told me that while we read Shakespeare in high school! English was my best subject all throughout high school, but when we hit Shakespeare I felt like there was something wrong with me. Our class would read a passage together, one of my classmates or the teacher would summarize the passage and we would move on, often leaving me panicked, confused, and feeling like a complete idiot. I think it's important to let students know that everyone, even the brightest students and teachers themselves, have trouble comprehending parts of texts at time. I liked Gallagher's strategies to break down confusion and help students comprehend text, but I feel as though confusion is so common that a course would suffer major content loss if the class always went over the parts that were not understood. What may have been helpful was if Gallagher's provided some insight on how long to take with students, or how to deal with different reading levels in a classroom.
Appleman's text was much more interesting this week. I felt as though it was an extension of the segments on providing background information before reading. Sometimes, when doing the readings, I wonder how much emphasis should be placed on which areas. Students are not supposed to spend too much time relating text to themselves in order to avoid too much introspection and not enough critical thinking about the text. However, I gathered that Appleman meant by examining one's social class, an individual will better relate to a text. I suppose self-reflection and reading require a certain kind of balance.

Blog #2 - Deeper Reading Ch. 2 &3, Critical Encounters Ch. 3

For me, the readings for this week had the opposite effect of the readings from last week. Last week I found chapter one in Deeper Reading to be interesting but simple, and the readings in Critical Encounters to be intriguing. This week, however, I was FAR more captivated by chapters two and three in Deeper Reading than I was with chapter three of Critical Encounters. In fact, I found the Critical Encounters reading to be almost cryptic, to a point where it was hard to continue reading. Therefore, I will spend most of my time talking about Deeper Reading. The texts supplemented each other, but Gallagher made the subject matter entertaining while Appleman put me to sleep (literally, I fell asleep and woke up with the book beside me the other night).
By the way, is Kelly Gallagher a genius or what? After reading almost every section a lightbulb went off in my head. The fact that some individuals aren't engaged with certain books because their background knowledge of the content is minimal seems simple and obvious, yet this concept is something I've never before considered. I can recall times in my high school English classes where I was told to read a book with no explanation and, admittedly, the book was hard to get through. When Gallagher talked about how his daughter was uninterested in The Grapes of Wrath, I (shamefully) had the same experience. Actually, I am ashamed to say that to this day I've never read it. I would absolutely love to read it now, especially because I have more background knowledge on the subject matter. The assignment was an independent novel study and I chose The Grapes of Wrath but changed my book after reading up to the second chapter. I had no prior knowledge of the content of the book and had trouble becoming immersed.
There were a few points of Gallagher's that I really enjoyed. First was the point that collaboration helps students to understand text on more levels than if a student were to read a text on their own. Even the brightest students may miss something other students have found, which is why input from several people is beneficial for everyone.
Secondly, I like how Gallagher emphasized the importance of "warming up" before getting into a lesson. Teenagers have a lot of things on their minds, and I recognize that diving into silent reading or discussing the next chapter in a novel is not the most effective way to encourage people to participate right off the bat.
Another valuable point Gallagher made was that teachers must change their class structure from time to time, otherwise classes become predictable and in turn they are not stimulating for the students. His suggestions for different strategies to start classes were useful.
I also really enjoyed the layout of Gallagher's concepts. His points were easy to understand, and I especially liked the way he started out by including a short story in the textbook to work with. I found  his suggestions for teaching extremely helpful and I'm sure they will benefit me if I am ever to teach literature in the future (fingers crossed)!
The only two complaints I have are that:
1. Many of Gallagher's suggestions are terrific, but for them to be executed successfully, a classroom would have to be full of highly stimulated, highly engaged students. In a perfect world, his concepts are just that - perfect, but students are not always as willing to participate as Gallagher makes them sound. Which leads me to my second point...
2. He makes the point that reading a text twice is highly beneficial, but I also find this highly unlikely. Class time is limited, and although reading a text twice is ideal, it is not realistic. Students' attention spans only go so far.