As a middle school and high school student, I hated reading. I did not understand that I had to find a “deeper meaning” to what I was reading. This made me dread reading and essay writing. I would read the assigned books but did not know how to approach the writing. I would feel discouraged and it made me question my own writing skills. Looking back at my own experience, I now question what would be a great and entertaining way to approach literary assignments for my future students.
In teaching literature to these grade levels, I believe that it is important to begin with an explanation of what these “deeper meanings” are so the students can approach their reading, understanding, and writing with confidence. Deeper meanings could be factors such as "appearances versus reality" and "the power of wealth and social stratification" as mentioned in the video. Having this knowledge prior to reading enables one to know what types of factors to pay attention to as they read along.
I chose this particular video because it is a quick Absorb Activity for students, meaning that they can just listen and watch. Horton (2012) explains that through the use of Absorb Activities, the students are “actively perceiving, consolidating, and judging the information” (p. 67). This video is a great resource before tackling novels such as Jane Eyre, The Great Gatsby, or To Kill a Mockingbird. Knowing how to understand deeper meanings of literature beforehand will greatly prepare students not only in their readings but also in their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. As mentioned above, this video and similar videos could be used in e-learning courses as introductions to orient the learner and preparing them for the next task or assignment.
References:
Horton, W. K. (2012). E-learning by design (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
(2013, May 31). Retrieved January 27, 2019, from https://ed.ted.com/lessons/mining-literature-for-deeper-meanings-amy-e-harter
Introducing Deeper Meanings in Literature
ReplyDeleteIn your blog I thought it showed compassion for your students when you used your “voice” in describing your own feelings about your ability to write as a young student. You can relate to your students and they feel better knowing that you have experienced the self-doubt some of them may feel. Your choice of video makes excellent points for helping your students (and anyone else who watches it) organize and articulate their thoughts; well done.
I really enjoyed how you related to the material as a student and the examples you provided further highlighted the need for quick absorb activities to enhance learning. Your introduction made me think about my experience with literature and writing, it was hit or miss as well. I think you covered all points really well. My only suggestion would be to maybe include an additional website that could be utilized for activities that support deeper meaning in literature a long with the video.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog, it felt personable. I definitely relate to your post! I never enjoyed reading the assigned books in school because the writings seemed difficult. I wish I would've watched this video before taking on such deeper meaning literature. One thing I might change, the font was a little difficult for me to read. I'm not sure if it's the white color or the type of font. I do realize it's in "typewriter" font though so I understand why you might've used it for a literature blog. Other than that, great job!
ReplyDeleteLove your blog! You have a great voice and I can definitely relate to your statement, "This made me dread reading and essay writing." I think you did a great job at organizing your blog. The personal connection is always important, but you also applied the context to e-learning and even made reference to Horton. I like the overall look of your page/blog and would not necessarily change anything. Overall, great work!
ReplyDeleteThank you Britney for sharing your blog, indeed I can relate to your past feelings of apprehension with reading and essay writing still today. The video you shared gave an insight as to another way to view literature and perhaps perceive a different angle on how to understand it better and share that when engaging in essay writing.
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