Sara Islas

EDU 325

P. Holmes

9/24/2012

Reading Responses to: Teaching English is Middle and Secondary Schools

By: Rhoda. J. Maxwell, Mary Jordan Meiser, and Katherine S. McKnight

Reading Response 1: Chapter 1, “Becoming an English Teacher”

Maxwell, Meiser, and McKnight’s chapter one, “Becoming an English Teacher”

serves not only as the introductory chapter to the book, but also as an introduction to the

teaching profession. It acknowledges that most teachers enter the profession because of a

similar goal: they “want to make a difference in kids’ lives” (2). Then, it proceeds to

encourage the development of this goal into “specific student outcomes” (2).

As someone who has dreamt of becoming an English teacher since I stepped into

my ninth grade literature classroom, this chapter was very useful in helping me build a

more specific idea of what turning my dream into a reality would actually look like. The

chapter accomplishes this by deconstructing teaching as a profession. The chapter

outlines key elements of teaching ranging from the characteristics that make an effective

teacher, to a descriptive analysis of the student population that secondary English

teachers will serve, to ways that teachers can directly impact or help students’ lives. The

concrete approach that the book took to deconstructing teaching and then providing the

implications that go along with the specific elements it addresses, helped me understand

my passion for helping kids in the specific “cognitive and affective effects” my career

should have on students (2). I especially liked the chapter’s verbalization of the question,

“what does it mean to help students develop new or improved skills?” (2).

I was most interested in the way that the chapter addressed who teachers will

really be working with, through presentation of the different developmental stages of

adolescents. This was all new information to me and I liked and learned from the fact that

it was presented in a thesis-based and practice-driven model. It was helpful for me to

understand the precise terms of the cognitive shift that adolescents go through. The book

describes that students from middle school age to their early years in high school “are

shifting from the Piagetian child developmental stage of concrete, observable, experience

to abstract, speculative, and metaphorical thought,” (6). Then, the chapter presents the

implications of this shift, which are that students in this transition should be allowed to be

physically active and “move around in the classroom while they learn,” (7). This

information and its implications were things that I had thought about but hadn’t treated in

the scientific method that the book does. As a whole, the model of presenting information

vital to teaching, the implications of that information, and the suggestions for how to best

address that information was extremely useful. I expect myself to use this model of

thought to analyze information and choose best practices to address it with.

While deconstructing teaching and creating a more outcome oriented idea of the

profession, the chapter maintains a dialogue with the reader (through reflective journal

activities) that asks them “why are you here?” (1). These journals were especially helpful

to me because they allowed me to reflect and develop my own take on ideas that the book

presented in an active way. This was much more effective than going back and reflecting

as a whole after reading the chapter completely, because it structured the readers’

thoughts and allowed them to delve deeply into each element of teaching as outlined by

the book by forcing reflection more frequently and by each topic. This reflection process

was especially helpful in allowing me to think about the aspects of teaching as

deconstructed in the book and then apply them to my student teaching position at Pioneer

High School.

After reading this chapter, I stepped into the classroom with a better

understanding of my job as a teacher and the students that I would be teaching. I felt

more comfortable standing in front of the classroom when I was able to envision the

concrete characteristics I would need to embody in order to become an effective teacher.

Rather than merely telling myself I had to be passionate and hard working, I was able to

constantly run through the characteristics that the book established as necessary for

effective teaching: realism, openness, positive expectations, responsiveness, flexibility,

sense of humor, evenhandedness, intellectual curiosity and reflectiveness (3). Rather than

thinking of my students as a group of adolescents with vague and unknown differences,

this chapter helped me to be able better understand them in terms of whether or not they

were gifted students, students at risk, students with special needs, or “ordinary” and in

terms of Howard Garder’s multiple intelligences approach to learning (10-14). Of

course, no student solely falls into or can be completely defined by one of these

categories, but they are helpful ways to think about the potential differences in students

and how we should help them learn as their teachers.

Reading Response 2: Chapter 2, “The Theoretical and Pedagogical Foundations of

Teaching English”

I learn most effectively by a two-step process of watching an example of

something and then doing it myself. At my placement school, Pioneer High School, I’ve

found the observation period extremely helpful because it fits my learning preference

perfectly; I watch my resident teacher conduct a lesson and then I conduct a lesson

myself using the observations I learned from watching her. Thus, this chapter was

especially helpful in providing me with examples of philosophies of teaching and then

allowing me to form my own philosophies and plans based off of them.

