OK, in all honesty despite having worked with Cindy for several years on book clubs in my classroom, I still feel like I am a complete novice at this teacher-researcher business.
I am starting to get the hang of it though. I suspect that given another 10 or 20 years, I might actually know what I am doing. :)
Here is the run down on the research I am currently doing in my classroom (not counting my perpetual quest to figure out what the deal is with several of my more eccentric *euphemism* students):
I am currently working with sophomores in one of my three honors English classes using book clubs to explore difficult/controversial/challenging topics in contemporary novels set in diverse locals or written by authors originating from diverse locals.
Originally, when I asked Cindy to conduct her research in my classroom my motives were simple: to help me use book clubs to help students further explore literature in an academic way. As an added bonus, book clubs allowed me to more honestly label the course "world literature" by increasing the diversity of texts students read beyond the two novels written by American authors and the two Shakespeare plays offered on the "required" reading list. Seriously.
Our book club experiment has expanded each semester and this go round we are looking at book clubs as a tool to help students learn to discuss tough topics in a constructive and mature manner. (I recognize that mature is asking A LOT of 15-years-olds. I guess I am a dreamer.)
Below you will find my reflections on the latest legs of my journey researching book clubs.
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