In the absence of our list from the previous year, we began our small group’s meeting by discussing a few ways we might effectively address various strategies, characteristics, and traits of excellent writers, especially with a mind towards emphasizing how all of these might be sorted into the 3 categories from today’s meeting. Fairly early in our discussion, we determined that we all felt that each of the qualities of “enhanced literacy” helped to ensure the next; for instance, imagination begets critical thinking begets empathy. From here, we started sharing a few lesson plans that we felt illustrated this notion. The teaching techniques (effective or otherwise) and student skill sets (those that were a stated objective and those that were an unforeseen result) we discussed all demonstrate, to various degrees, critical thinking, imaginative involvement, and empathetic reactions.
Paula and Judy discussed a lesson wherein teachers read aloud to their lower school students a book about the San Francisco earthquake of the early 20th century. They pointed out that there was a deliberate emphasis on critical thinking, as the students were encouraged to put the event into a historical perspective as well as compare and contrast these events to other epoch-making moments in history, especially current events that the students might encounter while watching the news or looking at a recent newspaper. Imaginative involvement came about when the teachers encouraged the students to imagine themselves in a similar situation, asking what sorts of things from their own homes they might save if they were forced to leave in an extreme hurry. They also looked at various authorial techniques, especially alliteration and hyperbole (complimenting their unit on figurative language, generally), and asked the students to think about how these strategies of effective and evocative writing enhanced the experience of hearing this story and then emulate these techniques in their own composition. Empathy was achieved not only in imagining themselves in this sort of experience, but also examining the ways in which one’s cultural position in the early 20th century might have colored their individual experience; a person in Chinatown, for instance, would have had a very different experience from a person from the shipping district or a wealthy suburb.
Marilyn discussed how her daily discussion about literature at the secondary level generates questions and discussion points that are not meant to be conclusive, forcing interested students to dig deeper to arrive at a meaningful relationship with a certain work. She mentioned that she really feels that one of the most empathetic parts of her class often comes about in the conclusion paragraph of any given paper, where the student is forced to concisely determine and compose a “so what” closer that demonstrates true analysis and a deeper understanding. My own experiences complimented this, as I reflected how, so often while reading Romeo and Juliet, students find themselves not entirely clear on simple plot points of an assigned scene in the play, but can very accurately characterize the emotional quality of that particular section. This suggests to me that “enhanced literacy” is, quite naturally, deeply tied to a basic understanding of any text, but is not exclusively dependent upon an ability to comprehend difficult vocabulary and lengthy dialogue. Sometimes, I guess, you can really feel it, even if you don’t fully understand it.
So, here’s a list of skills and strategies I think we covered during our discussion, and perhaps a categorization based on our parameters of today’s department meeting:
1. Working in both large and small groups: Empathy. This forces students to consider others’ viewpoints. Also critical thinking, as students are able to listen to a variety of opinions as they form their own.
2. Reading aloud to students: Imagination. We all agreed that this technique should not be in any way limited to the Lower School.
3. Asking open-ended questions: Critical Thinking. Hopefully, this is learned and experienced early, so that when students arrive at each successive grade, their curiosity will compel them to reach beyond the in-class lesson.
4. Following up on previous discussions: Empathy. Even if you’ve changed your mind about something, remembering past circumstances that compelled a certain sentiment or idea can only help your ability to “put yourself in someone else’s shoes.”
5. Establishing a Collective Vocabulary: Critical Thinking.
6. Taking advantage of “teachable moments: Critical Thinking, Imagination.
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