Teaching Literature: Classics in the Classroom, Chapter 6

The part of Chapter 6 that I found most interesting was "Lesson Study in Japan." Carol Jago writes about "kounaikenshuu, a series of activities that make up a comprehensive process of school improvement." (100) It is pretty widely agreed among teachers that our education system in this country is lacking, but very few teachers take the necessary steps to improve it outside their own lesson plans. The teachers in Japan get together to "design, implement, test, and improve what they call a "research lesson." (100) Not only do they create the lesson, but they teach it to a class, make revisions, and then share the results with their colleagues. They even hold "lesson fairs" where they come together to share and observe these research lessons.

I think this is something that our schools could really benefit from. Each school, as Dr. Hutchison told us last semester, has "star teachers," but they are few. If these "star teachers" were put together with groups of other teachers to work on lessons where their ideas and input could be contributed, everyone would learn from them. Their lessons could be viewed at "lesson fairs" and then even the worst teachers out there would at least have access to great lessons. In my opinion, it's better for a terrible teachers to at least attempt a great lesson, then to teach the mediocre lessons they are probably already creating.

Finally, I learned a lot from reading over her lesson plan for Homer's The Odyssey. In particular, I love the idea of having students assigned to groups that will teach books from the last half of the epic. It is a great way to incorporate the constructivist theory of learning into your classroom, and the students will learn so much more from the hands-on aspect and the freedom that goes along with formulating their own ideas and then figuring out how they want to teach the rest of the class. It's so easy to get away with not reading the novel and relying on Spark Notes in high school literature classes and having the students teach it forces them to learn the material. That is definitely something I will incorporate into my own lessons as a future teacher.

Teaching Literature: Classics in the Classroom, Chapter 3

I really liked the way that Carol Jago organizes her semesters, by offering a list of twelve books that they can choose from and then having them choose five to read every three to four weeks. One of the things I hated most in my own high school literature classes was that we would focus on the same book for so long that it was impossible to enjoy it. I consider myself a pretty fast reader, so it was difficult for me to remain interested. I either read the book quickly and then was totally over it by the fifth week of reading it, or I would pace myself to the rate the teacher assigned, but it was too slow of a pace for me to remain interested in the book.

Jago also wrote that the students meet in literature circles to discuss the book. I remember literature circles from last semester, and think they are a great way to allow students freedom and a level of comfort that will encourage them to speak up and contribute ideas. As a whole class, it is easy for shy students to get away with not contributing, but when it smaller groups, each student is forced to contribute their fair share.

The other idea I really liked from this book was her idea of keeping a portfolio that includes a log of all the books they read in and out of school. This is a great way to help students realize their patterns- what they read a lot of, what they should look into, and where their variety of books may be lacking. Viewing a completed log of all the books they have read would also give them a sense of pride, seeing how much they really have read and possibly helping to make students who don't see themselves as "readers", as readers.