Wilhelm's discussion of New Criticism versus reader-response in the classroom really made me aware of my own education in middle and high school. There are only two classes I can remember, Honors 10th and 11th grade English, that I utilized the reader-response method as a learner. As I read Wilhelm's words, I realized for the first time that a majority of my education of literature was searching for the right answer in a novel and plugging it into a fill-in-the-blank on a worksheet. It is appalling to me that I was instructed in this manner, and that there are still teachers today using the New Critical approach in their classroom! I will most definitely not be that kind of teacher. As I think back to my 10th and 11th grade classes where we practiced reader-response, I remember forming our own interpretations, writing responses and feelings based on those interpretations (rather than answers to questions or prompts), choosing our own version of projects that correlated with the texts, and discussing the texts in both small and large groups. I had the most positive literary experiences in these two years, and also retained the most information. A student does not need to be overwhelmed with information or specifics about a text, and then told to memorize it, in order to take something away from a class.
I understand that I will have students showing up to my class on day one with a negative attitude toward reading. That is the ugly truth of being an English teacher, one reinforced constantly by Wilhelm. However while reading YGBB, I thought of a strategy to break the ice a bit. During the first week of school, I can assign my students an interesting and fun book chapter or excerpt to read in class one day. I will then collect the text without saying a word. I will give them no worksheets or questions that go with the reading. Just reading for reading's sake. (I'm sure they will think this is odd.) The next day, when they come into class, I can ask them to write a paragraph or two in response to the previous day's text. I will remind them that the response should be based on such things as how the text made them feel and what they thought about the choices each character made. It does not have to include any specifics or "right" information about the text. I would do this exercise once or twice a week for the next couple of weeks to break my students of their efferent reading habit. Hopefully it will allow them to enjoy reading and really absorb the text. Also, having them read one day and write the response the next takes the pressure away of "just looking for things to write about in the text," as they had done in previous classes.
A question came to me as I was reading about Wilhelm's reader-response approach in his classroom. He states: "It became clear to me that the general strategies used by many students to read a textbook in the efferent stance were not sufficient to achieving an aesthetic reading with literature" (31). Students utilize the efferent stance with textbooks in almost every other class of the day. They search for methods to solve problems and the correct answers in both math and science, and the correct people, places, and dates in their history textbooks. So how then can we as English teachers expect them to just shift into the aesthetic stance when they step foot in our classrooms? This is a difficult transition. I guess my real question is, What strategies and assistance can we provide in the English classroom to smoothly transition from "looking for the answers" to "creating one's own meaning"?
"It became clear to me that the general strategies used by many students to read a textbook in the efferent stance were not sufficient to achieving an aesthetic reading with literature" (31).
ReplyDeleteI think this is why your initial activity is (both) so important and so difficult. I can imagine more than one student saying, (the next day), "but I don't remember what I read...why didn't you tell us there would be a "quiz" on it." School reading has become so much different than reading for pleasure. (Do students even read for "pleasure" anymore?) You're right to acknowledge the battle ahead, and I'm glad to see you asking these questions! I can tell you are invested in making your teaching (and the texts you teach) meaningful to your students.
NICOLE! I feel the same way because for half of my college career I had to fill in a worksheet with the "right" answer. This was not beneficial at all and hindered my experience as a reader. I was not reading to comprehend/interpret rather to find "answers." But like you I eventually was able to utilize my critical thinking skills and work with reader response. I will also use this approach in my classroom because in literature there isn't always a "right" answer. I mean basic plot summary quizzes would be helpful tools to see if students are reading but other than that they are rather blunt tools for measuring student experience. Also we should definitely discuss your last question in class.
ReplyDeleteI really like your idea of just passing a short bit of text out and having them read for enjoyment, and you're definitely right that they'll think it's odd. In fact, you'll a few who ask something like, "Why did we just read that?" once you move to the next phase of the day's class. Giving a little bit of a shock will probably be just as beneficial as making the effort to get students to read emotionally as well as critically.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that passing out a short bit of text will help to break the ice, but I also agree with the fact that their will be a lot of students who complain about a next day writing assignment. Maybe rather than making it a next day assignment you could so more of an exit slip fashion. That way they can just recall what they have read about, rather than making them feel like it is a quiz or an essay.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the question you posed at the end. I remember that being a difficult transition as a student, so I can't imagine how it will be when I'm a teacher. My 9th grade English teacher usually started off the class period with journal entries to help us get everything out before creating new meanings. Also, a small way to get the kids transitioned might be a "word of the day" on the board which they have to copy in their notebooks or talk about in class. My 12th grade teacher did that and I always looked forward to it!
ReplyDeleteI don't think there is any way to truly switch from the old method and the new criticism approach. i feel it is too engrained into the administrative minds and too aligned with the national standardized tests. however i feel we should still make an effort to encouarge the kids to develope their own interpretations and to share them. i definately feel your frustration. there is so much to do, with limitted time and resources, and that's if the kids DO want to learn...
ReplyDeleteNicole, isn't it sad to realize that the only classes you ever got the opportunity to use reader response in was Honors classes? Every student should have the opportunity to explore the reader response approach so that you can potentially lessen the amount of students who come to class dreading the text. The question you posed at the end of this blog is something we ALL need to think about in our own classrooms because there doesn't seem to be a clear fool-proof transitioning strategy, otherwise we probably wouldn't need to ask the question. I feel as if it is important that emphasis is put on creating ones own meaning, especially in the upper levels, because it seems as if most new critical ideas should be instilled before the start of High School.
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