Overall Reflection

What have you learned about yourself as a teacher (or future teacher) of adolescent literature (or English) in this class? What strategies will you take from this class to apply in either the Methods course next semester or your own English classrooms?

• During my semester in this class, I have learned to read books that I would never have thought about reading on my own. Yes, reading them was requirement, but I will think twice the next time I judge a book by its cover, such a cliche.
• I would like to use the different strategies we learned in this class. The one that I liked the most was the Fishbowl. I think it keeps the whole class involved in a different way that other strategies don't.
  

What books resonated the most with you? The least? Why? Which selections do you think should be kept/removed from the class?

• I really enjoyed American Born Chinese because of the format of the text. I was able to dissect the many stereotypes displayed throughout the text. I never would have read a text like this if it weren't presented to me in class.
  
• There was a tie for the books I liked least
• I didn't like Boy Meets Boy because of its unrealistic story line. I felt that half the stuff that went on in the text was so unbelievable that it shouldn't be taught in the classroom. I really didn't like that book.
• And then there was Twilight, I hated this book. It was so baaad. A boy should never have to read this cheezy story of a young girl falling in love with a vampire. It was awful.
  

Would it have been more helpful for you to read "classic" or traditional texts alongside the adolescent novel? For example, would reading To Kill A Mockingbird (a frequently taught text in the secondary schools) alongside Monster have yielded more realistic approaches for using adolescent literature in the classroom?

• I think it would have been beneficial to tie in a traditional text into this class because, as we all know, what is the likelihood that traditional texts will be removed from an English classroom? I think that if these traditional texts are taught with multiple strategies, students will like them more.
  

What are your perceived strengths as a teacher of literature at this point? What remaining weaknesses or anxieties do you have regarding teaching literature (or teaching students!) How might this class have better helped you to address these concerns?

• I am very passionate about what I teach and that is a definite strength that I have. I have a lot of fun in class and my students thrive off of my excitement

• My weakness' have to do with my lack of teaching experience. I am still not comfortable with the many teaching strategies and literacy lessons. However, I know that I will continue to gain knowledge and become proficient in this area.
  

Was the group-teach a valuable experience for you? What was beneficial? What was frustrating? What did you learn about yourself in this experience. Should this experience be included in future classes?

• I liked all of the components of the group teach. However, being a graduate student, and having other graduates in my group, we found it hard to meet as a group, away from the class. I learned a lot from the group teach and enjoyed teaching for the entire class period.
  

Skim through the blogs you wrote this semester. Was creating your own blog and responding to the literature in this blog each week a valuable activity for you? Why/why not? Would you consider using a blog with your own students?

• I really enjoyed blogging for this class. I feel that it was an effective tool to spark conversation before class started. Having this class only once a week, blogging allowed us to talk about the books throughout the week.
• I would definitely like to use a blog program in my classroom. I feel that it will give the "quiet" students an opportunity to share their thoughts.
  
• I like the way students can write back and forth and how anyone can see these conversations when they view the blog.
  

What recommendations or suggestions do you have for the content of this course. Was anything missing that you felt would have better prepared you? What was valuable to you overall? Feel free to address any other areas that may not have been raised here as well.

• Honestly saying that this was my most beneficial class this semester, I enjoyed everything we did this semester. Even though I didn't agree with some of the things that were talked about in class, it was a laid back atmosphere that allowed me to speak my own mind. By having lots of group talks and open discussions we were able to learn a lot about different techniques as an English teacher. I wouldn't change the format of the course, however I would like to have seen some good strategies to teaching a traditional text in the classroom. Knowing how I disliked traditional texts as a student I would like to know how to change this experience for future students.

• Thank you for a great semester!