Book Clubs and other eclectic items

Scratch that, reverse that. I'm starting off with the eclectics: (So eclectic it's totally unrelated to the reading, last week's class, and probably the course in general)

I just need to vent about the state of education in my home state. My brother shared a story from my mom, a teacher, about the effect standardized tests are having. There is a standardized test students take every year, but scores for all students are only kept through a certain grade level. After that, they only keep the scores of students benefiting from their special programs. The problem? If I'm a student in a higher grade, who may need extra assistance, I can only get that assistance by looking at previous scores. Which they won't have, because they stopped keeping them. Why are the people selling tests determining who gets help? Grrrr.

The other great story from my home state is that the state superintendent of education has decided that all incoming 9th graders should be provided a laptop (courtesy of the state). In theory it will save the state money, because they won't have to buy textbooks. (Really? Explain that to me...) The only people who think this is a great idea is the superintendent and a few big businesses. My brother (a senior) laughed--he said the laptops would get trashed, and no one would pay attention in class. What are your thoughts?

So, now that I'm off my soapbox, lets move on. How was class? It was a pretty good one, and I must agree, old fashioned valentine's are weird. Also, I really liked the hook questions. They are kind of like another version of story problems, perhaps a more effective use of story problems.

In terms of Monday's discussion of transfer: I don't think this was a new concept, it was just giving it a name. I think we have pretty much covered it, but I do have one more thing to say--a mini soapbox. There seemed to be some disdain for comparing Egypt to France, because France was too outdated, not as relevant, and couldn't we get something more recent to compare it to. May I point out that the point of transfer is that it isn't dated? What a great thing to teach students, that something that happened over 200 years still has relevance--that people are fighting for the same things now that they did then. Also, what a great chance to look at how the world has changed. It makes history relevant and gets us thinking about ourselves and our world. I think it is an excellent demonstration of what transfer is all about. It could also be a great theme for a book club--revolutions throughout time. (groan--cheesy transition)

So, I am a huge fan of reading, and discussing what I read. I have been in a book club once, and enjoyed it, but I think I participate in an ongoing informal book club with my family and friends, and in the context of SI and classes, with colleagues and peers. I think that Hoffert's article presented some great suggestions for libraries in terms of book clubs, and the untapped potential for these groups. The thought that just popped into my head is, "What would a thematic Socratic Seminar look like?" Could be interesting.

The Socratic Seminar readings were also interesting. Okay, I confess, Metzger's was interesting. Tredway's was informative, but a little drier. (And, it really wasn't that dry, so what am I complaining about?) I wasn't completely sold on the idea after Tredway--I mean, it has value, and that is clear, but what really sold me was Metzger's application. I love the way Metzger made the Socratic Seminar work for what she needed. Not only were students gaining new insight and knowledge about literature, they were learning to read a wide variety of texts and comprehend them. They were learning how to deconstruct an argument, how to think and form ideas--reading skills, yes, but also thinking skills. Sweet! And, I must say, what an intimidating undertaking. This type of experience requires a lot of trust and openness. Metzger was asking her students to put themselves on the line, and fortunately they rose to the challenge, with really amazing results. Would it work in every setting? I don't know. Could you conduct a Socratic Seminar with first graders focusing on sounding out words? Maybe, but do first graders have the attention span and cognitive ability to pull off that type of thing? I really don't know.

As I read, my general impression was a Socratic Seminar has a more specific purpose, a more educationally oriented intent, than a book club, which is more relaxed and less structured in terms of purpose. I think the discussion that takes place can be quite similar, depending on the book club members, and I wouldn't discount the ability of book clubs to have a profound effect on the thinking and reading skills of participants. In that regard, the two formats are quite similar: they encourage collaboration, open discussion in non-hostile (ideally) environments, and you get to read awesome stuff.

In summation, fabulous readings, valuable suggestions, ideas and insights, and now I really want to read a good book and talk about it with someone. (Just started Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins. One step down...)