Transacting with Literature -- "Directing vs. Exploring," Rice, Haskins

SAY:

A few days ago, a friend posted an internet article she'd read on FB and tagged me with the question, "Thoughts?" The article was a political analyst's discussion of the differences between a reading list found from 1908 and a reading list from 2014. The analyst argued that the YA literature on the 2014 list was proof positive of today's declining educational system. Decreasing skills and dumbed-down educational practices were argued as the primary causes of the reading list differences. I replied to the article with some thoughts on reading and the teaching of reading, and a lively discussion ensued between several other people (all purveyors of the classics-only approach to literature) and my own assertions that both scholarly research and classroom practice point to a more diverse, scaffolded approach to reading texts.

Of course, the analyst was not an educator and knew nothing about the theories of reading and learning that serve as the crux of this week's reading assignments. I mention this FB debate-incidence because it was a fresh reminder that discussions about WHAT students read are often more controversial than the primary question I think most educators face, which is WHY students DON'T read. This week's topic, Transacting with Literature, deals with such issues. Although looking at young adult literature, graphic texts, and student-led inquiry texts seem like different approaches, they are very similar in their focus on the student as the maker of textual meaning.

In Mary Rice's article about using graphic texts, she describes how easily students are engaged by them, but also discusses some of the ways teachers need to be prepared to handle some of the more controversial aspects of the graphic novel. Their cost is high and is usually not covered by a school's curriculum budget; they rip and tear easily, which requires frequent replacement; and they often contain controversial themes, adult content, or hyper-feminized or hyper-masculine depictions of gender norms. Her article includes actual classroom examples, graphic novel recommendations, and personal recollections of her own experiences teaching graphic texts.  It was insightful and helpful, as I'd never considered many of the pitfalls/benefits to TEACHING graphic texts -- as opposed to just making them available as sustained silent reading materials.

I’m not saying young adult literature should replace the literary canon. At the same time, if I can use YAL to help make reading enjoyable, my students stand a better chance of someday appreciating The Scarlet Letter and Ethan Frome. And even more importantly, they stand a better chance of leading literate lives. -- Jeannette Haskins,"Making Magic with YAL"

Haskins offers a humorous and engaging perspective on her personal journey with YAL, as well as describing the immensely powerful ways she's seen it help her students find reading enjoyable. Haskins reads young adult literature herself and is able to pinpoint students' preferences to help captivate them as readers. She discusses tools she uses to find out student interests (like a reading profile, interview, etc) and then impresses me as a reader by reciting at least half a dozen YA books that can fit that kind of personal interest! Haskins has obviously been reading YA for a long time, and her scope and breadth of the subject matter is impressive. Her students become better readers and come to really enjoy reading, too, and that is, indeed, the classroom magic we all want to see.

The chapter on "Directing vs. Exploring" was my favorite text from this week because it focuses on the importance of allowing students to become "lovers of literature." Carlson's five stages of developing readers are introduced and discussed. Knowing what topics students find interesting as they progress through adolescence can help teachers make informed choices and offer multiple student options for engaging reading. Transactional theory helps us understand that literature can create citizens of the human experience and of the world -- people who know who they are as well as having a compassion and empathy for others. Response-based teaching allows me as an educator to be fully committed to listening and learning from how my students respond to what they are reading. Probst offers useful, helpful scaffolding techniques to allow YAL to engage students into discussions and transactions that will allow them to access more difficult, canonical texts. 

DO: 

One of the most inspiring activities my internship teachers did this week was an activity we called "Meet the Press." The seniors are reading Macbeth, and this activity was designed to help them "get into character" from what they've seen of acts 2 and 3. I found this activity to be fun and helpful because the teacher could informally assess whether students were reading with comprehension, but the students were the ones making meaning of the play and offering creative and insightful answers from the different characters' perspectives. Here is the handout of the activity:

Meet the Press Macbeth Activity