Louise Rosenblatt- Literature as Exploration
Susan Henneburg- "Dimensions of Failure in Reader Response"
Deborah Appleman - Critical Encounters in High School English
Maureen McLaughlin and Glenn DeVoogd- "Critical literacy as Comprehension: Expanding Reader Response"
Mary Styslinger and Emily Eberlin "Where We Are: Responsive Reading Using Edmodo"
Say:
I was introduced to reader response last year and as a future educator I was excited about incorporating it in my classroom. It made sense to me to have this transactional theory in the classroom because whenever I personally respond to a text, I automatically have a better grasp or understanding of the text. Probst states that "the uniqueness of the reader must be respected"(14) and I agree with the basis of that statement. I think it is important for students to know that when we have whole or small group discussions their opinions, thoughts, and personal responses are important to understanding the text. Their personal responses are a great foundation to start the analysis process and in Resonse and Analysis, Probst notes that responding to literature is a process that shifts and changes. I see reader response as part of the scaffolding or layering process.
I really enjoyed the article, Lens of Reader Response: The Promise and Peril of Response-Based Pedagogy, because I felt like we haven't read anything that showed the practical response to reader response. I am also always hesitant when reading theories and pedagogy as a one size fits all model or basing my whole teaching philosophy on one perspective because as teachers we know that teaching is anything but a one size fits all model. I think teachers who only teach reader response are doing their students a huge disservice. Working with 9th graders has opened my eyes to seeing the crucial middle and high school transition. I have heard that middle school is geared towards reader response; however, I don't see them blending any analysis or rigor to the curriculum. I don't want my students to not be prepared for that next step in their education by only teaching reader response. I also think as English teachers, we are considerably lucky to teach such a wide curriculum that enables us to push our students into being critical thinkers about themselves as well as the world around them. Incorporating that transactional method, where students use their personal response as a way to interact with the text along with considering or analyzing through the more traditional methods.
I thought that most of the articles and handouts had some good ideas for opening up students to a literature unit. Using reader response is just one part of the layering and scaffolding process for students. I think it is a great way to invite students into analyzing literature because it is important to teach them that they can connect to a text and transact with it.
Do:
One of the reader response methods that we learned about were several activities that can be used in the classroom to get students thinking or connecting to an upcoming novel or unit. In my internship, my teacher allowed me to start off the new novel, Bronx Masquerade. One way of preparing students for the reading was to do an anticipation guide that had several questions pertaining to themes, related issues of teenagers, as well as some information that I wanted to find out. We had brief discussion about some of the questions, which was helpful for them to start thinking about the dynamics of their school and the people around them.
Name: ______________________________________
Bronx Masquerade
Anticipation Guide
1. It's important to have dreams or plans for the future.
Agree Don't
Know Disagree
2. Everyone else is luckier than I am. Agree
Don't Know Disagree
3. Kids my age don't think about other peoples' feelings.
Agree Don't Know
Disagree
4. I like the way I look.
Agree Don't Know
Disagree
5. Choosing the right friends is important to me.
Agree Don't
Know Disagree
6. If you care about other people you're soft. Agree Don't Know
Disagree
7. Everyone wears a mask.
Agree Don't Know
Disagree
8. Real friendships don't just happen. You have to work
on them.
Agree Don't
Know Disagree
9. I wish people knew the real me. Agree Don't
Know Disagree
10. Other people have it easier than I do.Agree Don't
Know Disagree
11. Students in this class really listen to each other. Agree Don't Know
Disagree
12. Everyone has problems. Agree Don't
Know Disagree
13. I feel connected to everyone in this class.
Agree Don't Know Disagree
14. I don't like writing poetry. Agree Don't Know Disagree
15. I don't like reading poetry. Agree Don't Know Disagree
Brittany:
ReplyDeletePersonally responding to a text definitely helps me understand it better. I am more used to doing double entry journals, thus my lengthy initial blog entries. My brain processes better when I state what the author said and then follow that up with what I think about what the author. One of our readings emphasized that we understand better when we write down our questions and understandings instead of just studying and trying to retain information for a test. I agree that the students’ views are very important, that we do not try to force the official meaning on a text on them.
I also agree that any one method will not work on all kids, that we need to use the best method(s) we can to teach all/most kids, not just the ones that are easy for us to teach. Not only that, but my idea of what the best way to teach my students changes as I, myself, become more educated and learn even more varied methods. I find that having students write shows me more about what they know than anything else we do. It shows me their conceptualizations, as well as their organizational, grammatical, spelling, etc. skills all at once. I like how one of the text mentioned that the best way to understand the most about both the text and the reader is to analyze both what the text means to the reader as well as what the author may have meant for the text to say, that both are better than only one.
I like the anticipation guide: I have seen them used before, but usually they are more specific to a particular text. I like the generality in this one; it should get the students wondering what they are about to read. I plan to “borrow” it for use in my class. Would you tell them what book/text they are going to read before they fill out the guide, or would you keep this an unknown?
John Jennings
I am really glad you were able to make a practical application of RR theory and apply this to your classroom--anticipation guides are one of my favorites (as you saw in class last week)--I also appreciate (and agree) with your comments about a "one size fits all" theory--I have been teaching for 25 years now--long enough to have seen some cycles in theories and pedagogies--I don't understand why we swing like a pendulum from one to the next--it seems so extreme--why do we presume that there is one answer? Especially when there is not one student? Diversity in perspective and pedagogy is the best way to meet a variety of learners--what I also wanted to hear your response to were the challenges of RR and also the role technology might play in RR. next time, be sure to respond to all readings assigned--
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