Saturday, January 29, 2011
Will Grayson, Will Grayson Bookcast
My first attempt at creating a video for Bookhenge. I've got some timing issues and the title didn't transfer to the first slide as I thought it would. Growing pains!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Quality Young Adult Literature Responsibly Addresses Meaning-of-Life Issues
More than two decades passed between my experience with Young Adult Literature (YA) in high school and my exposure to contemporary, 21st century YA. It wasn't until the summer of 2005 that I discovered the YA section at the public library. Actually, my 12 year old daughter found it first. We had just moved to a new neighborhood, and, being an avid reader with few friends in the area, she spent her days devouring books. She typically finished a novel each day. At first, I was absolutely thrilled. While other children were glued to the "idiot box" or engaged in the annihilation of whole virtual civilizations, mine was reading.
One day my husband pick up a volume she'd left lying face down on the couch and began to read. To his horror and mine, we discovered that she was reading a book that graphically depicted teenage lesbian relationships, sexual harassment, drug use, self-mutilation, and pre-meditated violence in less than 200 pages. While the book may have been appropriate for an 18 or 19 year-old, it was quite a lot of information for a pre-teen to digest. In fact, I cannot remember ever reading such a graphic book in any genre. I started to pay closer attention to the books she was checking-out at the library.
Not all adult books are created equally, so I don't know why I thought the whole YA genre would contain books appropriate for my twelve year old. During that summer, I began to think about what literary quality in YA literature means to me. I discovered that I define quality in the YA genre almost the same way I do quality in the adult genre. The story needs to be something that resonates with the reader. In order for that to happen, even in fantasy and science fiction, there needs to be a kernel of truth in the story. I think that acts as an anchor for the reader. Next, the events and details should be necessary to the narration. They should be true to the story. Some authors choose to sensationalize a story, perhaps knowing that sex, violence, and the f-word sells just about anything. A good book, for any age level, prompts consideration of social and political issues, faith, and the human experience.
Sex, violence, and colorful speech is, sometimes, a critical part of the story. Let's face it, without the discussion of rape and lynching, Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird would not exist. Teachers and parents must be sensitive to the maturity of the children in their care. Censorship is definitely not the answer. A determined teen will find access to what he or she seeks. I think well-informed guidance is appropriate. My daughter and I worked together to identify books to read now and books to read later. The process opened the door for many wonderful discussions - consideration of the social and political issues, faith, and the human experience inspired by good literature.
bookhenge
One day my husband pick up a volume she'd left lying face down on the couch and began to read. To his horror and mine, we discovered that she was reading a book that graphically depicted teenage lesbian relationships, sexual harassment, drug use, self-mutilation, and pre-meditated violence in less than 200 pages. While the book may have been appropriate for an 18 or 19 year-old, it was quite a lot of information for a pre-teen to digest. In fact, I cannot remember ever reading such a graphic book in any genre. I started to pay closer attention to the books she was checking-out at the library.
Not all adult books are created equally, so I don't know why I thought the whole YA genre would contain books appropriate for my twelve year old. During that summer, I began to think about what literary quality in YA literature means to me. I discovered that I define quality in the YA genre almost the same way I do quality in the adult genre. The story needs to be something that resonates with the reader. In order for that to happen, even in fantasy and science fiction, there needs to be a kernel of truth in the story. I think that acts as an anchor for the reader. Next, the events and details should be necessary to the narration. They should be true to the story. Some authors choose to sensationalize a story, perhaps knowing that sex, violence, and the f-word sells just about anything. A good book, for any age level, prompts consideration of social and political issues, faith, and the human experience.
Sex, violence, and colorful speech is, sometimes, a critical part of the story. Let's face it, without the discussion of rape and lynching, Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird would not exist. Teachers and parents must be sensitive to the maturity of the children in their care. Censorship is definitely not the answer. A determined teen will find access to what he or she seeks. I think well-informed guidance is appropriate. My daughter and I worked together to identify books to read now and books to read later. The process opened the door for many wonderful discussions - consideration of the social and political issues, faith, and the human experience inspired by good literature.
bookhenge
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Censorship Threatens to Remove Valuable Lessons
One of my favorite paintings is Morning Ride on the Beach by Dutch impressionist Anton Mauve ( http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/aria/aria_assets/SK-A-3602?lang=en ). It was discovered many years ago hanging above the fireplace mantel of a private residence. The horse dung in the foreground had been painted over by someone other than Mauve. Restorationists carefully returned the painting to its intended form. It now hangs in the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam where those offended by a little fecal matter can glance quickly at the other side of the room to avoid seeing it.