At the beginning of my teaching placement I immediately noticed what I thought

was a slow moving pace in the classroom. Students were given material and then

expected to speak about it, listen to others’ speak about it, write about it and then read

even more about it or other material like it. I was confused about why the teacher went

though so many steps to teach a simple concept like persuasive arguments; I even went so

far as to say that the lesson plans seemed redundant. However, with more observation I

quickly learned that students weren’t getting a redundant education, but a necessary one.

As Maxwell, Meiser, and McKnight explain in chapter 2, “the language arts are

interactive processes, each influencing and strengthening the others as we construct

meaning” (22). I began to understand that each process was needed to support an

understanding of another. Using all of the language arts consistently and actively allows

students to “make sense of themselves and their world” (22). I noticed that students

retained much more from lessons that invoked all aspects of the language arts than from

those that didn’t.

In planning my first lesson plan on figurative language, I took into consideration

the examples I had observed in the classroom and the philosophy I’d read in the book

that, “teachers may emphasize one area, bust their students should be actively engaged in

all the language arts” (22). Obviously, I was emphasizing writing figurative language, but

I found that it was easy for me to incorporate the other language arts into the lesson as

well. Students had to read written work to identify figurative language and then translate

those findings into constructions of their own examples. They had to work together to

create figurative language, share their examples to the class and partners, and listen

closely to assess other students’ examples. Students read, wrote, spoke and listened,

following the philosophy outlined in chapter 2. I felt confident that I was embodying the

idea that “teachers facilitate learning rather than ‘hand it out’” (23). I would not have

been able to execute such a successful lesson plan based on proven philosophies if it had

not been for this chapter. I was excited to have been able to do so, and felt positive that

even when I do not have a wonderful book in front of me providing me with philosophies

and examples about how to teach effectively, I will be able to recreate and follow the

philosophy-based and outcome oriented model that the book provides even if I am using

other research and teaching resources.

Reading Response 3: Chapter 3, “Language: Teaching about Spelling, Grammar,

Mechanics and Vocabulary”

One of the main reasons why I chose to become an English teacher is because of

the importance I assign to the first amendment: the freedom of speech. I wanted to teach

my students to be able to realize this right to the fullest of its potential. We are lucky to

live in a world where this is a basic human right, but sometimes plagued by luxuries such

as the internet which seem to handicap our language abilities by forming opinions for us

or making communication seem to require little effort and thought. I want to help what I

believe to be a generation of increasingly inadequate communicators, regain a command

of language that they can use to better their lives and the world they live in. I believe that

if an individual is able to communicate effectively, he or she can accomplish anything

they wish to do. I come from a family who had to rely heavily on language to get them

through immigration challenges and to help them break cycles of poverty by becoming

the first in their families to become educated. My mother’s career as a lawyer is built

upon effective communication and my father’s career as a historian revolves around

discovering signs of expression in unexpected places. Perhaps it is because of my family

that I hold the power of language to such a high esteem, but I also think that as a

particularly observant person I’ve come to realize that being an expressive and effective

communicator is the only way that I can make sense of myself and the world around me.

Chapter 3 reiterates the importance of using language to make sense of our world by

stating that, “where you find human beings, you find language” (56). In my mind,

thinking is only one step in the process of understanding; to be able to express your ideas

is the only way is complete the cycle.

I love grammar. It’s logical, yet surprising. It’s fun, yet challenging. It’s a tool I

can use to structure my thoughts so that they can be presented in a way that others can

understand. In college I took advanced linguistics courses in English grammar, not

because they were required but because I wanted to improve my knowledge in the area.

Having a grasp of proper grammar makes others respect you, and will often make them

more inclined to actually listen to what you are saying. Grammar and language cannot be

separated in terms of academic concepts. However I am aware that not all of my students,

and in reality close to none, will share that same love for grammar. Nonetheless, “English

language arts teachers are key to the acquisition and development of written language,”

and teaching grammar is essential to giving students a command of language; therefore, it

is something I refuse to leave out of my instruction (56). Thus, as an aspiring English

teacher I’ve been worried about how I will implement grammar into my lesson plans,

especially amongst students who range from native English speakers to beginning

English learners. The book suggests that it is important to “look at this process for both

native and non-native speakers of English” (56).

