Natasha Thomas - PME 811 Journey: Reflection as a Way of Life

  "Mrs. Thomas, this book is boring...", said Alex.  "Alex, are you serious? Jane Eyre  is one of the most well-written, widely studied and highly regarded novels that we study in English".  "...but who are these people? What are they even talking about? Can we read something else?" "Do you have another book in mind Alex? I'm open to suggestions... Class?" Alex replied, "I don't have a specific book in mind...but can we read something with black people?"  I remember having this conversation with one of my quite, outspoken students, 4-5 years ago. At the time, our curriculum and reading list was prescribed to us and in alignment with the UK curriculum design and outcomes. Though many of the texts were excellent literary works, they were irrelevant, inconsequential and uninteresting to my class of predominantly black Bermudian (island) students.  Upon reflection, it became clear that many of my students were not interested in read...

  When I reflect on my experience earning my teaching certification, many of my professors stressed the importance of modelling when teaching new skills or techniques in my classes. They expressed that for many students, it will not be enough to just provide direct instruction in a document or PowerPoint - but rather, would require a demonstration of the desired skill/outcome by me...their teacher.  For the past eight years I have incorporated modelling too many times to count - showing my students how to construct a paragraph, or how to annotate a poem. It has become a natural part of my instruction and teaching practice to provided guided practice and modelling for my students, and I've found that it has the greatest impact in terms of long-term processing and practical application by my students.  And then, today I came across this image (included above) of a parent asking another parent how she was able to get her child to read...and it reinforced a seemingly obvious ...

  "Mrs. Thomas, why are we reading?" "Will we have to do a book report?" "Are we going to get assignments? Will they be graded?"  "Will this book be on our final?"  These are just a few of the questions that I have been bombarded with when introducing a new novel &/or assigning and independent reading task in class. Students have become so conditioned to the idea that any and all reading that they do must be for 'work'... for a grade... something that is being read solely to be assessed at a later date. Truth be told, historically, this has been the way literature has been embedded and structured within the curriculum. We have been instructed to use literature and course readings to teach a specific set of skills (such as making inferences, drawing out implicit and explicit meanings etc.) AND to teach the conventions of literature and the English language. This method, approach and teaching philosophy is rooted in the curriculum conce...

  When we think about why students may shy away from reading, we consider things like: their aptitude, intellect, attention span, environment and even their personal values. I've also began to reflect on how I/teachers can contribute to a (dis)interest in reading, and the role we can play in nurturing a desire to read. However, it's important to note that history and philosophy can also play a factor in the reasons that students don't like reading AND they can provide solutions and strategies for igniting the desire to read independently.  According to Smeyers, "...by telling stories novels may allow us to describe uncommon situations and develop a new perspective on everyday situations. Thus they provide the context necessary for exploring not only the grammar of our language, but also the limits of our form of life" (2006).  Smeyers' view of the power of novels and story-telling has undeniably caused me to rethink my approach to promoting reading (both colla...

       During Module 2 of our course, I came up with the following working definition of Teaching: Teaching is the art and science of transferring knowledge, skills and experiences to others; it is a process guided by intention, designed to stimulate and foster learning.  It is often attributed to the intellectual or academic transfer of knowledge; however, teaching can and does occur in a variety of social, cultural, emotional and physical spheres. Teaching is a process that requires the teacher to employ communication skills, active listening, the ability to direct/provide instruction and an authentic desire and intent to share new knowledge from an experienced point of view, to an inexperienced person. Depending on the situation, teaching may take the form of an art, a science, or sometimes a combination of both. After composing these reflective thoughts and definition, I came back to my inquiry question which asks: How can I modify my (physical and remote) ...

  Do I think that reading is necessary? Yes.  Do I think that reading is important? Yes.  Do I think that reading opens and unlocks doors? Yes.  Do I think that reading is boring sometimes? Yes - BUT ...it doesn't have to be! After reflecting material on creativity by Seeling (2012) and Mueller et. al (2012) , I came up with the following working definition of the term:  Creativity is the generation of new, fresh, and unique ideas by (consciously or subconsciously) tapping into one’s imagination, curiosity, culture, knowledge and environment.  When I think of the students who are disinterested and unmotivated to read, I recognise that part of that may be a result of the way that I introduce and use reading material within my classes. In a world that is technology-driven and evolving, it becomes a very hard sell to try and convince a student that reading words on several pages can be just as enjoyable, stimulating and fun as it is for them to make TikToks,...

  In order for me to truly be able to authentically attempt to answer my inquiry question about what I can do to increase my students motivation to read (in and outside of the classroom) , I thought it necessary to reflect on my own experiences with reading, as a learner in primary and secondary school.  The earliest memory that I have of reading was my father reading "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish", by Dr. Seuss. I remember his animation, excitement, attempts to mimic a fish swimming and willingness to read it a million times...simply because it was something of interest to me . We took time to draw pictures of the fish in the books; to make the book into a song; and even challenging ourselves to memorise the entire book! I soon began to develop a love for all of the books in the Dr. Seuss wheelhouse, reading the likes of "Green Eggs and Ham", and "Oh, the Places You'll Go". I asked my dad tons of questions while we were reading, despite ha...