"Their experience in English classes has taught them that if they just sit back and wait, the teacher will stop asking questions and ultimately explain what it all means" (p. 60). Shocking truth, yet reality. Whoever these teachers are need to go back and redo their schooling or quit. This method obviously does not help the students learn anything. It just shows them if they wait long enough they won't have to do anything. I think that is why it is important for teachers to know how to reword questions and know how to deal with uncomfortable silence.
Another issue I find interesting is when students say they "hate a story." It is one thing to say you hate a story because the characters were too static and stereotypical or the plot was flat. But to say you hate a story because you don't understand it, is unacceptable to me. Students think they can get away with this answer and just not read the book. However, if a student wants to dislike a book, they better come up with some literary reasons.
Students need to know how stories work, in order to understand the actual story. By keeping a running list of literary terms in the classroom and adopting them into every day practice, it will help students adopt these words into their vocabulary. Instead of presenting the words and never using them in context, it is important for the teacher to continuously use the literary terms when refering to literature. I looked up M.H. Abrams's A Glossary of Literary Terms, and it is a great reference book to have. I just wish it wasn't so expensive.
"Effort imprints the reading on students' minds." (p. 67).
It was stated, the more challenging the book, the more the students will remember it, rather than a book a students breezes through. That is an interesting discovery.
I am a huge fan of graphic organizers. I think they are a great tool to help students get involved in the reading, and they are great for referencing. In addition, I liked how Jago modeled how the graphic organizer worked for the students. It helps them develop conclusions about text on their own, and it helps the teacher understand their thinking on text.
I completely agree that the teachers who don't push their students to come across the answers themselves should revamp their teaching style. My lit teacher teaches his classes in this manner, and it is unbelieveable that this is still going on at the college level. It's not that students should be left to do everything on their own, it just means that they should be required to put forth effort. So many students become dependent on teachers and fall behind because of this.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the fact that teacher need to stop just giving up the answers and encouraging the students to figure it out on their own and providing them with the necessary tools to do so.
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