Response to Chapter Four: "The Essence of Understanding"

Ellin Oliver Keene's chapter in Adolescent Literacy: Turning Promise into Practice starts by providing a story in which the author led a class discussion of Toni Morrison's photo-essay Remember: The Journey to School Integration in way which promoted the students to connect to the major concepts of the work by learning how to read closely and by participating in meaningful class discussion. The chapter then goes on to define understanding and how it is achieved before outlining ways in which to promote understanding in the classroom. As I was reading I focused primarily on the story at the beginning of Keene's chapter. I found the story very inspiring as it illustrated the very discussions I wish to have in my own classroom one day. By having the students sit on the floor, Keene alerted the students that something different was going on and focusing their attention on her. This also allowed the students to take on a more relaxed posture, enabling them to feel more comfortable and willing to share. I was intrigued by the idea of using this as a possible hook for a lesson in the classroom as it seemed to really quiet and focus the students in the story. By reading and thinking through the essay aloud Keene was able to illustrate to the students how to approach the text, this gave the students a framework to follow when reading enabling them to participate in the group discussion with increased confidence. By following this framework, I as a teacher, can instruct my students not only in how to read critically but how to participate in a group discussion. Through the process of gradually phasing myself out, I can teach the students how to lead their own discussions enabling them to learn to think critically on their own. My primary goal as a future English teacher, is to provide the means for students to learn to connect to literature in a meaningful and pertinent way, hearing this story enabled me to envision how I might achieve this one day.