As I have begun to fully embrace the fact that summer is yet again slipping away from me, I've started planning the role book clubs will play in my classroom this year.
In the past I have mentioned book clubs in passing at Back to School Night and obviously sent home a permission slip and letter informing parents of my research. This is all well and good, but (you had to sense the but coming....)
I wonder if I should explain more of what I am doing to parents and how it fits into my overall curriculum. At times I believe I speak of book clubs as an isolated happening, but they really are a central part of my literature instruction. I see book clubs as a way for students to practice/apply the concepts I have taught them in class and then to take the next step of all students of literature to engage in literary discourse with a text and with other readers of the text. OK, as the case of Dragon Boy points out in glaring fashion, this doesn't always happen, but that isn't going to stop me from trying.
Do parents care about this sort of thing? I have found myself torn on this issue. Ideally, I'd like to believe that the parents of students care about what and why their son or daughter experiences what he or she does in class. Realistically, I know that most of the parent questions I receive involve why the "A" student is "failing" my class (=earning a C) or when the next extra credit opportunity will be provided. Fearfully, I wonder if I open myself up for criticism by revealing the method to my madness. I know I am not doing anything wrong or different than any English teacher striving to do what is best for her students, but I wonder what parents will think and if I am simply inviting more questions than I want to field. Maybe I should continue the practice I've used in the past. One of the things I tell my students is that I believe they are young adults and that I strive to treat them as such. That said, maybe it is enough if the students know why I do what I do and I can explain it to parents if the parents ask.
So, what insight do you have for me? I know many of you have taught longer than I have and also have the experience of being a parent to share.
To share more or not to share more...you know the rest :)
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4 comments:
Hhhmmmm....good question. I guess it depends on the parents? While I really can't imagine a parent not wanting the good instruction which comes from research, I can envision parents who might find research an invasion of their kids' privacy. So...I guess I'm of the persuasion that informing them on a need to know basis is best? When you send permission slips home, you can always encourage parents to contact you if they need/want to know more information.
My two cents -- for what it's worth. :)
Rebecca - oh my gosh, I can't believe I didn't scroll down and see this other part of the post!
I agree with Stacey on this question. As a parent I would be excited about the research - but perhaps the focus should be on the development of student inquiry rather than the research itself. What I love about your method is the way in which you encourage discourse from all students, setting a high expectation. As a parent I would like to know that my student is engaging in an activity that makes them reflect, formulate an opinion and figure out how to effectively share that opinion with other.
So I say go for it, share with parents - but again, I do think from every angle the IDEA of what you're doing and how it's changing the way students think is more important than the research.
Does that make sense?
My concern is that my kids are not guinea pigs for "experimental" teaching.
I remember when my brother was in elementary school they trotted out the latest and greatest new curriculum that was supposed to change everything and it was a huge flop. My parents were really pretty mad about it, and now my sister is very leery of anything she sees as "experimental teaching" with her kids. My son will start school a year from August, and I think I'll feel the same way.
I think at back to school night I'll mention the class blogging, and I will mention the research component, but I'm thinking now about how I'll present it to the parents.
I just hope that teacher research doesn't ever get that "loony liberal" label. The National Writing Project has done a good job of keeping the focus on the classroom teachers, not on touting revolutionary new methods or "save the world" programs. I always try to keep the focus on the fact that I'm looking closely at the way I teach in order to find ways to make it better.
Do you have a web page? I think that parents who want to know details like this seek them out. If you could explain the research part on the web page, then parents with questions could contact you and you would not have to open Pandora's box by approaching all parents.
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