The Blogger in the Rye
I have not yet begun official field experience in the 7-12 English setting, but as a per-diem substitute teacher I've been in plenty of English classrooms lately. This occasionally includes Inclusion classrooms in which I'm covering for the teacher who is out while the other is still there to run the lesson...so, basically, I get a period of unofficial observation.
One such classroom experience was last semester, so I can't recall the exact grade level--perhaps eleventh grade? I happened to be there on the day that the class was beginning The Catcher in the Rye. As I read chapter 5 of Christenbury and Lindblom's Making the Journey, I realized that I could look back and see the lenses that this teacher was using on that day as they began to dive into this book. She did not begin by giving them any sort of historical context, nor did she say a word about J. D. Salinger. After briefly asking students whether they had any idea what the book was about or what the title could mean (the title left them stumped), they jumped right in. She selected a student to begin reading aloud from the first page, instructing the others to follow along. Every now and then she would have him pause and she would pose a question: do they know what this word means? What exactly is Holden trying to say here? What is he feeling in this scene? How can they tell? With the exception of the occasional clarification here and there, she allowed students to answer and discuss these questions rather than simply telling them the answers.
I can see now that this teacher was taking a New Critical approach, with little concern for historical or authorial background and an emphasis on close reading. They only read about 6 pages over the course of the period, but those 6 pages were carefully dissected and students seemed to have a good grasp of what was going on, giving them a strong start to this novel. In addition to this approach, however, she was also inserting a dose of reader response by asking students whether they could relate to the feeling Holden was describing and encouraging them to share responses about similar experiences. In doing so, I felt as though she were giving students a voice and trying to make the text feel more relevant to them, even if Holden Caulfield was not representative of all the students in that class. I appreciated that she was not teaching as telling, but leading a discussion in which students were finding the answers and offering their own interpretations. With the sunlight streaming through the windows, the fluorescent lights could be shut off, creating an atmosphere that somehow felt cozier than usual, and despite it being eighth period, the students were quiet and actively engaged in the reading. I found it to be a helpful experience, and I'm looking forward to beginning actual observations to gather further insight!
One such classroom experience was last semester, so I can't recall the exact grade level--perhaps eleventh grade? I happened to be there on the day that the class was beginning The Catcher in the Rye. As I read chapter 5 of Christenbury and Lindblom's Making the Journey, I realized that I could look back and see the lenses that this teacher was using on that day as they began to dive into this book. She did not begin by giving them any sort of historical context, nor did she say a word about J. D. Salinger. After briefly asking students whether they had any idea what the book was about or what the title could mean (the title left them stumped), they jumped right in. She selected a student to begin reading aloud from the first page, instructing the others to follow along. Every now and then she would have him pause and she would pose a question: do they know what this word means? What exactly is Holden trying to say here? What is he feeling in this scene? How can they tell? With the exception of the occasional clarification here and there, she allowed students to answer and discuss these questions rather than simply telling them the answers.I can see now that this teacher was taking a New Critical approach, with little concern for historical or authorial background and an emphasis on close reading. They only read about 6 pages over the course of the period, but those 6 pages were carefully dissected and students seemed to have a good grasp of what was going on, giving them a strong start to this novel. In addition to this approach, however, she was also inserting a dose of reader response by asking students whether they could relate to the feeling Holden was describing and encouraging them to share responses about similar experiences. In doing so, I felt as though she were giving students a voice and trying to make the text feel more relevant to them, even if Holden Caulfield was not representative of all the students in that class. I appreciated that she was not teaching as telling, but leading a discussion in which students were finding the answers and offering their own interpretations. With the sunlight streaming through the windows, the fluorescent lights could be shut off, creating an atmosphere that somehow felt cozier than usual, and despite it being eighth period, the students were quiet and actively engaged in the reading. I found it to be a helpful experience, and I'm looking forward to beginning actual observations to gather further insight!
Comments
Post a Comment