Nancy's First Blog

Okay, here I am entering my first ever blog conversation, which is exciting on so many levels. I shared with my students that I am blogging and also shared my confessions of being "nervous" at trying something new. They chuckled at the thought of a nervous teacher attempting something that they perceive as second-nature. The blog has been a good thing already in that it has opened up a conversation between my students and I about taking risks, talking honestly with other learners, and sharing thoughts with other readers. So, thanks to Ruth for encouraging me to try something new.

I'm going to jump right into the discussion of chapter one since I am late getting started on the blog. This is the chapter that resonated so well with me and caused me to read so far ahead in the book. For me, this chapter answered the question that I so frequently ask myself as a literacy coach: "Why do teachers spend so much time focusing on rote knowledge?"

I am privileged to work with a very caring staff at the middle school where I am employed. They nearly always make teaching decisions based on what they perceive is in the best interest of students. Just as I was finishing chapter one, I had the experience of sitting in a meeting between an entire team of teachers with a group of nearly 200 students. The topic of the meeting was the students' "lack of work ethic." The lead teacher wrote the following on the board, "Knowledge=Power." The lecture involved the teachers talking about the importance of students completing homework and the opportunity the students have to fill their heads with as many facts as possible while they have the support of teachers who have so much knowledge "to give."

Chapter one of adolescent Literacy explains why some teachers believe knowledge, not thinking, is important. Namely, that it used to be true. In the 1980's and 1990's when many teachers were in school themselves, "The text held all the answers and skilled readers could discern that meaning by setting aside their own thoughts and instead focusing on the clues left by the author." In essence, yielding your own thought to the thoughts of an author or the teacher was desirable.

Now, creative thoughts are more in need. We live in an age where students will need to focus on "making meaning and connections" and "the multiple possibilities of any situation over seeking one solution." Many teachers grew up in one age and they are preparing students for life in an age that no longer exists. The book helped me to empathize with the teachers with whom I work. They believe they are preparing students for life by filling their heads with facts. By naming the issue, I can address it. For instruction to be effective, a philosophical shift will have to happen. The caring, passionate group of people I teach with will have to come to understand that divergent thinking, not rote memorization, is the key to success in the future. As long as teachers believe that "knowledge is power," they will continue to focus instruction on the bottom of Bloom's taxonomy.

Chapter one highlights a conversation that must happen between literacy coaches, administrators, and teachers. We can't create lasting educational reform without having this dialogue.

June Yazel: Introduction

I, like Ruth, am excited about this new opportunity to read and discuss this book as well as the impact it can make on our teaching. I have already connected with this book in so many ways. For example, in Kylene Beers’ introduction, the question arises, “Is there any chance of getting it right?” I have had this conversation many times with colleagues in my building. Looking back on my adolescent years, I imagine my teachers asked the same question. The world seemed so different then and the question doesn’t change, but our methods must! That is why this work is so important. I look forward to new to new insights in literacy.

In her introduction, Kylene Beers also describes a conversation between two teachers who recently attended the NCTE convention. Coincidently, I have just returned from this years NCTE in New York. I sat in a few sessions hosted or co-hosted by some of the contributors to this book: Janet Allen, Nancie Atwell, Kylene Beers, Sara Kajder, Teri Lesesne, Robert Probst, Tom Romano and Jeffrey Wilhelm. Of course, I took notes, but having this resource, I now have access to a much longer session hosted by all of those great literacy leaders plus many, many more. Ruth’s idea to create a blog around our book study of this work has opened up the “conference” on a whole new level! Thank you Ruth!

Finally, I would like to reiterate the fact that this book is not only for English teachers. In college I remember taking a “reading” course. The Professor asserted that we are all reading teachers, no matter our teaching license subject area. Naively, I scoffed at the idea. The many years in the classroom, NCLB, state testing requirements and having to fill out my own IRS tax forms have taught me otherwise. More than ever, we need to meet adolescents where they are and carry, push and/or guide them further down the road.

Ruth's Thoughts: Introduction

Looking down the names of contributors on the front cover made me want to curl up in a quiet corner of a library and just read, read, read from the front cover to the back. However, in the world of full-time work and living with a two year old, this was obviously unrealistic. So I settled with absorbing the book in pieces. And this may be even better, because I can savor it over time.

I love the way the Table of Contents in organized. It's a conversation in and of itself. Very cool. I also appreciate the wealth of information in the appendix. And following Appendix B is a gold mine -- brief biographies about each of the contributors and their EMAIL ADDRESSES! Wow . . . they care enough to want to continue having a conversation about adolescent literacy with the readers of this book.

I was struck in the introduction how the goal of this book is to be a "handbook that helps shape both public conversation and classroom practice" (xii). It's designed for all middle and high school teachers -- not just language arts teachers. Plus it's designed for school administrators AND local, state, and national policy makers. Wow. It's empowering to see a stand for all of us to come together and play together (so to speak). It's time that we all see adolescent literacy as part of our job descriptions. I'm looking forward to learning how I can help non-language arts teachers see the subject of adolescent literacy as a crucial part of their work as well.

Welcome

Welcome to The Dinner Party. This blog is designed to be a giant book club for educators interested in reading and discussing professional books. The need arose because the four of us formed a professional book club, but live miles apart -- even across state lines.

The title comes from Kylene Beers, Robert Probst, and Linda Rief's book Adolescent Literacy: Turning Promise into Practice. This is the first book (of many, I hope) that we will be discussing. If you wish to join us, order a copy (click here -- you can read chapter one on-line) and then comment-away!

Thanks for joining us!