Hello all! Welcome to my first post of my first Blog ever!
This first post will serve the purpose of helping me explore my two most likely I-Search Paper topics. I have narrowed it down from five, and my two choices are the two from the original list which I am the most connected to.
My first topic idea involves delving into students' experiences with in-school writing. Dr. Cook was right when she said that no one ever asks them--I was certainly never asked when I was in school. I love the idea of asking the kids what they think--they're so smart! You would think that'd go without saying, but in fact, I hear way too much about how dumb kids are. I would like to explore where the teaching of
writing starts. How does it start? What
are kids’ earliest memories of learning to write? Were the methods used when
they were learning effective? Did they help them become better writers later?
Do they even remember how they learned?
I want to go way back and figure out how it led students to where they
are now—successful writers or otherwise.
I would then ask how this relates to me teaching writing now. Are high school teachers really taking students’ needs into account when teaching writing?
What can I do in my classroom to make sure this is happening?
This project would require a fair amount of interviewing and fieldwork. I think it would be viable, however, because I have access to high school age students through my sixteen-year-old sister and her friends. I would also have to interview teachers, and I know a few who would be more than willing to help me out despite their busy schedules.
My second topic idea is inspired by Dr. Cook and my time in English 212 at RIC (aka Adolescent Literature). This project would delve into teaching Graphic Novels in the high school classroom. I was not introduced to Graphic Novels as literature until College, and I think that a pity. They seem to be entering the mainstream as I get ready to being teaching, and that is a truly wonderful thing. Reading Gods' Man in SED 445 this semester has reminded me of how important teaching through different types of literature can be in differentiating instruction for accessibility. It reminded me how much I loved other graphic novels I have read in the past. Craig Thompson's Blankets, for instance, is an absolutely magical coming of age novel that just happens to be a Graphic Novel.
I
see graphic novels used more and more in classrooms. I would like to find
teachers who are using graphic novels so I can talk to them about their
experiences. This project may also
involve speaking to students about their experiences (or lack thereof) with
graphic novels. I would also investigate
different methods for teaching graphic novels. I think this will be a very rich and interesting research topic which will keep me going in the months to come. There is so much to investigate here.
If you couldn't tell, I am leaning towards the Graphic Novel project. This is in part because I am really inexperienced with the medium, so I really would be searching for new and interesting information and ways of using Graphic Novels. I think this project would keep my research from becoming artificial.
I am actually really excited to pick a final topic and begin my I-Search. I hope anyone reading is excited to watch me explore!
Allie: Gah! I like both topics very much. One thing to do to help you decide is to try to formulate research questions from the topics to see if there are viable questions to ask of this area. For instance, is you question really: How do you use graphic novels in the classroom? Or, might you refine it a bit so that it's more focused (ahem!) on teaching writing...so, How can graphic novels engage student readers and writers? A question that tells me that you're thinking about writing, writing, writing all the time. (This is the problem...English teachers favor reading and books and reading and reading...over time, it becomes an avoidance of writing instruction...so, I'm trying to prevent that slippage!) With the graphic novels project, there is certainly more self-study involved, which may sound good to you, since you're in the field a lot this semester for practicum and, well, double dipping while in the field for practicum isn't something I want to promote! Also, I could serve as a resource for you...I have an extensive collection of graphic novels and access to scholarship on using them in English classrooms.
ReplyDeleteYour next step is to experiment with questions and specific areas of inquiry within this broad field. What do you want to come out of this project? Do you want to read, say, three new to you graphic novels and devise lesson ideas from them? Do you want to read scholarship on the subject? Talk to teachers? So, within the field you've now carved out, begin to think about specifics, refining, the whys and the wheres. Also, how is this work important, or potentially important, to other teachers of writing? I'm excited that you're excited! Keep going!
Allie,
ReplyDeleteI love your idea of asking the students so much! I love that you are going to be that kind of teacher. We need more like you out there!
I never looked at Graphic Novels as platforms for endless possible assignments. Our class has shown me through all of your amazing idea's how endless the spectrum can reach so I think that's a great subject to explore too.