Do I dare disturb the universe? Onwards armed with new strategies

Do I dare disturb the universe?First of all, I’d like to thank all the students in the class.  You make me realize that, indeed, I am making the right choice by returning to teaching after such a long, long time away.  I am very impressed with all of you and have really enjoyed exploring the amazing books and articles we read this semester.  It has been a dynamic learning experience for me, one housed in a comfortable, safe, and supportive environment.   It’s hard for me to believe a few of you are freshmen.  It really gives me hope for our future (and I am not always an openly hopeful person).  Thanks especially to my team members on the group project.  It has been a real creative endeavor!  Even though we haven’t gone yet, I feel like I’ve learned a ton in the process already.

I do believe this class could transform my teaching approach.  Importantly, this class taught me strategies which could save me.  I’m not quite there yet in my study of teaching and strategy implementation, but I have certainly been armed with a bevy full of approaches I can utilize in my teaching.  I plan to at least try to take more of a guide-on-the side approach to teaching.  I and the students (I underline because I won’t be in the driver’s seat all the time) will explore literature and cultural and historical influences on thinking.  I mentioned before that what I’ve learned could save me:  I have a tendency to take on a lot and really have to watch burnout.  Through this class I’ve learned strategies to direct and support learning in such a way that gets students more engaged as they explore learning themselves. YET, did mention that I still have to monitor myself for burnout?  Quite frankly, I’m at a tipping point this semester with all the schoolwork, family life, part-time job, and other things.  So I know, burnout is something I need to sidestep.  At any rate, the real question is, “Do I dare disturb the universe.”   It’s funny that one of the first readings we did this semester asked Prufrock’s question?  Do I dare?  I’m still worried that when push comes to shove that I go back to my old, probably more lucrative career.  I hope I stay strong.

Strategies:

·         Literature circles:  I love this and really enjoyed the class we had focused on this.  This is a great way to keep students engaged in the material.  By giving them choice of books and flexibility with roles, you really give students strong teasers to get them into the reading.

·         Gallery:  What a great idea!  I can see this applied in many different ways.  I was surprised by how much I took in looking at other people’s write-ups.  It is a great, fun idea for many projects.

·         Very targeted supplemental reading:  The additional articles we had to read to accompany each of the books really enhanced the overall experience of the main book.  I realize that this is a key to furthering student understanding.

·         Graphic novels:  Use them: taps into a multi-modal reading experience.  I loved American-Born Chinese.  I’m on the fence with Manga Shakespeare but am much more open-minded then I was.

·         Ask and Answer:  good strategy to get students thinking about the literature and coming up with questions on their own.

·         Visuals:  I liked how we used pictures, drawings, videos, etc. to learn more about the content.  Seeing this really makes me realize what can be used in lessons to build access-ways to learning.

·         Perspectives:  give students different perspectives, e.g. study the Book Thief about a German girl and then Night about a Jewish man: both during WWII.

·         Drama:  I hope to create opportunities for using drama in lesson plans.  Clearly, in our class alone there are many budding actors on the verge of a breakthrough.  I loved when students had to vote for/against teaching books in the classroom.  Very funny.  Erin and Nate were so hilarious (oh wait, isn’t that Heidi’s word?).  Also enjoyed when we translated excerpts from Early Modern English into language used today.  Cassie encouraging me to use creative language;)  Also loved the stereotyping exercise we ran through Group 1’s presentation.  Fun.

·         Music:  I really enjoyed the narrating Shakespeare with music.  Great idea!

·         Blogging:  Didn’t think I’d be a fan.  I also wasn’t sure if folks would engage/read as much without more formal assignments.  I  was surprised at how effective it was.

·         Tweets:  Okay, so I haven’t been a fan of tweeting to date.  But, I was really glad to get an opportunity to try it out with a pseudonym.  The assignment was fun.

·         Creating own vignette:  Creative writing on vignettes really was a great way to get into the thinking of the writer and/or the time.

Other tips:

·         Be sure to use WAIT time.  Dr. Mortimore gave me a key piece of advice: when I ask a question and first don’t get a response… count to 5 in my head before continuing to see if students respond.  I need to do this!

·         Be careful with the homework you assign:  be sure it is directly related to the lesson’s objectives; make sure instructions are clear.

·         Use a website to keep assignments and reading materials in a single repository.  I have/have had other classes in which it can get confusing because assignments keep changing and/or materials are passed out.  Planning up front will help avoid this.

·         As YGBB mentioned, “learning is social.”  I need to ensure I engage students in meaningful social activity in the classroom.  Group work can be fun and extremely informative.

In teaching as in life, my motto is to play the ball where it lies.  In life there are many things I don’t have control over and the best I can do is develop a strategy to move forward.  In teaching literature I’ll have heterogeneous classrooms: students will have different needs, strengths, weaknesses, personalities, and supports at their disposal.  I will choose various methods, many of which I learned more about in this class.  I hope to inspire students to search for knowledge, be open to new ideas, and learn how to live in the modern ever-changing world.   Yes, it’s a world of “feeds.”  Sometimes it is a world in which it’s hard to know who is controlling my thoughts or whether I am thinking or am capable of thinking freely.  And I admit, I sometimes like to remember The Growing Tree without thinking, “Why is the tree a woman?”  And yes, I like to just sit and watch The Lion King without thinking Nala, you should have “stepped up.“  Undoubtedly, there’s so much about life I can learn from the study literature.  So onwards I hope to go…  Round 2 or 3 or 4 career-wise?  Who’s counting?