It is outrageous to think that someone would alter a work of art created by someone else to suit his or her own taste. In fact, it is nothing short of an act of vandalism. I wonder how Alan Gribben and NewSouth, the editor and publisher of the newly sanitized edition of Mark Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, would assess the vandalism done to Mauve's masterpiece. Is there any difference between glossing over that which visually offends and that which aurally offends?
Twain chose his words purposefully. It would seem that those who seek to censor him believe Twain had some malicious agenda. The Associated Press article by Hillel Italie, Sometimes Twain Censored Himself, reveals the opposite. The article exposes Twain as a man who cared deeply about people regardless of race or gender. According to Italie, Twain was an "intrepid" defender of the abused and oppressed.
After reading Italie's article, I am even more motivated to read Twain's autobiography. My initial impression is that Twain sought to create an accurate illustration of the Reconstruction-era South. When we are offended by his use of the N-word, it is cause for celebration. Offense, while uncomfortable, demonstrates that our society has learned something from its sordid past. We must be knowledgeable of the past to avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future. If editors and publishers are free to sanitize works that make the reader uncomfortable, we will lose these valuable lessons.
It is outrageous to think that someone would alter a work of art created by someone else to suit his or her own taste. In fact, it is nothing short of an act of vandalism. I wonder how Alan Gribben and NewSouth, the editor and publisher of the newly sanitized edition of Mark Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, would assess the vandalism done to Mauve's masterpiece. Is there any difference between glossing over that which visually offends and that which aurally offends?
Twain chose his words purposefully. It would seem that those who seek to censor him believe Twain had some malicious agenda. The Associated Press article by Hillel Italie, Sometimes Twain Censored Himself, reveals the opposite. The article exposes Twain as a man who cared deeply about people regardless of race or gender. According to Italie, Twain was an "intrepid" defender of the abused and oppressed.
After reading Italie's article, I am even more motivated to read Twain's autobiography. My initial impression is that Twain sought to create an accurate illustration of the Reconstruction-era South. When we are offended by his use of the N-word, it is cause for celebration. Offense, while uncomfortable, demonstrates that our society has learned something from its sordid past. We must be knowledgeable of the past to avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future. If editors and publishers are free to sanitize works that make the reader uncomfortable, we will lose these valuable lessons.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Pre-FOKI: A misplaced Victorian prepares to explore Second Life and YA literature
Introduction:
Identifying a journey book from my youth was difficult. I am dyslexic, although it was not identified until adulthood. I dreaded reading in school and reading for school. The pressure stemming from time constraints was tremendous. Teachers thought I was willful or lazy when I did not complete reading assignments. Eventually, I stopped trying. Amazingly, I loved reading at home and continued to read picture books long past the age that was considered acceptable. I still love them! Much of my reading was done in secret. Until my sophomore year in high school, I had a reading hide-away. It was a little room off of my bedroom that served as an attic access. While there, I didn’t have to risk anyone seeing how long it took me to read each page.
Mr. Pollock was my freshman English teacher in high school. He was a young Hemingway look-alike right down to the beard and fisherman-knit sweater. The poster of Hemingway that hung directly above his head when he sat at his desk made the connection unavoidable. Mr. Pollock was different from all the other teachers I’d ever had. He savored words. He allowed time for their meaning to sink-in and take hold. Suddenly, my painfully slow reading ability was an asset. While reading The Great Gatsby that year, I discovered how wonderful it was to uncover layers of meaning in a text. Every word Fitzgerald wrote was saturated with rich, intricate meaning. I have read the novel eight times since my freshman year in high school. The symbolism and rich imagery never fail to captivate me.
