Pytash: Final Reflection

This semester came and went really fast! One thing that I cannot say is that I did not learn anything. Teaching Literature in Secondary Schools expanded on the foundation that was laid fall semester. This semester I really like the collaborative lesson plans and expert groups that we did in class. Through these two activities we were able to engage, but also bounce ideas off of each other for lesson ideas. I really liked being able to discuss more creative and beneficial lessons for students, instead of depending on the traditional ways of assessing students' comprehension of literature.

Once again the text that we read to go along with course was amazing. I love reading and actually thinking about how I would and how I want to apply the ideas Jago includes in her book into my future classroom. She really made me think about aspects of teaching that I never really considered. I have never thought much about the types of books I would choose to use in my classroom; furthermore, I never contemplated the tremendous amount of decision making that goes into choosing which books to include. One aspect of this chapter that I did disagree with Jago is the emphasis that is put on canons. I would never say that canons are not important and should not be used in classrooms anymore, but I do believe canons should be balanced with young adult literature. I know that lessons of adversity, adultery, love, promiscuity, etc., could be taught from canons, but young adult literature can be more appealing to students and it adds diversity to lesson plans. I am really looking forward to the final project in class because it displays this idea of canons paired with young adult literature.

The most beneficial activities we did this semester was viewing lessons and creating lesson plans. This semester was the first time I had the chance to experience writing lessons and viewing the time and energy that goes into creating a lesson. The video that we viewed in class that I really liked was the one with the teacher who was giving her students a lesson using Shakespeare. The video was not that long, but I was able to see how she used an entry, mini lesson, large-group discussion, small-group discussion and closure. I guess I did not that lessons were planned literally from the beginning of the class to the end of class. After viewing the video I understand that it is extremely important for teachers to have their lessons completely planned out, so students can utilitize all of class time to engage in meaningful activities and learning.

Lastly, I love the classroom discussions that took place throughout the semester. It is nice to know that we share common grounds when it comes to concerns and passions. I also love the fact that we learn multiple activities that I plan on using in my classroom. We learning creative ways of creating groups, lessons for critical thinking and applications of themes. I feel like this course has made all of us more comfortable when it comes to teaching.