A Response-Based Approach to Reading Literature

Every time I read an article, I think of how I can incorporate it in my teaching. My view of what a teacher is has changed so much since I started the education program. I used to fill inadequate. I thought that in order to be a teacher, I needed to have all the answers, I needed to know the curriculum inside and out, otherwise, I wouldn’t make it. 

When I went to high school, I had this idea that teachers were always right and that there was a right answer to every question. After reading up on a few articles, especially this one, “A Response-Based Approach to Reading Literature” by Judith Langer, I have found that teachers don’t need to have answers, but they need to help students to understand that there is more than one answer to every question.

In the article, it discusses two different kinds of text, literary orientation and discursive literature. My all time favorite part was when Logan explained the concept of horizon.  “ . . .Referring to the fact that horizons never lead to endings but continually advance . . . “ This is what literature is all about! I have been in English classes where we are discussing a poem, our questions lead to more questions and even though we never reach a conclusion, when class ends we keep thinking. Those are the times when I feel I have learned the most.

After reading about the concept of horizons and how literature should be a tool that helps students to see beyond the information, I have found in the classroom I observe at, that my teacher limits students’ ability to think outside the box. We were discussing the move, “Finding Nemo,” trying to pinpoint when the father, Merlin, decided to become a hero. Students were shouting out different ideas, I had an idea, but the teacher, without letting the students explain, decided that his answer was the right one. I was caught off guard when it was not the same answer that I was thinking. I had a strong desire to raise my hand and tell him my idea and my reasoning behind it. Instead, the students agreed, with the teacher and we moved on. This instance goes against what I have been learning. This discussion could have demonstrated the horizon concept, but instead students were told that the question only had one answer.

As I read about different pedagogy's and observe my cooperating teacher, I am finding what kind of teacher I want to become. It is great to see that I can take ideas from what I learn and combine them to form my own unique style. This has been a great learning experience for me and I hope my views on education continue to grow and shift.