We spent a great deal of time analyzing books in Mr. Pollock’s class. Looking back on that experience, I can see how all of his students benefited from this opportunity to reach the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. He treated his students with respect and placed a high value on our abilities to dissect literature and create meaning. We discussed important, adult issues. I remember feeling quite grown-up. This was why everyone loved his class. We were all completely intellectually engaged. It was dynamic and exciting.
Professional Self:
To this point, the majority of my very limited teaching experience has been with elementary students who are just beginning to read and English Language Learners (ELL). Its no secret, as I learned from Mr. Pollock, that students who feel intellectually valued are more engaged in class. While working with second grade students, I would facilitate large group discussions during “circle” story time. Students would share their knowledge and personal experience as it related to the text. The exercise gave students the opportunity to hear different perspectives and to increase understanding of the subject. The discussions also helped students with limited subject knowledge connect to the text. For instance, while reading Patricia Polacco’s Thunder Cake, students without access to grandparents could learn about those types of relationships from those students who did have access. The children also learned that, while not all grandmothers bake cakes, they all have something to share.
During my studies here at NCSU, I’ve become a big fan of Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). ZPD is a wonderful tool for capitalizing on students’ strengths and promoting student ownership of the learning process. I like the notion that every student is the “more knowledgeable other” (MKO) in regard to something. Each student has something of value to contribute to the success of the class. I believe that my job is to provide a wide variety of relatable texts and facilitate opportunities for each student to experience being the MKO.
Literate Self:
My experience with young adult (YA) literature is mostly through my children. The first time I became aware of the YA genre was when my daughter began perusing that section at the library during the summer before the seventh grade. I actually Googled it to find out what it was! There wasn’t a YA section at the library when I was a teen, and none of my teachers used that term. However, after reading several on-line explanations, I realized that most of what I read in high school fell into the YA category. The difference between YA literature then and now is that the subject matter is far more explicit today. With the target age being between 12 and 18, many of the gritty themes in this genre concern me. An ocean could fill the maturity gap that exists between the ages of 12 and 18. Before encouraging students to read graphic tales of incest, rape, sexuality, and suicide, it is important to know they are emotionally ready. I also want to be confident that the details are necessary to the telling of the story and not simply used for shock-effect.
One of the first series my daughter delved into was The Uglies Trilogy by Scott Westerfield. I believe the school librarian recommended them to her. I have skimmed parts of the books but have not done a thorough reading; however, I did appreciate the conversations these books sparked with my daughter. We discussed the value society places on appearance and who gets to define beauty. This launched her into an investigation of how the media packages beauty for our consumption. These books facilitated an important part of her development at a critical time in her life. A couple of years later, she connected these themes to Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. Her experience is an example of the positive growth that can result from reading YA literature that is developmentally appropriate for the student.
While I see a need for caution, the potential for YA literature to bridge the gap between modern teens and literary canon is too great to ignore. The same themes exist in canon literature; however, the subjects are usually handled with a delicacy that makes them perhaps too subtle for the modern palette. Literature helps us to explore critical issues, form opinions, and take positive action to make a better future. But, it can have this impact only if we read. For years I have had the practice of reading a classic work followed by a modern novel. I don’t specifically seek to link themes, but, inevitably there are connections that illustrate the basic desires and conflicts experienced by human beings have changed little over the years. Last week I finished Summer by Edith Wharton and now I am reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Both deal with women’s issues. The perspective offered by both novels helps the reader to see how far women have come in terms of freedom and equality and how far we have yet to go. I want to be well versed in YA literature so that I can help my students make these types of pairings to gain greater perspective. We can’t make a better future until we understand the past.