In my observation classroom I have noticed that grammar is either taught

implicitly or explicitly. However, what my resident teacher considers to be “explicit”

grammar is not the same kind of instruction that I received when I learned grammar. The

type of explicit grammar she teaches assumes knowledge of basic rules and focuses on

the practice of certain grammatical compositions using models as instruction. I learned

grammar by analyzing sentences, breaking them into trees, learning the parts of speech,

learning how they function in relation to each other, and then being able to regurgitate

this information in my writing. I asked my teacher why her method of instruction was

different from the education that I recieved and she said, as the book reinforces, that “no

one teaches children ‘the rules’”, but “children internalize these rules, the grammar of

their native language, through language experience” (57). I began to reflect on this idea,

and realize that most of the grammar that I use everyday was indeed learned through

experience rather than a lesson in 9th grade. However, I was still concerned that, for

English learners who suffered from general confusion of the language, this type of model

and “try-it-on-your-own” instruction would not be sufficient. In my educational

experience and even during the short time I’ve spent at my placement school, I’ve met

students who “are unable to move successfully between worlds because they never fully

enter the mainstream community” (58). These students are often illiterate in their native

language and English and “rather than experiencing the best of both worlds, they cannot

participate fully in one” (58).

What I’ve gathered from my experience in an English language development

classroom and the research-based advice displayed by chapter 3 is that “it is important

that mainstream teachers treat ELL writers neither exactly the same as, but not

completely differently than native speakers” (58). It is most critical that the teacher stays

aware of the fact that ELL students should write, read, speak, and listen “no matter how

limited their English vocabulary is” (59). In fact, ELL students need more practice in all

of these areas than they are currently getting. As a teacher, I will implement this

philosophy into my instruction by never allowing ELL students to pass through my class

without practicing the English language arts because they are too hard or because they

think they do not have a good enough command of English to do so. Providing students

with a wealth of language resources and practice will “help students see how language

functions” (59).

Reading Response 4: Chapter 4, “Oral Language: The Neglected Language Arts”

I was very excited to teach my first lesson at Pioneer High School, for a

benchmark English 11 class that I will be taking over in the spring. I was teaching about

how to write a thesis, using the students’ first diagnostic essays as examples for what

good and back theses look like. I planned on breaking up my lecture through discussion,

in an attempt to realize the chapter’s expression that “teacher directed lectures that are

identified with the traditional classroom are not conducive to the current paradigm for

teaching of the English language arts” (88). Rather, the chapter suggests that, “classroom

discussion and speaking are the foundation for the effective implementation of other

contemporary classroom teaching strategies” (88). What I didn’t realize was that

discussion in high school is not as free flowing and natural as it might be in the college

classes I was used to. I had forgotten the awkward silences and disinterest that plagued

high school discussions. One thing I quickly remembered was the feeling I got in high

school when my teachers would ask discussion questions that I thought were irrelevant or

unimportant. I distinctly recalled feeling as though the teacher hadn’t tried hard enough to

connect the discussion to the lecture, and therefore I felt legitimized in not trying.

What I quickly came to realize is that teachers sometimes face a disconnect in

their understandings of their students when it comes to things such as practicing oral

language. Because group discussion and oral language seem like such obvious mediums

for communication after four years of college classes and graduate school that expect you

to be a master of these practices, teachers forget that high school students are still

developing these skills and their understandings of why they are important. Chapter 4

suggests that, “like all aspects of the English language arts curriculum, teachers much

teach students how to ask questions and plan for class discussion” (89).

For my next lesson plan, I structured a discussion where I focused on teaching

how to perform the task at its most basic level. I modeled effective discussion questions

and wrote common hypothesis phrases on the board. I showed students how to form

questions and answers that used evidence from the text we were reading for support. I

asked questions I asked embodied the characteristics that the book deems as necessary to

creating effective discussion questions, such as questions that: “allow students to react to

and explore ideas, offer students the opportunity to lead and direct classroom discussion,

and provide students with the opportunity to explore and examine different points of

view” (89). I avoided questions that were closed (yes/no questions), questions that told

what was on my mind, questions that were confusing or vague, and questions that were

too obvious and revealed the answer (89). I also strove to encourage students to “develop

and ask their own questions,” as suggested by chapter 4 (89). I found that effective

preparation for discussion questions really made a difference. Students knew what I was

asking and why I was asking it. They became engaged by my questions and drew a

greater understanding of the material from them. I thought back to the high school

teachers that I assumed lead bad discussions because weren’t prepared enough. I realized

that they had simply made the same mistake as I had: they had forgotten to teach

discussion as they would any other language art and just expected students to execute it

(because it seemed an obvious skill to them). They didn’t understand that students didn’t

have the skills or structure to do so.

