My inquiry question is, does it matter what students read in school, or is it more important that they are reading at all? To clarify, is there more value placed on reading "classic" novels as opposed to textbooks, or biographical non-fiction, or even comic books/graphic novels? My current conclusion is that while there has been more value placed on textbooks in the past, it is becoming more and more apparent that times are changing and textbooks are being reconsidered as the best reading tools.
1. Reading difficulties often stem from a lack of interest in the material than from a helpless problem. In the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy from October 2006, Kimberly Lenters looks into the problem of students who are resistant readers early on becoming struggling readers as they grow up. According to Lenters, a student's interest in reading material has a significant impact on his or her struggles with reading for school. Lenters analyzed several studies that were conducted by other experts on the topic of reading habits and issues from children in school. Lenters makes the argument that teachers need to change their ways in regard to assigned reading, for the sake of the students and their ability to grow as readers (Lenters 136-39).
I personally agree with this assessment because I know that when I was in high school, I had an English teacher who had an adverse effect on my reading habits. We were assigned six book reports that year, three each semester. The first report of the year, I decided to write on a book that I was interested in. It was an autobiography on a person that I was a pretty big fan of. I read the book completely and was more interested in what I was learning from the book than anything I'd read in a long time. I wrote my report and turned it in. I actually enjoyed writing the report, which was weird for me. A week or so later, we got our first grades. I got a "B." I was shocked. I had always been an "A" student and this was something that wasn't the slightest bit hard for me to understand and write about. I asked the teacher why I had received that grade and she told me that it was based on my choice of reading material. So for the next five book reports, I selected books that had been made into movies, watched the movies, checked some reviews on the books on Amazon.com, and wrote my reports. I never read a single one of those books. I got an "A" on every single one of those reports. Due to the teacher's reaction to my personal reading interests and the way it adversely affected my grade, I was done with assigned readings for school.
2. Reading comics and graphic novels can demonstrate emotions, situations, and lessons far better than standard text. In class, we've had several assigned readings. While I enjoyed a large number of them, the one I enjoyed the most was the graphic novel by Satrapi. Past readings have had to rely on words to convey the thoughts and feelings of the characters. Colorful descriptions with all sorts of metaphors and comparisons were made. In Satrapi's book, even though it was black and white, I was able to grasp feelings and thoughts so much quicker than in any other reading. In one panel, we can see multiple people's expressions and their reactions to what is happening around them. In text, something like that would take at least a paragraph to explain.
There's an old saying that I'd be willing to bet most of us have heard numerous times. "Actions speak louder than words." Basically, this means that you can say whatever, but to actually see something means more than all the words you could ever say or write. By using graphics to express things instead of words, the possibilities are greatly increased for both the author/artist to convey their story and the reader/student to comprehend it.
3. Teachers have already begun using readings other than texts in classes. Gene Yang is a high school teacher and a cartoonist who has seen great value in using comics in his teachings. He says that the use of comics is beneficial because comics are popular, visual, and can be motivational (Yang). I surveyed a few teachers, some that I have had in classes, and a couple that I haven't. I asked questions regarding reading assignments and the responses were actually pretty similar. Book reports, thankfully, seem to be going the way of the dinosaur. Although, the couple that have used them said they did assign the books to be read. Interestingly, every single teacher I surveyed said that they have started using other forms of literature in their teachings, be it plays, films or comics. It seems that there is an ever-growing understanding that literature can escape the pages of a book and begin to appear in various other forms.
One interesting response comes from our own professor Nancy Knowles, in which she says that there needs to be some sort of a blend between reading for engagement and structured reading assignments for uniform learning. I can see this point quite well, I obviously think students should read things that interest them, but I can understand that in order to guide developing minds, it might be necessary to have some element of control over what they're taking in.
To conclude, I would like to get your responses on the following question: do you think that students should be told what to read, or should they be free to my that choice on their own? And also, do you think there are greater benefits to exploring other forms of literature, or should classrooms continue to be full of copies of Charles Dickens novels and Moby Dick?
WORKS CITED
Lenters, Kimberly. "Resistance, struggle, and the adolescent reader." Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. 50.2 (2006): 136-46. Print.
Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. 1st ed. Paris, France: Pantheon, 2003. Print.
