Reflection

I think this was a great class. We had a small group but a good mix of different opinions on the topics we discussed.

Wikispaces - I wish we could have done more with the wikispaces. I feel that it was the focus of our class the beginning of the semester and then we just kind of forgot about it. Next time I would recommend posting something on it every couple of weeks instead of 3-4 weeks continuously and then not again.

Blogs - although I had a hard time keeping up with the blogs they were a great way to reflect on the readings, class, and discussions. I'll be able to use them in the future for a summary of ideas I want to teach - I'll be able to easily find the information I need.

Group Leader - I honestly felt the group leader discussions got to be redundant and boring. I felt it was the same thing week after week, and I found myself zoning out during them. I think there should be some sort of activity requirement or something to get people up and moving during them.

Group Teach - I loved the group teach projects. There wasa selection of three very different books, and all three groups did a great job of presenting their material in a way that can be adapted within the classroom. They brought up some good discussion, and new ideas. It was a refreshing way to end the semester.

Final Project - I love my final project piece. It allowed to to take one of my interests actually become hands on involved with it and create a final product that others can use as an example. I hope people can use it within their classrooms!

Overall I got a lot from this class. The only suggestion I would make is to email assignments on Monday night after class. I forget to check web ct, so I was late or missing a few of them. Otherwise good setup and execution of a class. I learned a lot, and will be taking away some great ideas for my classroom.

Group Teach - The Giver

First let me say I'm really glad they changed their novel. I don't think I would have had time to read Catch-22, and since I'd already read The Giver I just had to refresh my memory on it.

I thought the group did a good job with all the activities and leading discussion. I honestly got more out of the book this time just skimming through than I did when I read it in middle school. It's something to take note of - you don't want to teach this novel if the students aren't going to understand the central themes, you don't want it to be above them.

I really liked their activities . The step up activity is a great way to get to know thing about people that you normally wouldn't ask, and to find out you have something in common that you would have never thought about. I also like the create your own ending. I like activities like this because it allows you to end the story how you want. The characters and their story become yours and you decide their fate. I also liked the choose an important scene and act it out - I think this could be done in a much more extended version where the students dress up, use a script and act out a detailed scene.

I think the did a great job wrapping up the group teaches.

Group Teach - Violent Cases

I thought the group that covered Graphic Novels and Violent Cases did a great job. I hadn't really ever considered teaching a graphic novel until now. I think I might put some more thought into the content of the graphic novel and age appropriateness, but for our level Violent Cases worked well. I like that it sparked some interesting discussion and different interpretation of the events within it.

I thought that the activity with Marxism worked well especially when applied to Violent Cases. My favorite activity would have to be the one where we created the comic strip one panel at a time without talking to each other. I thought it was a fun activity that allowed us to be creative and try to formulate a story out of what little material we had to work with.

I thought the group did a great job. They knew their material, and knew how to get important points across. Like I said, I may even consider bringing them into my own classroom.

Group Teach - The Bell Jar

I thought that our group teach went rather well. I felt we had prepared the materials correctly, and thoroughly, and that the entire presentation went very smoothly.

Lauren Hill's introduction to the book covered the main characters as well as the idea of what the bell jar represented, as well as covering the time period in which it was written.

Lauren Griffith's time line on the life of Sylvia Plath was a great way to connect the author to the text. Having the class read "Daddy" and listening to Plath read it was a great way to see the way a poem can work with reader response.

Tia's theory section was a great way to apply our lenses. It was interesting to see feminist and psychoanalytic theory applied to the text.

Sara's symbolism section allowed us to look more closely at the text for images and colors.

My multigenre/writing activities allowed the students to take the text and rework it into their own.

I thought we had a good amount of classroom interaction, good activities, and we managed to use our time wisely. I thought we prepared a good presentation, and hopefully the class got something out of it.

Found vs. PostSecret - Notes for Final Exam

On November 16th I drove to Ann Arbor to see Found vs. PostSecret at the Michigan Theater.

It was a great experience to hear Frank Warren talk about the project and how it has progressed since he started it 3 years ago.



Notes from Frank Warren's presentation:

• Frank Warren has received over 175,000 secrets over 3 years.
• Thinks we all have secrets. We can choose to keep them in a "box" and bury them, or open that "box" and share our secrets like gifts.
• Frank receives over 1,000 secrets a week from around the world. They come in bricks. He literally has a ton of mail.
• The secrets people share show a common humanity and a deeper wholeness that makes us feel connected.
• Frank created the blog to share the secrets with the world. He believes that the blog is a technology for new communication.
• When posted on the web, the secrets become "living secrets". Someone at that time is actually experiencing the secret.
• Frank arranged the books as an archive. The secrets are arranged in a way so as to be connected and tell a story.
• The internet is like the "wild west" it has an anything goes policy. He can post all of the secrets that come to his mailbox. The books on the other hand face copyright issues and not all secrets make it.

I had the opportunity to meet Frank Warren and get my book personalized.




I also taped a lot of the presentation. The part I want to post is 17 minutes long, too big for Blogger. I'll post it elsewhere and link it here.

Literature and Lives - Allen Webb - Debriefing

• Literature and Lives - Allen Webb

1) Is this a good text for ENGL 4800?

• Yes, when paired with Appleman's book it isgreat for enhancing the understanding of literary theories.

2) Would you use this text differently in ENGL 4800 than we did this semester? Are there chapters we shouldn't bother with?

• I think the book was used well, especially with a visit from Allen. It was great to hear his own views and opinions, and when put to the text it was very helpful.

3) Will you be able to use this text for resources or activities as a secondary teacher?

• Webb's resource lists are amazing. He provides so many texts for each of the theories, it will be an amazing resource within my classroom.

4) Anything else you want to say.

• I found the inset sections within chapters specifically devoted to the explanation of theory helpful. I could see using the sections within my classroom to help students understand theory. I also really like the teacher resources at the end of the chapter. I also appreciated his personal reflections with teaching theory in his classroom. I think I could use some of his experiences to my advantage and incorporate them into my own class. This will definitely be one book I'll keep on a bookshelf to use as a resource.

Critical Encounters in High School English - Deborah Appleman - Debriefing

Critical Encounter in High School English - Deborah Appleman

1) Is this a good text for ENGL 4800?

• Yes, it helps us as future educators explore the theories and it providing specific examplesfrom within in the classroom setting which is helpful to read about.

2) Would you use this text differently in ENGL 4800 than we did this semester? Are there chapters we shouldn't bother with?

• I think mini presentations using specific texts would have been helpful in better understanding the theories. especially deconstruction, I still struggle in understanding it.

3) Will you be able to use this text for resources or activities as a secondary teacher?

• It would be helpful in understanding theory, but I found that it could drag on. I would also use it to further help students understand multiple perspectives.

4) Anything else you want to say.

• Appleman writes in chapter two, "This book challenges current theoretical and pedagogical paradigms of the teaching of literature by incorporating the teaching of literary theory into high school literature classes. The guiding assumption of the book is that the direct teaching of literary theory in secondary English classes will better prepare adolescent readers to respond reflectively and analytically to literacy texts, both "canonical" and multicultural." I think Appleman achieves this goal by exploring the theories and providing specific examples in the classroom setting. Although I found the book helpful in understanding theory and multiple perspectives I did feel that it had a tendency to drag on, and when it comes to Deconstruction, I found it utterly confusing. Overall a good book, but maybe some sections deserve more explanation, and some less.