OK, I've been doing the assigned reading, I swear I have. But as I read, specifically from the textbook and A Family of Readers, I can't think of questions to pose for a whole class discussion. Are the questions supposed to be based on reader response, like, “How did you feel about what the author said about...?” or “How did you interpret this statement?” Are they supposed to be based on how we will apply the information from the reading to our teaching, like “Will you try any of these poetry techniques in your classroom?” or “How will you address poetry as a teacher?” Or are the questions supposed to challenge the author? I have no examples for this at the moment...
With, A Family of Readers, I appreciate what Alice Schertle says about poetry, but no questions come to mind. With, The Joy of Reading, I make notes on the margins and I got inspired to try a few things in my English classroom next year, but still no questions came to mind. In the texts, I mostly write ideas that I would like to incorporate into my classroom, like the teacher who posted literary elements on the wall and asked students to provide examples when they found them, or student generated word list that looked at the emotion, imagery and music of poetry. I feel inspired to start class with a poem and encourage students to find poems at home and bring them in to share with the class, but I have no questions...
So, as I was reading, I tried to think about questions from our previous class sessions, they were all pretty good, except for mine :) But I have forgotten them. So, if anyone has any suggestions, I'd appreciate the help. Until then, I'll start writing down questions posed in class tomorrow and Wednesday and hope I figure it out.
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ReplyDeleteI feel like in order to have a discussion about something you have to actually care about it somewhat. So, whether it is something the author did that you felt was strange or something you personally found interesting, it would be a great starting point for a class discussion. You are likely not the only one who these questions or something similar. So, regardless of what your question or topic is, people will likely be able to draw from it. For example, you talk about Alice Schertle's comments on poetry, what did you find so interesting about them? Is there a comment in particular that made you think? Stood out? Why? Once you have that information it may be easier to form a question out of it. Also, the question maybe one that you think you already know the answer to. However, because no one reads a book the same way, you could end up with interpretations you didn't think of.
ReplyDeleteI highly doubt that you are alone in feeling overwhelmed with the duty of starting a discussion; the Socratic Method can often make students feel extremely intimidated. The point of this method is to see other viewpoints which are critical when it comes to reading of any kind, as we have learned already. It helps students to question things, think critically and become independent thinkers not only while reading but in several different venues. This method allows the development of new ideas because one student can feed off of another’s thoughts or argue the thought to come up with a different idea. Lucky for me, I have had a few classes of this nature so it feels somewhat natural to begin a discussion, but I doubt that this is the usual case. If it would be helpful for you, I would be happy to look over the questions you have before class, though I am sure they are just fine.
I find that I have the same problem. When I'm reading I struggle to find good questions that will actually stimulate a class discussion, especially because I'm an Advertising major, so I can't pose the classroom point of view questions, since I don't know much about TE.
ReplyDeleteWhat I do while I'm reading A Family of Readers is take notes on things I find interesting in the reading that I could make a comment on if I can't come up with a logical question.
When I read the textbook, there are often questions posed by the author that go unanswered or that our classmates might answer differently, so I highlight those.
As far as the articles on ANGEL, I usually just find a way to relate it to our other readings because that seems to be easy, and I'm sure it's set up that way on purpose.
I too have had some trouble creating appropriate questions that I think will engage other students in a positive discussion about the readings. I do agree with the last comment in that if you are having trouble thinking of a question to write about the reading, find a part that interested you or did not understand and address that to the class. When it comes to creating questions, the guidelines that I have gone by are if you do not understand a topic, ask that type of question. If you see something that will apply to teaching literature in our careers and you are wondering how to apply it to a real world situation, ask that. I think the most important part of the Socratic discussion is to come prepared with a question or comment that you are intrigued by and more than likely other students will be the same. This will strike a conversation and begin the discussion.
ReplyDeleteI base my questions on what made me really stop and think about how it was when i was in grade school. Finding a stimulating question is hard. You do not want something basic and obvious. The discussion will not get far with cut and dry questions. Asking others opinions on certain points can really stir a good discussion, especially there are a variety of majors in the class. I agree with the previous comment about adding other articles provided on ANGEL. When i read more sources, i feel more comfortable in the discussion. That way if somebody uses your question you can have a back up.
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