Yang, Gene. "Comics In Education." Humble Comics.com. 2003. Gene Yang, Web. 2 Nov 2009.
Intriguing post, and your story of a lower grade for a genuine and passionate book report vs. "A" for doing diddley has probably become very common. How sad! That leads me to my response to the first part of your question: I've read seemingly endless texts, journal articles and other lengthy, wordy pieces that I wouldn't have given a second glance previously, but I'd have missed a lot of amazing information. Teachers need to guide students' learning which includes what they read. In some cases choices seem appropriate, such as a book report list from which to choose (rather than dinging you for a poor choice.) However, I also think that in the case of a stale teacher who is not invested in engaging students and takes the easy way out with the same old stuff required from every class, all bets are off. Time for a new teacher rather than a new reading policy.
ReplyDeleteThe answer to the second half of your question on greater benefits to exploring other forms of literature brings a huge and very loud YES! Between my two best classes this term I have done comics, creative writing, a blog, a different sort of book report, and a Power Point presentation on top of varied forms of reading. It all required hard work, but I actually enjoyed a term, finally, or at least most of it. And I'll add that the classic literature we've read in this class was a new experience for me, but I quickly came to appreciate its richness and value. I truly think we need to keep it for all it can teach us and add variety around it.
I also enjoyed reading the personal story regarding your disappointing book report experience. My reading class of 2nd & 3rd graders just completed a book report assignment last week. I allowed them to choose from a list of 100 chapter books. The report format was rather simple, as most of them had never attempted a book report in the past. Since they were allowed to choose their own book and draw their own picture at the end of the report, I noticed positive responses from most students and gave out more A's as a result. So, I guess this would be a case-in-point to answer your first question.
ReplyDeleteAs for your second question, although I believe that students should always be exposed to classic literature, the methods by which the exposure is attained can definitely vary. We live in a changing world with phenomenal advances in technology. I say we do what it takes to provide children with opportunities that capture their interest and then they will perform to our expectations. I'm all for creative learning...that is what I base my entire teaching style upon.
I enjoyed your topic inquiry. You did a nice job in your research as well. ~Lisa
I enjoyed reading your post. It was thought provoking. To answer your first question its a 50/50 split. If teachers had students that really wanted to learn then yes they could choose their own texts given a guideline but most high school students I know are just passing the time and wouldn't learn anything that way.
ReplyDeleteAs for the second question I think that class rooms should have a blend of modern literature and classic literature that still have a story line or moral that is easy to relate to.
As always I enjoyed reading your post! I love your humor and how your always sneak it in! Anyway I think that kids should be allowed to choose what the read either for book reports or pleasure but there should be some guidence when it comes to in class school work! I think teachers should get away from the classics a little bit since there is plenty of good books that have come out since Huck Finn. I hated reading in school and I never read the books either! Everything you need is on the back covers and on the internet! I used to work at a private boarding school and 2 of the history teachers used comics to teach some things but they used a lot of cartoons about politics and the kids loved the fact that class started with something mildly funny and easy to understand and it always helped them get motivated and engaged.
ReplyDeletethis echos the question posed by Nancy in how do you teach with out compromising the lesson while engaging the student in something they enjoy. I do not know of mant kids today that can not read and decipher the complicated rules and actions that guide video games. The use and knowlege of computer skills and their ability to set up any number of technical devices networked together is so far outside my abilities that i am constantly amazed at the level of illiteracy in this country. Perhaps it is not what or how we are teaching them, but maybe it is how we are testing them. i sat for hours trying to figure out how to hook my computer to my high-def tv, dvd, and x-box, my son accoplished this in a few moments. he read the instructions and new exactly what to do. If i was to form a test for a student in all licklyhood that test would reflect my own knowlege, what if the test was pertinentin a contemporary way to the student?
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I do have to say that it's absolutely ridiculous that you got a B when you actually read the book, and A's when you relied on other sources. You should not have been docked for your "choice of reading". I think there should be a select number of books that students are required to read, but overall they should choose what they get to read. What does it matter as long as they're reading and actually enjoying it? I would think that that is the important point. I also think there are greater benefits to exploring other forms of literature; like you said, in books like Persepolis and comic books, you're able to see emotions and get something from that that you wouldn't get in a textbook. Students should explore the various forms of literature; I think this would further encourage reading.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic! I think that other forms of literature can bring appreciation to these forms and give students access to information that they may have otherwise missed.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the material used in the classroom should be regulated a bit by the teacher. I have a feeling that only so much can be gleaned from Harry Potter and if students had their choice all the time, they may not choose the most deserving works. For example, some classics may go unread simply because students have never heard of them. It would be a shame for people to miss out on those!
