Every year in English Language Arts (ELA) classrooms across the United States, teachers meet with resistance when they introduce dusty, old classics. Students declare the heralded tomes of canon to be irrelevant to their modern lives. Yet Hollywood has produced blockbuster contemporary adaptations of some of the very works students grumble about reading. Teens flocked to the contemporary rendition of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew called 10 Things I Hate About You. The movie has become a cult classic that also inspired a television series. Likewise Clueless, the popular 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, is another box office hit that resulted in a television series. Filmmakers have turned literary canon into a recipe for success in the teen market. Clearly the messages of these stories still resonate with young adults. The themes represented in classic literature were relevant yesterday, are relevant today, and will still be relevant tomorrow because they embody the very heart of the human experience. Our challenge as educators is to help students connect with the core truths of these great works.
Young Adult Literature (YAL) represents an opportunity for teachers to do for education what screen writers have done for the film industry, only better. Much like the reconstructed classics on film, original YAL titles mirror the values and lessons found in classic works in fresh and intriguing ways. By skillfully pairing classic novels with YAL titles, teachers can build bridges to connect students with great ideas and lessons from the past. After students analyze and identify the central themes of a YA novel, they will be able to extend this knowledge to the same themes in real world events and in canon literature. Joan Kaywell has written a four volume series entitled Adolescent Literature as a Complement to the Classics that addresses this very issue (2000). The potential for these text-to-text connections is limited only by our ability to successfully pair canon literature with YAL so that students are able to see the relevance of the classic text being studied.
Without necessarily identifying it as such, educators are using YAL as Vygotsky’s More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) to construct bridges for students to connect with issues and concepts in the realities of the past, present, and future. Vygotsky, a Soviet psychologist and educator, believed that employing the use of an MKO in the learning environment would facilitate and even speed student acquisition of new knowledge (Packer, 2008). One critical component of his theory is the idea that all new systems are infused with the features of those that preceded them (Levykh, 2008). As such, we can learn a lot about today by taping into the knowledge contained within the MKO. A great deal of controversy exists over whether or not Vygotsky intended the MKO, along with his concept called the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) in which the MKO and student collaborate to form new knowledge, to become the centerpiece of his constructivist learning theory (Guk & Kellogg, 2007). Nevertheless, with the growing popularity of constructivist learning theories, the MKO and ZPD have become buzz words in modern education. Because Vygotsky was unable to complete these concepts prior to his untimely death, they have remained open to wide interpretation. However, it is generally accepted that the MKO can take a variety of forms both animate and inanimate provided it has the ability to help students reach new knowledge.
Many educators are successfully using YAL, in the role of MKO, to help students gain new perspectives about history, social and political movements, and concepts such as justice. Leona Fisher states, “as symbolic tropes, bridges signify simple transitions, complex challenges, even impossible hurdles” (2002, p.129). The similarity to the MKO, who helps students make transitions, face complex challenges, and reach heretofore unattainable learning goals, is unmistakeable. She goes onto explain, using a rather complex music metaphor, how literature can become a bridge that helps students develop new understanding. Fisher stresses that bridge texts must gradually move students from culturally learned perspectives to new understanding by systematically expanding the readers’ frames of reference. In this way, YAL becomes a bridge to create understanding about social justice issues of the past and the present. Fisher uses Judith Kerr’s When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit to help students gain new perspective about the Holocaust and Annie on My Mind, by Nancy Garden, to help students develop empathy regarding the struggles faced by Gay and Lesbian teens. Similarly, James Landman, the Associate Director of the American Bar Association Division for Public Education in Chicago, advocates for the use of both classic and YA literature as a bridge to create new knowledge about justice and our legal system (2008). Landman suggests using Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Louis Sachar's Holes, and J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series to discuss themes of injustice as well as the attributes of a just legal system. He explains that, “by figuring out what is wrong with the law in Wonderland, students can gain a sense of how the law should function in the real world" (p.2).
