Response to Literature

Question: What is the essence of response to literature?

Answer/Quote: “At the center of the curriculum are not the works of literature. . . but rather the mind as it meets the book. The response.” Purves, 1972.

“In this statement, Alan Purves has articulated what many textbook writers promise but few actually achieve—a significant change in our way of thinking about the teaching of literature. If we, as teachers and researchers, accept Purves’ notion, our primary interest is no longer in students’ mastery of information (about historical period, an author’s life, a set of literary terms) or of a given critical procedure. Rather, our chief concern is with the reactions, perceptions, interpretations, and value judgments students make in response to a piece of literature.” P. 203.

Comment: Which can be enriched by the thoughts of literary critics. RayS.

Title: “Describing Responses to Works of Fiction.”  Lee Odell and Charles R Cooper. Research In the Teaching of English (Winter 1976). 203-225.

Teaching Writing

Annotation

Question: Does the method of study influence how much students learn in writing?

Answer: “Concluded that students in this investigation were able to meet the objectives of a community college freshman English course equally well through independent study and lecture-discussion. Apparently the method of teaching was not a crucial variable for these students.” ML Murdock. 1974. P. 418.

Comment: What was the crucial variable? RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English: January 1, 1974 to June 30, 1974.” Daniel J Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1974), 396-422.

Basic Grammar and Academic Improvement

Annotation

Question: What effect does a course in basic grammar have on academic improvement?

Answer: “Concluded that the teaching of basic grammar as a remedial device did not produce significant improvement in English I as measured by grade point average, nor did it improve students’ academic performance in six selected subject areas of later study as measured by grade point average.” DF Lovejoy. 1974. P. 418.

Comment: Set up grammar as a straw man. Why would improvement in basic grammar improve over-all academic performance in any subject? Courses are not measured by grammar alone. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English: January 1, 1974 to June 30, 1974.” Daniel J Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1974), 396-422.

Teacher Responses to Writing

Annotation

Question: What messages do teachers send when they respond to student writing?

Answer: “Concluded that teachers frequently send students differing signals of what is important in writing by means of their responses to student papers.” CR Kline, Jr. 1973. P. 417.

Comment: Not surprising. What messages do you send your students when you respond to their writing? RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English: January 1, 1974 to June 30, 1974.” Daniel J Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1974), 396-422.

Teacher Response to Student Writing

Annotation

Question: What types of teacher responses on student writing were associated with higher performance levels?

Answer: “Investigated the effects of two types of written teacher comments on four specific writing behaviors of 55 fourth-grade children; corrective feedback was generally associated with higher performance levels that was positive feedback on all variables.”  TS Schroeder. 1973. P. 415.

Comment: What does “corrective feedback” mean? Does it mean correcting spelling, etc.? How is the correcting done? RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English: January 1, 1974 to June 30, 1974.” Daniel J Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1974), 396-422.

Public Relations

Annotation

Question: How should teachers prepare parents for the teaching practices they use?

Answer: “Noted that parents are often an inhibiting force for the implementation of recommendations which are highly innovative and suggested that more time and effort be devoted to informing the general public as to what constitutes the best in teaching practice.” JE Wilwhite. 1974. P. 409.

Comment: A recommendation today (2012). RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English: January 1, 1974 to June 30, 1974.” Daniel J Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1974), 396-422.

Questions

Annotation

Question: What types of questions do student teachers use in the classroom?

Answer: “Concluded that the 62 student teachers involved made substantial use of the question as an instructional device, but that the preponderance of questions asked required lower intellectual processes.” F Hevener, Jr. 1974. P. 409.

Comment: Research has consistently shown that the intellectual level of classroom questions is low. However, in my opinion, the lower needs to be used to enable the higher-level questions. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English: January 1, 1974 to June 30, 1974.” Daniel J Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1974), 396-422.