BLOG POST 1 (Module 1 Reading Week): Innovation in Teaching and Learning - Inquiry-Based Question
As an educator, we are often taught that it is extremely important to ensure that our students engage in questioning and reflective practices before, during and after instruction. These questions can range from: closed and recall questions, to probing and high-order thinking questions. Regardless of the types of questions that we pose in the classroom, we know that if we want to promote critical thinking, check for understanding and push our students to be lifelong learners, we must be intentional with encouraging them to pose questions and reflect on an ongoing basis.
Enter, my inquiry-based question...
After taking some time to reflect on my own learning, pedagogy, interests and professional context, I have challenged myself to try and answer the following question:
How can I modify my (physical and remote) instruction to increase my students' motivation and interest to study fiction and non-fiction texts - even beyond the walls of the classroom?
This question is of particular interest to me, as I have seen a steady decline in students interest in reading works of literature - both classic and contemporary texts. Teaching literature has also be crippled, at times, by our curriculum - which seems to place a heavy emphasis on teaching and analysing the conventions of language, with very little time spent engaging with literature.
I am looking forward to engaging in a journey of self-inquiry, as I strive to modify, enhance and refine my own pedagogy (factoring in remote instruction). Ultimately, my objective is that through reflection and in-depth probing of this question, I will be in a better position to help develop the whole child (social, emotional, cultural etc.) by integrating and examining literature to a greater extent in English class.
I am interested to see your progress with this very engaging subject! As a reader myself, it is hard to understand how others do not enjoy it. I imagine there are many students who struggle with the focus necessary to read for long periods since our culture presents information to them in small bits and fast paced video!
ReplyDeleteI assume that the book choice, theme/subject matter would influence the motivation and interest for many students. My other assumption is that it is most challenging to motivate boys to read, is that true? In my work I have often found it more difficult to motivate boys to participate in making art. I wonder if what motivates girls versus boys may differ? I will visit your blog again soon!
Thanks for sharing,
Wendy Struck
Hi Natasha,
ReplyDeleteThis is an intriguing and very relatable inquiry question and I look forward to following your journey with it. I taught High School English for a number of years and also found it challenging to get students excited to read independently. I am very curious to know what curriculum guides the work that you do. I was very pleased with the shifts that came with our new provincial curriculum in BC as it allowed for more flexibility and ability to adapt the learning standards to reflect the community and cultures of the students in your classroom. Additionally, there has been a shift towards that engagement with literature piece that you mention and away from just conventions of language which we know to turn students off of reading. Strangely though, even with this freedom and ability to appreciate and explore stories as they are meant to be experiences, so many teachers end up still using them as vehicles to teach those conventions, likely because its what they know and think to be preparing students for future academia? I am curious to know your thoughts on how we break out of this hyper focus on the bits and pieces of texts move towards teaching appreciation, understanding and connecting them as whole entities to students' own lived experiences. I look forward to following this exciting endeavour more!
Hi Natasha,
ReplyDeleteI like the inquiry that you have selected for this assignment. I think it is very important to have students interested and engaged in literature. As you have mentioned, literature can create great opportunities for students to be critical thinkers, something that can be transferred to other disciplines in academia and beyond the classrooms, into other aspects of their lives.
I am interested to see what motivational and innovative ways you come up with during this journey. The questions that ended off with are great inquiries to keep in mind of - the possible distinctions to engagement. I also wonder if there may be also existing interests based on cultures and economic status.
Looking forward to reading more!
Sherry C.