Coming Full Circle

I have participated in numerous literature circles throughout my academic career.  Have I ever called them literature circles?  No.  I think my teachers did that for a reason.  It would be like going to a book club.  And in middle school and high school, the last thing you wanted to do was be involved in a book club.  While I always adored reading and talking about new books, at that age, that is the last thing any teenager wants to talk about with you.  Even though I read what I was supposed to and participated in discussion, my efforts were lackluster, simply because I figured my peers wouldn't appreciate it.

It wasn't until my senior year of high school in AP English.  About halfway through the school year, my teacher told us to bring in one of our favorite books and be ready to talk about it.  My hand shot up immediately -- "Does this have to be something we read for a class?"  I realllllly didn't want to talk about The Great Gatsby or The Scarlet Letter anymore.  She informed the class that it could be any book we wanted.  I got nervous because I didn't know how I would choose just one (huge nerd).  When we got to class the next day, everyone was enthusiastic when talking about their books; we gave plot summaries, character analyses,  major themes and symbols to the class with pride.  I realized that day that once we, as a class, were given the opportunity to discuss what we wanted to, there was no pressure.  We were excited about reading again.

In the very first pages of Literature Circles, Daniels mentions a teacher from Washington Irving school in Chicago.  Madeleine Maraldi meets with her fellow teachers and asks them: "How can we teach better?  What do we need to focus on, to learn, get better at?"  I wrote "YES!" in the margin of the book after reading this quote.  I think we're so quick to point out all the flaws in students that we rarely take the time to look at our teaching methods to see if there's anything we can adjust.  Now, I know this isn't true for all teachers; a lot of teachers I've had in class or met through observations are very keen on their methods and know when they need to change something.  However, when a school has a collective problem with students, then it's time to take a step back and reconfigure.

More to come later...

I definitely want to incorporate literature circles in my classroom.  There are definite pros to this technique, but also some cons.  In my high school, our class periods were 42 minutes long.  By the time everyone's settled, homework is checked and instructions are given, you've lost about 15 minutes.  I don't think this would leave me enough time for an effective literature circle.  However, that doesn't mean the school I will be in will be that way either.  The option was brought up in class about having an after-school lit circle session.  I think this is an absolutely fantastic idea.  However, some kids can't get rides or have other obligations after school, too.  If they are dedicated to the extracurricular activity though, you can count on them showing up.

Student choice is a large factor in literature circles.  I am all for student choice.  For me as a student, I feel like that is what motivates me.  As a teacher, however, I will need to know when to limit their choices.  Yes, I want them to choose their own book.  But it is important for me to know my limits.  Do I want to let them choose any book or do I want to give them a specific number of options and allow them to choose from that?  Another option with student choice is allowing them to determine which "role" they would be in the group.  It gives them some flexibility and lets them gain some responsibility on their own terms.