Kornfeld and Prothro explain that the characters found in fiction offer examples for addressing the issues of the past, present, and future (2005). The characters in books serve as models for the reader to learn how issues might be resolved or how change can be achieved. Although Kornfeld and Prothro do not explicitly connect literary models with Vygotsky’s (MKO), they are, in fact, placing the characters found in books in the unique position of helping students reach a level of understanding that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to attain. Marc Aronson observes that books, in addition to individual characters, are capable of bridging the gap between the themes of yesterday and today (2003). Aronson goes onto to suggest, “one way, then, to bridge the generation gap is to write a book that is so true, so powerful, it captures the essence of adolescence, rather than the vagaries of growing up in one time or another” (p.88). Not every YAL novel or central character is capable of bridging the gap between classic and modern literature, but the possibilities grow with every YA novel published.
Exposing students to high quality YA literature that bridges understanding and provides literary role-models is not enough. Students must have opportunities to synthesize ideas and solutions presented in literature and to use it in the creation of new knowledge. This type of exploration and synthesis occurs naturally within the ZPD. Teachers must deliberately establish this constructivist environment, a laboratory of thought, if students are to apply newly gained knowledge.
Steven Wolk suggests applying Reader Response Theory and the use of essential questions to facilitate student creation of knowledge (2009). The essential questions are pulled directly from the texts being studied. Regarding the use of essential questions he states, “unlike transmission teaching, these questions do not have single correct answers, so students are immersed into a classroom experience that values listening to multiple perspectives and thinking for themselves” (p.666). Employed in combination with bridge texts and characters or novels serving as the MKO, Wolk’s use of Reader Response turns the classroom into Vygotsky’s ZPD. In this space, students share their understanding of text to explore possible solutions to essential questions. The collaborative nature of the process helps students to discover multiple solutions to relevant and meaningful problems. Vygotsky suggested that this was a developmental process in which the individual moves beyond mere acquisition of facts to a level of knowledge creation that indicates a transformation of the architecture of the mind (Guk & Kellogg, 2007). However, as Guk and Kellogg observe, it is difficult to prove that the social context of the learning environment or the MKO is responsible for the student’s intellectual growth. Students may arrive in the ZPD prepared to receive, process, and synthesize information due to something outside of the learning environment and possibly completely within the child.
Because YAL is popular with students and capable of presenting complex themes, it might be tempting to abandon canon literature altogether. Wolk points out that our students need the historic perspectives offered in older texts. He states, “citizens cannot make informed and critical decisions on civic matters from affirmative action and gay marriage to criminal justice and war without an understanding of past people and events. Knowledge of the past should help shape our opinions in the present and our vision for the future“ (p.668). Certainly, this thinking is consistent with the democratic and social rhetorics of John Dewey and Fred Scott (2001). Canon literature offers a wealth of historic perspective on mankind’s ability to deal with the essential questions facing humanity.
The literature clearly demonstrates that educators are successfully using YAL to connect students with history, modern social justice issues, and complex concepts. Furthermore, as Kaywell (2000), Landman (2008), and Wolk (2009) illustrate, canon literature can be used to broaden students perspectives of these problems while informing them of past solutions as well as failures. More than providing an avenue for connecting with issues and concepts, I believe that YAL provides the necessary foundation for students to connect with canon literature and derive pleasure from the experience. Many adults can remember casting aside some loathsome text in high school only to discover decades later that it is a priceless gem. Life experiences help us to recognize the fundamental truths represented in old, or even ancient, texts. YAL, functioning as a MKO, is capable of bridging this gap in perspective as it bridges the other gaps previously mentioned. Some may argue that one cannot prove YAL’s successful employment as the MKO, but I believe a long-term study would provide anecdotal evidence that would be difficult to refute. As students detect familiar themes within canon literature, they will recognize the works as relevant to their lives and, therefore, as valuable. Repeated exposure to classics paired with similarly themed YAL will help students acquire life-long appreciation for the wisdom expressed by our predecessors. As Wolk eloquently writes, “We need to help young adults understand that between those covers is the world past, present, and future and the emotion and complexity of the human condition. As educators, we need to help students to see that inside these provocative books are stories that can help us to better understand ourselves, who we are and who we want to become. And by doing that within a community of learners we can help students (and ourselves) learn to act to make a better world” (p.672).
