Graphic Novels

Today we used two different graphic novel versions of Kafka's Metamorphosis to analyze visual representations of the classic. One is illustrated by R. Crumb (of Fritz the Cat) and the other by Peter Kuper. Both are included in my new textbook by Carol Jago et al., Literature & Composition (Bedford 2011). You can find one of the graphic novels through this link:
http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/metamorphosis/

Our purpose was to have seniors who have acquired many close reading skills and the ability to interpret details of language apply those same skills to graphics. It was not as easy for this visual generation as I supposed, and I had to help them look carefully at and interpret the following; typography, composition on the page, graphic frames, and representations of the father, mother, sister, boss, and Gregor himself. Slowly, they caught on, and are now in a position to extend their close analysis of details to other genres, such as graphics.

In the end, it was a lesson for me in how to facilitate the transferability of skills, how to walk students through applying analysis to images, and how not to make too many assumptions about this generation of students.

Preparing Seniors for Independent Thinking through Leaderless Discussion

Last week, I had my students engage in a Leaderless (Student-Led) Discussion. I prepared the series of questions concerning the work we've been doing this year with Freud, Heart of Darkness, and most recently Kafka's Metamorphosis. When students arrived in class, I had desks arranged in two concentric circles, one inside the other, and I directed students to sit in either. At the start of class, I explained the ground rules and purpose of the exercise: Everyone speaks, listen first, ask interesting questions, keep the conversation going. All students prepped for five minutes by annotating questions from the list that interested them and finding one quote in Freud, Kafka, or Conrad that they could read aloud to the group for discussion. Students in the outside circle were given a grid to keep track of which students in the inner circle initiated topics, responded, or asked questions. After fifteen minutes, students on the inside would switch with those on the outside and continue. The teacher and those in the outer circle were to remain silent. At the end of class, we would all debrief and students were to use their individual class blogs that night to respond to any topic discussed or to comment on the process itself.
  The excercise went well, though always unpredictably, and students were lively and engaged, with only a few awkward pauses. Afterwards, students were enthusiastic about the process and quite articulate about the implications for independence from the teacher and peer-to-peer learning. Many of the student blogs explored the philosophy of letting students self-direct their own discussions and learning, with some worrying about the open-endedness and directionlessness of such conversations. Overall, everyone agreed we would experiment further as second semester seniors moved toward graduation.
    This is the third year I have used such discussions and they continue to energize second semester seniors and give them a new measure of freedom from teacher-dominated Socratic discussions. I hope to drive home the points that they have a growing ability to self-regulate, self-direct, and share learning in their own student community. I emphasize, and hope they remember, to help actualize such learning experiences next year in college and to shift from receptive-regurgition models to self-directed, constructivist ones.

Meet me in the BLOGOSPHERE!

WELCOME to a new blog about teaching English, inspired by a new project, 101 English Blogs. In this space I will share my observations about teaching English, the ups and downs, and will connect with others in the online community of English teachers, especially as represented on 101 English Blogs and on Jim Burke's English Companion Ning (which is a tremendous resource for English teachers!).