A Response-Based Approach to Reading Literature

A Response-Based Approach to Reading Literature

            Having students follow up on what they read is super important. I really liked that this article gave guidelines of instruction. My favorite one is keeping students understanding at the center of focus. Classroom discussion and writing can get off topic very quickly and can stray very far from what is being discussed. I think that will be a really hard thing for me because sometimes I like to talk about random things and be off topic so keeping my students on topic will be hard.

            Writing down thoughts is just as important as discussing them. When I write my thoughts down, it helps me to organize them. When we just think about things, they tend to be kind of mixed up but when we write, we can organize and think of eloquent ways to say things. This is helpful for students because if you just discuss without writing beforehand, discussing will be not as good but because students will have organized and thought about what they read, they will have more to say and may be more willing to share.

            I feel like this article kind of goes back to what we discussed the other day in class. IN order to be a good teacher, you have to let your opinions go. Students may be writing what they feel the teacher wants to read. I know in some of my classes, I have written my papers according to my professor/teachers opinion because I knew I would get a better grade. Kids should be able to express themselves in their writing. That is a safe zone. They should be able to share their thoughts freely without worry of being scrutinized. I hope that when I become an educator I will be able to let go of my opinions and be open minded about subjects.