As my Action Learning Project (ALP) for ECI 521 Learning with Young Adult Literature, I will conduct a small-scale experiment using YAL as a bridge to facilitate student understanding of Shirley Jackson’s classic short story, The Lottery. While the plot and action of this story still have the power to hold the attention of students, they typically find it irrelevant to their modern lives. The thought of sacrificing another human being for the good of a community seems utterly medieval. Some may make connections with more recent events such as the Salem witch trials and slavery in the United States, but this is still far removed from contemporary life. I have established that educators are currently using literature to bridge understanding of concepts and historical events. Therefore, YAL should be equally effective in constructing bridges of understanding to the themes found in classic pieces of literature. The lesson plan for my ALP employs excerpts from Going Where I’m Coming From, by Anne Mazer, as the MKO that will bridge to student recognition of relevant themes in The Lottery. After reading Jackson’s story, we will use Reader Response theory to develop a working definition of the concept of lotteries and to generate essential questions about the possible roles they play in our lives. Then each student will select and read a short story as a means to research the essential questions they identify. Acting as the MKO, these stories with familiar settings will help students move beyond culturally learned perspectives to a new awareness of twenty-first century social justice issues. They will transition to knowledge that certain people groups are either favored or disadvantaged based on hegemonic practices eerily similar to the one in The Lottery. As students begin to answer their essential questions, I believe they will be able to extend this knowledge beyond the literature and identify lotteries presently at work in their own communities. Raising student awareness that social injustice was not only prevalent yesterday but continues today empowers them to create a better tomorrow. The themes in The Lottery will no longer seem far-fetched and irrelevant.
The research I have done on the use of bridge texts and text-to-text connections is profoundly shaping my approach to literacy instruction. During my secondary education in the late seventies and early eighties, novels were taught in isolation. Sometimes students were able to connect with canon texts and other times the readings were viewed as a form of torture. With the availability of high quality YAL, I can no longer imagine teaching canon classics without constructing a link with bridge texts to facilitate student learning and enjoyment. Vygotsky believed that the MKO would help move students from a position of objects of history to one of being agents of history (Packer, 2008). As an educator, I want to empower students to shape a better future. YAL is one tool for making that desire a reality.
References
Aronson, M. (2003). Beyond the pale: New essays for a new era. New York: The Scarecrow Press, Inc. Lanham, MA
Fisher, L.W. (2002). “Bridge" texts: The rhetoric of persuasion in American children's realist and historical fiction. Children's Literature Association Quarterly, 27(3), 129-135. Retrieved from Project Muse http://muse.jhu.edu/
Guk, I. & Kellogg, D. (2007). The ZPD and whole class teaching: Teacher-led and student-led interactional mediation of tasks. Language Teaching Research, 11(3).
DOI: 10.1177/1362168807077561
Hobbs, C. L. and Berlin, J. A. (2001). Chapter 8: A history of writing instruction in school and college English. Mahwah, NJ.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Kaywell, J. (2000). Adolescent literature as a complement to the classics. Volume 4. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc.
Kornfeld, J. & Prothro, L. (2005). Envisioning Possibility: Schooling and student agency in children’s and young adult literature. Children’s Literature in Education, 36(3). DOI:10.1007/s10583-005-5971-2
Landman, J. (2008). Using literature to teach the rule of law. Social Education, May-June. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6541/is_4_72/ai_n29438671/
Levykh, M. G. (2008). The affective establishment and maintenance of Vygotskyʼs zone of proximal development. Educational Theory, 58(1), 83-101.
Mazer, A. (1995). Going where I’m coming from: Memoirs of American youth. New York: Persea Books
Packer, M. J. (2008). Is Vygotsky relevant? Vygotskyʼs marxist psychology. Mind, Culture, and Activity, 15, 8-31. DOI: 10:1080/10749030701798607
Wolk, S. (2009). Reading for a better world: Teaching for social responsibility with young adult literature. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52(8). May, 2009, 664-673. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27654329 .
Hi! What you propose is so interesting! How did it go? Would you mind sharing the results of this exercise?
ReplyDeleteThanks!