Reading Response 5: Chapter 5, “Teaching Writing”

I love writing. Whether it be journaling, creative writing or critical analysis, the

process makes my brain feel active and alive and helps me engage in my favorite

practice: expression. I need to write in order to think clearly. The process of turning my

thoughts into something visual that can be looked at after its been created is helpful for

me to understand myself. I want my students to be able to use writing as a tool, as I have

come to be able to do. I want them to be able to realize how helpful writing can be in

every day life, but I am very aware that in order for them to do so, they must be able to

know how to write effectively. As chapter 5 states, “writing is a complex skill,” and

many students “dislike writing and fear putting anything down on paper, where each

word opens up more potential for making errors” (113, 131). Students who do not know

how to write will not be able to use or appreciate it as a tool.

I havve noticed that my resident teacher is not a “giver of information and the

hunter of errors,” but “a facilitator,” as the book suggests writing teachers should be

(125). Rather than focusing on an error driven approach to writing instruction, my

resident teacher guides student practice, giving students what the book deems as that

“which they need most—the chance to internalize writing skills through guided

experience” (125). However, other texts that I have read, including Accelerating

Academic Reading by Robin C. Scarcella, have proposed that only “perfect practice

makes perfect” (Scarcella 82). This suggestion implies that experience and practice is not

helpful unless it is being done in the correct way; Scarcella would argue that guided

writing experience without focused structure and correction might allow for students to

make the same mistakes over and over again and therefore never improve.

I have come to the conclusion that a mix of both guided experience and error-

specific lessons are essential to improving student writing. Maxwell, Meiser, and

McKnight do actually suggest various topics that would make good lessons for teaching

writing, including punctuation and vocabulary. I would argue that other types of writing

skills including stylistic aspects like transitions and content elements such as using

evidence are essential lessons that must be taught.

I really like the suggestions that Maxwell, Meiser, and McKnight provide for

teaching lessons about writing and have observed success with the implementation of

them. The process of “determining content need, keeping lessons short and simple,

engaging students and providing interaction, practicing, considering “what’s next”, and

evaluating the retention of the lesson in student writing” is very effective because it

provides multiple access points to learning each writing skill (126).

Reading Response 6: Chapter 8, “Teaching Literature”

Teaching literature in high school is different and similar to the way it is taught in

college. As a recent graduate from the English department at UC Davis, it has been a

little bit challenging for me to draw the boundary between the different levels. Even more

complex is the notion that much of the material that is taught is the same.

Chapter 8 was very helpful in drawing out the boundaries between the different

levels of literature instruction. Maxwell, Meiser, and McKnight suggest that literary study

at the secondary level has two main focuses: “continuing to help students develop an

appreciation and enjoyment of literature,” and “formal analysis” (203). The secondary

study of literature is less subjective than the elementary level study of literature is, but

more subjective than the college level. While college students focus on “various literary

critical approaches,” secondary students assume a broader “study of literature” that may

not be so specific (203).

As I plan to teach The Great Gatsby when I take over English 11 in the spring, I

must keep these goals of the secondary study of literature in mind. I also find it very

helpful to use the book’s suggestions for literature lessons as models of what appropriate

studies of literature should be. I absolutely love the idea of “literature circles” that allow

students to discuss books in the flexibility of a group setting while maintaining structure

by assigning roles such as “vocabulary enricher/detective, illustrator, questioner, and note

taker” (209). At my placement, I haven’t seen many reading activities like this; instead a

more traditional lecture/discussion approach is taken and I must admit that students do

not seem as interested in the text as they should be. Creative approaches to the study of

literature are essential to developing engagement between students and texts that they

may not know how to relate to otherwise.

I also plan to implement a lot of the pre-reading activities that chapter 8 suggests;

I feel that pre-reading makes it more clear to students why each particular text is

important by giving them a proper introduction. For example, the book suggests having

students research and give presentations about the roaring twenties before reading The

Great Gatsby. Though this may not seem like a necessary step in the study of this novel,

it will help students understand the precise ways in which the piece is an expression of

those times. Without understanding the context, the intricacies of the text could be

overlooked completely. I think that students often question why they are reading a

particular novel or story. As educators, lovers, and probably former students of literature,

English teachers understand that pieces of literature are expressions of cultures, time

periods, and social stratospheres that we may have never been able to know about except

for the preservation of these texts. However, we also understand that literature is much

more than a historical or cultural artifact; it introduces us to new worlds of experience,

thought, expression and opinion. We may even grow personally through the journeys we

take when we read literature. Ultimately, we discover meaning, and sometimes even

truths that we can apply to other parts of our lives, in literature by examining what the

author says and how they says it. Literature also teaches us to think critically, analyze,

and find deeper meanings in things that may appear to be simplistic. However, high

school students do not know all of these reasons why literature is so necessary. Thus, we

are required to teach them the importance and relevance of it all through adequate pre-

reading and reflection.