Blog Post #2 - Reading, the Lost Art and New Educational Varieties

Why Read?

            Reading is a fundamental cornerstone of education and, arguably, civilization.  The ability to read provides access to an enormous amount of information.  But, the ability to read well allows one to comprehend and apply information in useful and meaningful ways.  There is a vast array of literary fiction and non-fiction works that I believe are more than worth our time to read, analyze, and discuss.  Unfortunately, it would seem that common cultural trends in entertainment have assisted in making the art of reading less popular and increasingly infrequent.  As a future educator it is my goal to make a contribution to turning this trend around.  It is my desire that students not only become interested in reading, but that they learn the value of reading.  Reading well requires experience, patience, and insight.  In short, it is an art.  To help students begin to discover the importance of reading it is paramount that educators get students interested in reading. The rest of this blog post is dedicated to discussing the variety of texts and genres that will hopefully encourage students to pull themselves away from their televisions and computers and pick up a book.

 Muse reading a scroll, perhaps Clio (Attic red-figure lekythos, Boeotia c. 435–425 BC). Public domain.

Expanding Reading Variety and the Ontario Curriculum

            Since I am a teacher candidate in Ontario it is important that I understand and abide by The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8 Language.  The document states, “By reading widely, students will develop a richer vocabulary and become more attuned to the conventions of written language.  Reading various kinds of texts in all areas of the curriculum will also help students to discover what interests them most and to pursue and develop their interests and abilities.”[i]  In my opinion, the key importance of this passage is that educators should be expanding their students’ reading interest and the variety of text made available to them.

            When I was a younger student graphic novels were the first genre I gained a passion for reading.  At the time this genre was not commonly accepted as a valid form of reading education.  Fortunately, times have changed and this genre is no longer as taboo in educational circles.  It is my belief that graphic novels are appealing to students because they offer a form of differentiated learning.  The text found in graphic novels is accompanied by vivid imagery which is both engaging and entertaining for students.  This format provides students with the ability to associate words, thoughts, and feelings, with corresponding images portraying these actions.  In our current era graphic novels have an expansive variety of content and are no longer limited to superheroes with capes.  Some offer some serious discussion and thoughtful commentary ranging from historical events (see Maus) to current developments in theoretical science (see Black Science).  Often graphic novels offer intricate plots steeped in moral lessons.  They portray friendships, conflicts, obstacles, goals, and many other relevant life lessons.  I also think they provide an excellent means to getting students hooked on reading at an early age.  Hopefully, if such an interest is established, it will influence a student's desire to read other literary genres.

            A good place to find free graphic novels online for students to enjoy and explore is: www.techsupportalert.com/free-books-comics This site provides over one hundred free titles to explore.

The Assassination Of Franz Ferdinand. Ana Santo. Centrifugal Stories. 

Fantasy, Sci-Fi, or Mystery?

            While I think graphic novels are a good way to get students interested in reading, I also think that fantasy, sci-fi, and mystery novels have a similar effect.  As with graphic novels, the fantasy, sci-fi, and mystery genres have often been excluded from literary educational settings.  I think this is unfortunate as the popularity of these genres is enormous.  In the recent past an entire generation of children have been raised on the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.  Currently, J.R.R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice (more popularly known as Game of Thrones) series are making record sales and receiving vast acclaim.  Growing up, I loved reading the mystery novels by Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, or the adventures of the Hardy Boys.  As for Sci-fi, Douglas Adam's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy must be one the most hilarious and creative series of books I have ever had the privilege of reading.  If students are interested in these kinds of books I think educators should provide encouragement for reading them.  The point is to get students interested in reading and to build a desire in them to continue reading.  The more enjoyable we can make this experience for them the more likely they will adopt the practice in their own time.  Therefore, I believe that expanding the availability of literary genres to suit student interests is a necessary practice for educators of literacy.  This is especially true in an age where the competition of digital entertainment is overwhelming and the value of reading is often overlooked.
           All the books mentioned should be available at your local library.  But if reading online is more your thing I found a site called  Free Novels Online that provides many books covering the genres I mention above and more.
            A link to free sci-fi novels
            A link to free mystery novels
            A link to free fantasy novels

The Hardy Boys. Stratemeyer Syndicate. 1927.

Final Thoughts

            While this post has focused on getting students interested in reading, it is also important that they begin to understand and analyse what they are reading.  That is, placing what they read in context, identifying relationships (e.g. moral, cultural, historical, etc.), and develop critical thinking.  My genius hour blog is a project dedicated to analyzing fictional literature using philosophical texts.  The connections made between philosophy and fiction might be interesting to students, further expanding their reading variety and critical skills.  This might prove a useful tool for students to use and explore.

