Kelly Gallagher’s driving
argument: Reading in school is killing students’ love for reading.
In my Science Methods
course, we read John Dewey’s speech “Science as Subject-Matter and as Method.” In this speech, Dewey actually contrasts the
English classroom and science classroom: “All this change [in science content]
is to some extent a symptom of healthy activity, change being especially needed
in any group of studies so new that they have to blaze their own trail, since
they have no body of traditions upon which to fall back as is the case with
study of language and literature.” I
would argue that the study of language and literature is no longer as static as
Dewey perceives it in his speech.
My favorite thread of
Gallagher’s text is the idea of developing “expert citizens.” English classrooms are unique because they
have the potential to be such free and interdisciplinary spaces. Literary texts are written in response to the
world around them. Therefore, a study of
literature must engage the outside world.
Gallagher refers to this kind of expansive, interdisciplinary
exploration as a “wealth of knowledge” (38).
English classrooms can no longer rely on literary “‘memory gems’” (Dewey’s
term for the literary classics). English
is as alive a discipline as science – constantly changing and growing with the
world around it. We are responsible for
preparing our students for the demands of a world that is much more complex and
connected than ever before.
I love the idea of
combining traditional texts with modern texts: novels, short stories, poetry,
graphic novels, magazines, music, newspapers, websites, and video games. I will never tire of sharing my Graphics and
Gaming class experience from last semester.
I am usually barraged with a series of questions (and then an
exclamation): “That was a required class?”
“So, you just sat around and played video games all day?” “What can you learn from video games?” And, inevitably: “I want to take that class!” These questions and Dewey’s article
demonstrate a stigma regarding the English classroom that we need to dispel.
When most people think of
an English classroom, they immediately associate reading and writing. Yet thinking is also a key component. To reiterate, English classrooms can no
longer focus on introducing students to great writers. Instead, students need to engage in critical
thinking to prepare for life beyond school.
Critical thinking through reading can be enriched by including a rich
variety of authentic texts. I particularly
liked Gallagher’s Article of the Week (AoW) activity: Students were expected to
read and respond to a current event article every week.
Why is this important? “What the reader brings to the page is often
more important than the ability to read the words on the page . . . a wide
knowledge base . . . is foundational if [students] are to develop into critical
readers of the world” (33, 35). Literacy
is not just reading words off of a page; the words need to have meaning. If students cannot apply meaning to what they
read, then how can they demonstrate independent thought?
The most recent experience
that I can remember having with Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) was the Drop
Everything And Read (DEAR) time during elementary school. As an avid reader, I relished those moments. I read every opportunity that I could. I remember a moment during a unit in fourth
grade on the Oregon Trail in which my teacher asked us to use our imaginations
to go back in time and share what three items we would take with us in our
wagon on the journey west. I answered: “A
gun (because everyone else was saying that), chocolate, and books.” I definitely believe that moments for free
reading played a huge role in my love for reading. Why do these experiences have to stop after
elementary school? I definitely want to
have independent reading every week in my future classroom.
It is imperative to give
students free choice in those moments.
Gallagher often suggests that many students will only ever read within
the classroom. Therefore, we must make
those moments as meaningful as possible in order to encourage the development of
critical, lifelong readers. This can be
accomplished by allowing students to explore their interests through their own
book choices. I love Gallagher’s concept
of a “book flood” (32). I have recently
begun to build my classroom library. It’s
interesting that it is so challenging to find books that will appeal to male
students. However, I am really trying to
find a wide variety to stock my shelves.
It is also important for students to be able to share what they are
reading. I would love to have a class reading
blog or verbal book reports. These
activities would not only involve students in a culture of reading but would further
encourage them to take ownership of their own reading.
A final thought on the
chart that Gallagher presents contrasting “Beating the Odds” schools with “Typical”
schools (26). As I scanned the chart, I
was reminded of our textbook analysis activity.
The chart and the activity boil down to the same question: How much are
we willing to invest in our kids?
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