Yesterday afternoon I was reminded of why I am exploring book clubs in my classroom.
While listening to the book club reading Postcards from No Man's Land I felt compelled to hug each of them. (OK, I was having a bad day, but these students were really doing some hug-worthy stuff.)
The idea behind the version of book clubs Cindy and I have been exploring this year is to help students discuss difficult/challenging/controversial subjects in constructive ways. (Jason, this is what fascinates me about your comment about using teacher led/facilitated discussions, but I'll have to come back to that at a later time.) Last semester students would avoid the tough topics as though it was the cliched elephant in the room. I had begun to suspect that this semester students had followed the same pattern...until yesterday afternoon!
This group of four students dug into a tough topic: euthanasia. The students began discussing the topic in the context of the book and how they felt about the characters' reactions to this subject, but the conversation quickly turned personal. Students disagreed with one another and the discussion took a heated turn, yet they remained respectful and were really listening to one another.
My favorite part was when one young woman said, "But, you at least understand where I'm coming from, right?"
Exactly!
That is all I am asking of them--at least understand where your classmates are coming from.
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3 comments:
Awesome! I love it, that's a learning moment if I've ever heard one described. I wrote my demo about "cultivating controversy," and I really believe that actual learning happens at the fringes of ours and our students' comfort level. It's a fine line to walk, and it's not the easiest road to take, but I can tell by your post that you feel the same way I do about those moments when you see those light bulbs turn on!
I was there, and it really was a huggable moment, I have to say. We were SO excited afterwards, and then the next question came...so how did we get the other kids to do that, too?
Rebecca had a meeting immediately after book clubs, and so we talked as fast as we could as we walked down the hall together (really, Jason Malone would've been quite proud) about what books we'll use the next time we do book club and so on and so on.
Apparently, book clubs and t-r never ends....
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