Click here to go to my Genius Hour Project

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[i] The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8 Language.  Ministry of Education. 2006. 10.

Blog Post #1 - Understanding an Expanding Variety of Literary Texts

Introduction

       As a current teacher candidate at Brock University I have decided to dedicate this blog to developing something that would be useful for my upcoming teaching career.  I love literature and enjoy not only reading a variety of books, but also analysing and criticizing their various contents.  Hence, the title of this blog post summarizes nicely both what motivates and inspires me when writing these entries.

Chimpanzee Typing. Early Office Museum, New York Zoology Society. 1907. http://bit.ly/1RCRu3u. Public Domain.

       Since I want these posts to have academic value it is important that they accord with the expectations as outlined in The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8 Language.  In particular, I am focusing on the grade 8 curriculum for reading.  Hence, abiding by the Curriculum's specific expectations outlined for reading will be my priority here.  The curriculum states students must “read a wide variety of increasingly complex or difficult texts from diverse cultures, including literary texts” and “demonstrate understanding of increasingly complex and difficult texts by summarizing important ideas and explaining how the details support the main idea”.[i]  Naturally, other criteria listed in The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8 Language for reading will not be overlooked.  However, expectations regarding understanding and expanding familiarity with literary texts will make up the majority of the content of my posts.  With all of this in mind, I will soon begin my first blog post by discussing how students can get engaged with a wide variety of diverse texts.  But first I would like to say a few words regarding some of my views on digital technology and education.

         

A Critical Disclaimer of Current Trends in Education and Digital Media

Demotivational Grumpy Cat Poster. Sabrina Barekzai. July 28, 2014. http://bit.ly/1MnoFUg. Public Domain.

Current trends in education trend to focus on texts that are supplied by digital media.  This comes in the form of social media, websites of various integrity, and, *ahem*, blog posts.  While I have nothing against these forms of texts in general, I do think that they have a very limited capacity when it comes to higher order learning or thinking.  What I mean by this last statement is that as diverse as digital media might be, its popular content is usually devoid of intellectual substance (e.g. What are the Kardashians up to?), speech is truncated (e.g. Twitter: 140 characters or less), and, often enough, peer review is none existent (e.g. reddit.com).  While I think it is admirable that teachers want to keep up with the interests and concerns of their 21^st Century students, I do believe that the current digital media trend in education has some serious deficiencies.  To help clarify my position I will highlight just a few reasons as why I think this is the case.  First, social media tends to prioritizes information that is unworthy of an enlightening educational setting, such as gossip (celebrity or otherwise) and yes, I'll say it, pointless memes (seen any photos of someone's grumpy cat lately?).  Furthermore, digital media tends to demand concision, limiting complex debates and explanations to catch phrases, slogans, and other platitudes.  This truncated style of communication fosters a learning environment with little attention span, patience, or attention for detail and elaboration.  In my opinion all of these latter characteristics are necessary for reading complex and rewarding material successfully.  It is for these reasons that I think digital media can have an averse effect not only on how we inform ourselves, but also how we explain our positions and ideas.  Significantly, I will attempt to avoid these deficiencies in my blogs and try to keep my posts focused on what I view to be essential to having a good foundational knowledge and understanding of literary texts.

Let’s Read Some Books!

As the old saying goes, “there’s no substitute for the real thing”.  In terms of expanding student’s reading comprehension and knowledge of literature this means reading books.  The extreme majority of books that are published have been peer-reviewed.  Meaning they have gone through a vetting process which verifies their quality.  In my opinion, the latter types of texts are the type that are worth reading and are what student in turn should be encourage to explore. The easiest and cheapest way to do so is to visit your local library.  However, if you are preferring something more digitally friendly www.readbookonline.net provides access to thousands of free books, poems, plays, and essays on line for your reading pleasure.

       As I write my blog entries I will continue to compile resources that I find useful for expanding reading variety and understanding of literary texts.  It is my goal to inform my readers of the culturally rich and diverse body of literature that is out there and available to them.  I desire even further that people not only read the vast array of literature available but that they also engage in it, that they comprehend the morals and lessons many literary works portray.  I want to help students get more out of what they read by helping them engage in the kind of reading that can inspire them and aid them in their personal intellectual growth.

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[i] The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8 Language. 2006. 141. http://bit.ly/1Lep545