Where the Textbook Ends... (Response #1)

This semester I have a class of sophomores. They are average students, some are under-motivated, most of them struggle to stay engaged in class work. We are a little more than halfway through the unit of 12 Angry Men, all of which we have read in class. My CT has been more than willing to allow me to create assignments and experiment with different teaching strategies to help them understand the importance of the story. I have strived to incorporate the fundamental teaching principles highlighted by Wong and Wong in The First Days of School, such as intentionally inviting the students to inquire and learn (Wong & Wong, p. 67 1998). I make sure that my comments are sincere and timely, and I have noticed that they do react positively. For example, I quietly told a student who has been absent more times than he has been present that he did an excellent job contributing to group work. His smile was the only feedback I needed. See? Classroom management and motivation is so easy if you've only read your textbook. Wrong. So wrong.

Despite a personal connection with the students, minding my manners, asking them to mind theirs, and ensuring they complete their work, they are far less engaged than they should be. This play is fun to read, fun to act out, suspenseful, and thought provoking. Not to mention appropriate considering the racial tension exposed through current events in Ferguson. I admit that I don't expect any or all students to share my enthusiasm for literature, but they should at least be excited they get to swear when reading the play. My dilemma is that they aren't engaged, they don't seem to be grasping the concepts, they don't care, and they don't seem to have been previously pushed in their school work. My goals for this class are to continue to connect assignments to their own experiences, continue to synthesize classwork with real-world application, and continue to force the students to be responsible for their own learning. It's only the first month of school, after all. Now that I have set my goals, it should be easy to measure their progress.

My attempts to meet these goals have been through trial and error. I first tried being transparent in our activities and assignments. I try to clearly and throughly give instructions and expectations while explaining its importance. Fisher and Frey's Improving Adolescent Literacy (2012) suggests that we maintain transparency in all we do to help students understand our expectations (p 15). Being transparent has certainly been beneficial, but my instructions are not always clear. My CT reminded me that sophomores are on the brink of self-discovered learning. Freshmen need a lot of guidance, juniors usually just need a leader, but sophomores are a balance between the two. They want independence, but don't yet know how to get there. In Adolescent Literacy in Today's English Classroom, Bomer (2011) reminds us that the teacher's role is to be an expert and coach (p. 14). Coaches give athletes clear instructions, goals, and feedback; they don't endlessly ramble or lecture, they get to the heart of the challenge. This is how I have begun to approach these sophomores (today is Day 1).

I also ask students lots of questions without the fear of dead silence; someone always finds it awkward enough that they give me their best answer. I constantly ask them to recall the legal terms we discussed before beginning the unit, and they get faster each time I do. Bomer (2011)states that activities should connect to one another-- not simply break class time into segments (p. 49). By using their vocabulary words in their writing, seeing it in their text, and using them in class discussion, they begin to see the relevance. But is what I am doing enough to keep their focus, engagement, and help them get the most out of what they learn? I want to make these students responsible for their own work and get out of the habit of giving up before they make any real effort, but I don't want to discourage them either.

I don't know how much these students have been pushed in the past. I don't personally know any of these students outside the classroom. I don't know any of their reputations. What I do know is that I want to try to take a class whose motivation about English is less than ideal and build them up to see what they can do. I am already finding what does and doesn't work. When it doesn't work, class time seems a little wasted. But I have seen glimpses of what does work, so I'm going to hang onto them and run.


Sources:
Bomer, R (2011). Building Adolescent Literacy in Today's English Classrooms. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Fisher, D; Frey, N (2012). Improving Adolescent Literacy: Content Area Strategies at Work. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.


Wong, H; Wong, R (1998). The First Days of School. Mountain View, CA: Harry Wong Publications, Inc.