Virtual Self:
I have an affinity for classics and by-gone eras. My husband is a computer engineer, who for years has attempted to usher me into the 21st century. I resisted. Prior to returning to school, I rarely touched our home computer. I sent handwritten letters, read books printed on paper, and paid bills with checks delivered via the U.S. Postal Service. My husband has occasionally referred to me as his “misplaced Victorian”. That has dramatically changed over the past two years. Every morning, after putting the tea kettle on the stove, I boot-up my laptop and log-in to Moodle, Facebook, a variety of wikis, and several email accounts. I am an experienced user of several Web 2.0 tools. I even have had a little experience with Second Life prior to this class. Last Spring, I created an avatar to explore Second Life for a blog and podcast I created for ECI512 Emerging Technologies. My in-world SL experience was fascinating, but I wish I’d had a guide. I am looking forward to learning more about SL and its potential applications for education. While in-world last April, I stumbled across an interactive classroom developed by high school teachers in Indiana. The main feature of the room was based on Dante’s Inferno. I would love to have the ability to put together an experience like it for my future students!
Goals:
1. Professional Self: I want to be able to create bridges between the past, present, and future using literature that will encourage students to think critically and talk about the challenges they face today, the lessons of yesterday, and the solutions for tomorrow.
2. Literate Self: My goal is to become more knowledgeable about the YA genre, to increase my comfort level with the themes addressed, and to develop the ability to pair YA novels with literature from canon.
3. Virtual Self: During my first experience in SL, I did not interact with other people in-world. I want to learn how to interact with others as well as how to connect to environments in-world that may be professional resources. I want to be able to incorporate 3D technology in my classroom in substantive ways. On a more superficial level, I would also like to learn how to customize my avatar in order to incorporate more of my personality.
Synthesis:
In a nut-shell, I seek to use 21st century technologies along with Young Adult and canon literature to engage the minds of my students and to empower them to think critically and to express themselves creatively and effectively.
Identifying a journey book from my youth was difficult. I am dyslexic, although it was not identified until adulthood. I dreaded reading in school and reading for school. The pressure stemming from time constraints was tremendous. Teachers thought I was willful or lazy when I did not complete reading assignments. Eventually, I stopped trying. Amazingly, I loved reading at home and continued to read picture books long past the age that was considered acceptable. I still love them! Much of my reading was done in secret. Until my sophomore year in high school, I had a reading hide-away. It was a little room off of my bedroom that served as an attic access. While there, I didn’t have to risk anyone seeing how long it took me to read each page.
Mr. Pollock was my freshman English teacher in high school. He was a young Hemingway look-alike right down to the beard and fisherman-knit sweater. The poster of Hemingway that hung directly above his head when he sat at his desk made the connection unavoidable. Mr. Pollock was different from all the other teachers I’d ever had. He savored words. He allowed time for their meaning to sink-in and take hold. Suddenly, my painfully slow reading ability was an asset. While reading The Great Gatsby that year, I discovered how wonderful it was to uncover layers of meaning in a text. Every word Fitzgerald wrote was saturated with rich, intricate meaning. I have read the novel eight times since my freshman year in high school. The symbolism and rich imagery never fail to captivate me.
We spent a great deal of time analyzing books in Mr. Pollock’s class. Looking back on that experience, I can see how all of his students benefited from this opportunity to reach the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. He treated his students with respect and placed a high value on our abilities to dissect literature and create meaning. We discussed important, adult issues. I remember feeling quite grown-up. This was why everyone loved his class. We were all completely intellectually engaged. It was dynamic and exciting.
Professional Self:
To this point, the majority of my very limited teaching experience has been with elementary students who are just beginning to read and English Language Learners (ELL). Its no secret, as I learned from Mr. Pollock, that students who feel intellectually valued are more engaged in class. While working with second grade students, I would facilitate large group discussions during “circle” story time. Students would share their knowledge and personal experience as it related to the text. The exercise gave students the opportunity to hear different perspectives and to increase understanding of the subject. The discussions also helped students with limited subject knowledge connect to the text. For instance, while reading Patricia Polacco’s Thunder Cake, students without access to grandparents could learn about those types of relationships from those students who did have access. The children also learned that, while not all grandmothers bake cakes, they all have something to share.
During my studies here at NCSU, I’ve become a big fan of Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). ZPD is a wonderful tool for capitalizing on students’ strengths and promoting student ownership of the learning process. I like the notion that every student is the “more knowledgeable other” (MKO) in regard to something. Each student has something of value to contribute to the success of the class. I believe that my job is to provide a wide variety of relatable texts and facilitate opportunities for each student to experience being the MKO.