I'm noticing a lot of people saying that choice is good, but so is guidance. I pose another question: If a list of books is given to students, how should they choose one? By title? By cover art?
ReplyDeleteI ask this because, what about the student who would rather read non-fiction? I bet hardly any book list has anything but fiction on it.
I'm loving people's comments, by the way. Thanks to everyone who has commented already!
One of the reasons I'm in college at my old age is that I've always been somewhat of a renegade; ask any of my former teachers! So, to answer your question #1: I believe that children should be free to choose the books that interest them. However, in my opinion, they should have a defined guideline. For example, my Freshman year of HS, my english teacher told us we had to read Great Expectations and prepare an oral book report, but - the presentation could be in any form we felt comfortable with. Even though we had an assigned reading, we were also given the option to employ our individual creativity. One of the students actually mimed their report - very unique. I used props to depict the characters and they were all from the National Geographic. It was somewhat of a paper-doll presentation as I had them all on popsicle sticks. This particular english teacher was honored as "teacher of the year" in the 80's (I believe). He is now our mayor.
ReplyDeleteI guess this sort of answers your second question as well; since we had to read and report on Great Expections, which is a great classic, it didn't seem like the stuffy old boring run-of-the mill stories after we completed the assignment. I'm glad I was introduced to Great Expectations, as were my kids, and maybe grandkids will be too.
Hi, Seth. Of course, this topic is right up my alley, as my job depends on making a good choice regarding readings. I think it's already clear that I like to blend choice and requirement. I also think that requiring difficult texts necessitates lots of preparation and creativity so that students can engage with the material. For example, teaching Othello online is even harder than teaching it in person where we can read scenes aloud! I do think Shakespeare is a must read, but it's getting harder and harder to teach his works as students have less exposure in high school.
ReplyDeleteMy high school English teacher basically just assigned reading and then lectured about it, which meant that most students didn't read at all but just waited for the lecture to figure out what to write about. Getting an "A" on a paper on Crime and Punishment where I'd read only three of the five sections taught me basically what you learned through book reports.
Regarding how to help students choose books, my K-12 colleagues today ask students to do oral book reports on their books of choice as kind of an advertisement for other students so that they have a better chance of finding books they like. Knowing their peers helps students guess which books they might want to read. These teachers also encourage students to follow authors and genres they like, which creates momentum for reading. With reluctant readers, it's really important to log a few successes, which makes the selection process very important. Nancy
Nancy,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that you read scenes aloud in your on-campus class. That's actually WHY Shakespeare fails in high school, I think, because they DON'T read it out loud. As a theatre student at EOU, one thing I've heard time and time again, and I know it to be true myself, is that Shakespeare was never intended to be READ, it was intended to be HEARD. Although, if it absolutely must be read, I recommend the adapted to standard English versions! Tee-hee! :)
Seth, i really enjoyed your post this is something my mother and step dad often used to discuss(fight about lol). My little bother growing up often read but hated the classics, my mom encouraged the reading but, my step dad would comment saying things like "why don't you go read a real book instead of that nonsense." Here are my feelings. I think that student should be told to read certain things relative to the topic being studied. For example, in this class when we were reading about poetry we had to read "My Papa's Waltz", as all reading the same thing allow it to be discussed so we could see different prospective of the poem. Likewise, I think student should have the choice to read books they like for other reasons that do not require the entire class to be talking about the same thing, like our Freestyle!!! I feel that exploring all different styles of reading it beneficial. It allows people with all different interest to be able to read likable material, and helps students that do not like reading Dickens and Shakespeare to find reading material they do like.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Seth about Shakespeare being better heard than read. In the rare occasions I have had to see Shakespeare preformed i can honestly say that I understood the wording far better when I could see the physical meaning through the actors portrayl. I have read along and this also helps with interpertation. The old English is difficult to understand, but the emotions are always going to be contemporary.
ReplyDelete