Identify a question relating to your own professional context or personal interest that you would like to probe at depth (e.g., What does 21st Century Learning mean? How did the professional standards within my own professional context evolve and how do those standards promote innovation in teaching and learning?)
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| I promise we're not going to make a habit of putting my face on every post (lol) - just for the intro posts |
In my last post, I identified four possible questions and in the process came to the one I wanted to explore. It was also the one in my list which was not really phrased in a question:
(d) I teach New Media 10 as an alternative to your traditional English 10 course. We do film studies over novels, rhetorical speeches over poetry, ads/ commercials over short stories. The course is sort of "innovative" in and of itself, in the sense that it redefines what it means to study English and communication. I've taught this course for 4 years now, and what I've noticed is that my students go into New Media 11, and then mainstream English 12, with this idea that books are bad and Shakespeare is "hell on Earth." There's no one to say that we can't do novel studies or plays in a New Media classroom - and I've been feeling over the last year or two that we really should. It just pains me to hear kids boast in Grade 11 that they "got away" with "not reading" last year - in my class.As if in retaliation, I've been spending the minutes before each bell reading at the front of the room and during non-meeting lunch breaks. I feel like I have to defend my identity as a reader, in teaching self-professed non-readers who take a class that doesn't have extensive reading.When I first created my New Media 10 course, I wanted to innovate to the max - hence why we had the units and materials that we did. But I am starting to think that sometimes, innovation doesn't mean throwing everything to the wayside. And it's not just about keeping "the good stuff" and adding original pieces. I think what I need to do is learn to take that "good stuff" (I'm talking novel studies and Shakespeare, folks) and reform it, remodel it, repurpose it so it works within this context of New Media.
So how do I phrase this into a concise question? The themes that emerge from this topic are as follows:
1. a tendency to associate innovation with not replacing "the old with the new," but trashing the old for the new
2. my students associate New Media with the "non-literary," "non-reading," "non-Shakespeare" English. And while these are the main proponents for why say they like the course, I also find deep problems with this mindset. I think I've created the wrong image of this course, and of English Language Arts as a study
3. Being the creator and sole instructor of a course, and realizing there are problems that need correction
I believe in New Media as a stream of ELA, with every fibre of my being. I have enjoyed taking my academic studies into visual blended metaphors, and making it accessible to a Grade 10 audience. It is so rewarding to me, to hear students dissect a commercial they see on YouTube, or an ad on the bus, and articulate what how they employ logos or ethos or pathos (in)effectively. This course attracts students that don't typically enjoy English, those who are reluctant readers, and those who may have additional barriers when it comes to language comprehension and output. And I believe in this course because I have seen it empower my students with dyslexia, my students who are ELL, my students with a variety of LDs.
But Grade 12 is a standard, mainstream course. They are required to read Shakespeare and read multiple novels. We do 4 essays, at minimum, in my course, but we don't have the heavy reading aspect. I know that New Media 11 is the intermediary, that prepares them for mainstream 12, but I also think I should be adjusting my course to correct the message that it seems to be sending to the students.
Gentle readers, colleagues, please help me: I am struggling to verbalize my question, but does this seem to encapsulate all that I've articulated?
To what extent does "innovation" mean a replacement of convention?
In the context of my New Media 10 course, how can I redefine "innovation"
to mean, instead, a strategic/ sensitive synthesis of the "old" with the "new?"
Hi Kaitlin,
ReplyDeleteThis was a fabulous post, and I enjoyed reading it and following along with your thought process immensely. I touched on this (in a more cursory level) in my first blog post where I talk about babies and bathwater. I think your question above (red highlighting) perfectly summarizes the dilemma you've articulated in your post. I was also an English major (because I loved English, and not just because I couldn't figure out what else to major in!), and my back always tenses when people criticize the classics or make fun of poetry. That said, your media course sounds extremely interesting, and something I would have loved to explore in high school - in conjunction, and not in place, of my English literature courses. That said, as a high school student in the 'main stream', I probably would have resented finding out that some students took a 'fun, non-reading course' where I had to slog through thousands of pages and hundreds of stanzas of often challenging literature. Yes, I loved English - but not as much as teenaged free time!
I look forward to following your journey - in part because it's really interesting and valuable (obviously to you, but also in general), and in part because I am a huge fan of your writing thus far.
Thank you so much for your kind feedback! And you bring up a good point about how the course, as it stands, could do a disservice to those in mainstream - the whole "it's not fair" kind of thing. All comes down to a fine balance, doesn't it.
ReplyDeleteI think your suggested definition of "innovation" as strategic / sensitive synthesis of the old with the new is brilliant! I feel like it strikes an important balance between the past and the future AND adds the extra dimension of critical thought by questioning what are the goals of innovation (strategy) and what is appropriate (sensitivity). This critical thought is sometimes absent, yet incredibly important, especially when we consider innovation in education, where systemic changes affect so many.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think you are incredibly brave for sharing your innermost reflections on a course you created. Teaching a course for a few years allows you to look back at the decisions you took in the beginning and see what affects these have had on your students. The fact that you are seeking ways to improve the course, for the long term benefit of students, shows that you are flexible, insightful, and resilient.
Looking forward to continuing to follow you here, M.