"Sit Spots" and Writing Journals

Question: How can students learn how to be critical observers?

Answer: Students pick their “sit spot” from which they observe for 20 minutes a week what is occurring in the world around them. “When Mark proclaimed that spending 20 minutes a week to pay attention was the most relevant thing he had done so far in class, it was because his observation journal and sit spot helped him develop habits of mind necessary to being a critical, creative, engaged student—and citizen.” P. 48.

Comment: The possibilities for using “sit spots,” observation, thinking and writing are endless. It could be a lesson in ecology. But it could also be a lesson in psychology. Finding places to sit, observe and study what they see connects the outer world and the inner world of the students. RayS.

Title: “Teaching Where We Are: Place-Based Language Arts.” Merrilyne Lundahl. English Journal (January 2011), 44-48.

Be sure to check out http://engarchive20-rays.blogspot.com/ for more ideas on teaching English.

Ideas and Articles from The Writer Magazine

Question: What are some ideas and articles in the March 2011 issue of The Writer that I found interesting?

(1) The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library in Indianapolis provides his rejection letters, among other features. Karen Edwards, p. 9.

(2) A dating service on the Internet matches people by sharing their favorite books. Beth Morrissey, p. 11.

(3) All of the Paris Review Interviews are online at http://www.theparisreview.org./interviews.  Chuck Leddy, p. 12.

(4) A new column. Peter Selgin reviews the first-page openings of [unpublished?] novels. Pp. 18-19.

(5) How to write a novel about a “passive character.” Susan Breen. Pp. 24-25.

(6) On writing the perfect sentence. Janet Tarasovic. Pp 26-29.

(7) Writers talk about how and why they use social media, like Facebook and Linkedin. Elfrieda Abbe. Pp. 34-36; 55. Includes some ideas I did not expect. RayS.

(8) Review of a book on writers’ most cherished books. Reviewed b y Elfrieda Abbe. P. 42.

(9) Information about publishing with university presses. Randy Rudder. Pp. 46-47.

(10) Review of the Antioch Review. Melissa Hart. Pp. 48.

Be sure to check out http://engarchive20-rays.blogspot.com/ for more ideas on teaching English.

Negative Influence of High-stakes Tests on Teaching

Question: How does emphasis on tests limit what teachers can and should do?

Answer—Quote: “As I write this column, the health care bill has just passed. Watching the debate on television, following subsequent media commentary, reading in newspapers, magazines, and online sources, and engaging in heated conversations with friends and family, I am reminded of the need for civil public discourse—including discussion—in a democratic society, if we are to make progress toward solving important social problems. You may worry, however, that teaching students to hold quality discussions will not directly increase their test scores (Gallagher, 2009).” P. 63.

Comment: I can’t add anything to this eloquent introduction to the article. RayS.

Title: “Inventing Your Way into High-Quality Student Discussions.” Nancy Shankin. Voices form the Middle (December 2010), 63-65.

Be sure to check out http://engarchive20-rays.blogspot.com/ for more ideas on teaching English.

American Teaching

Question: What is the model for American Teaching?

Answer—Quote: “Research on models of learning used in school shows that American teaching is dominated by teacher-centered, information-transmission models…. In this type of model, teaching is telling, and learning is being able to repeat what you are told.” P. 57.

Comment: In my twenty years of supervision in high schools, I have to admit that this was the type of teaching I saw most frequently. The author goes on to describe a student-centered model of teaching and a third model in which teachers and students learn together. I think you need all three types of teaching. RayS.

Title: “Creating ‘Third Spaces’: Promoting Learning through Dialogue.” JD Wilhelm. (Voices form the Middle (December 2010), 55-58.

Be sure to check out http://engarchive20-rays.blogspot.com/ for more ideas on teaching English.

Improving Student Discussions

Question: What are “Socratic circles”?

Answer: The inner ring of students discusses the book. The outer ring of students observes the discussion, notes its effectiveness and suggests methods for improving the discussion.

The authors begin the article with the following statement: “When we finish reading a good book, we immediately want to tell someone about it.”

Comment: Sounds like a good method for helping students discover for themselves the characteristics of a good discussion. I would try it. RayS.

Title: “The Chicken and the Egg: Inviting Response and Talk through Socratic Circles.” ME Styslinger and T. Pollock. Voices form the Middle (December 2010), 36-45.

Be sure to check out http://engarchive20-rays.blogspot.com/ for more ideas on teaching English.

Critical Questioning

Question: How does one teach “critical questioning”?

Answer—Quote: “Since I wanted my students to become more critical, it was important that I model critical questioning.” P. 31.

Comment: An important point. If teachers want to teach any sort of behavior, they need to behave themselves in that way. If they want students to learn how to lead a discussion, for example, teachers need to demonstrate how to lead a discussion and then discuss with students how they did it. RayS.

Title: “Paying Attention: Talking about Social Justice in a Reading Intervention Program.” Danielle Johnson. Voices from the Middle (December 2010), pp. 26-35.