Literate Self:
My experience with young adult (YA) literature is mostly through my children. The first time I became aware of the YA genre was when my daughter began perusing that section at the library during the summer before the seventh grade. I actually Googled it to find out what it was! There wasn’t a YA section at the library when I was a teen, and none of my teachers used that term. However, after reading several on-line explanations, I realized that most of what I read in high school fell into the YA category. The difference between YA literature then and now is that the subject matter is far more explicit today. With the target age being between 12 and 18, many of the gritty themes in this genre concern me. An ocean could fill the maturity gap that exists between the ages of 12 and 18. Before encouraging students to read graphic tales of incest, rape, sexuality, and suicide, it is important to know they are emotionally ready. I also want to be confident that the details are necessary to the telling of the story and not simply used for shock-effect.
One of the first series my daughter delved into was The Uglies Trilogy by Scott Westerfield. I believe the school librarian recommended them to her. I have skimmed parts of the books but have not done a thorough reading; however, I did appreciate the conversations these books sparked with my daughter. We discussed the value society places on appearance and who gets to define beauty. This launched her into an investigation of how the media packages beauty for our consumption. These books facilitated an important part of her development at a critical time in her life. A couple of years later, she connected these themes to Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. Her experience is an example of the positive growth that can result from reading YA literature that is developmentally appropriate for the student.
While I see a need for caution, the potential for YA literature to bridge the gap between modern teens and literary canon is too great to ignore. The same themes exist in canon literature; however, the subjects are usually handled with a delicacy that makes them perhaps too subtle for the modern palette. Literature helps us to explore critical issues, form opinions, and take positive action to make a better future. But, it can have this impact only if we read. For years I have had the practice of reading a classic work followed by a modern novel. I don’t specifically seek to link themes, but, inevitably there are connections that illustrate the basic desires and conflicts experienced by human beings have changed little over the years. Last week I finished Summer by Edith Wharton and now I am reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Both deal with women’s issues. The perspective offered by both novels helps the reader to see how far women have come in terms of freedom and equality and how far we have yet to go. I want to be well versed in YA literature so that I can help my students make these types of pairings to gain greater perspective. We can’t make a better future until we understand the past.
Virtual Self:
I have an affinity for classics and by-gone eras. My husband is a computer engineer, who for years has attempted to usher me into the 21st century. I resisted. Prior to returning to school, I rarely touched our home computer. I sent handwritten letters, read books printed on paper, and paid bills with checks delivered via the U.S. Postal Service. My husband has occasionally referred to me as his “misplaced Victorian”. That has dramatically changed over the past two years. Every morning, after putting the tea kettle on the stove, I boot-up my laptop and log-in to Moodle, Facebook, a variety of wikis, and several email accounts. I am an experienced user of several Web 2.0 tools. I even have had a little experience with Second Life prior to this class. Last Spring, I created an avatar to explore Second Life for a blog and podcast I created for ECI512 Emerging Technologies. My in-world SL experience was fascinating, but I wish I’d had a guide. I am looking forward to learning more about SL and its potential applications for education. While in-world last April, I stumbled across an interactive classroom developed by high school teachers in Indiana. The main feature of the room was based on Dante’s Inferno. I would love to have the ability to put together an experience like it for my future students!
Goals:
1. Professional Self: I want to be able to create bridges between the past, present, and future using literature that will encourage students to think critically and talk about the challenges they face today, the lessons of yesterday, and the solutions for tomorrow.
2. Literate Self: My goal is to become more knowledgeable about the YA genre, to increase my comfort level with the themes addressed, and to develop the ability to pair YA novels with literature from canon.
3. Virtual Self: During my first experience in SL, I did not interact with other people in-world. I want to learn how to interact with others as well as how to connect to environments in-world that may be professional resources. I want to be able to incorporate 3D technology in my classroom in substantive ways. On a more superficial level, I would also like to learn how to customize my avatar in order to incorporate more of my personality.
Synthesis:
In a nut-shell, I seek to use 21st century technologies along with Young Adult and canon literature to engage the minds of my students and to empower them to think critically and to express themselves creatively and effectively.
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