A NEW APPROACH TO TEACHING LITERATURE

The New York Times recently published an article entitled “A New Assignment: Pick the Books You Like” discussing the movement to revolutionize the way literature is taught in America’s schools. The teacher community has been divided in whether or not this new approach is beneficial for students’ development in literature and reading.

An approach known as the “reading workshop” has been catching on in schools nationwide. Students choose their own books, discuss them individually with their teacher and one another, and keep detailed journals about their reading. In New York City many elementary schools and some middle schools already use versions of reading workshop. In September students in Seattle’s public middle schools will also begin choosing most of their own books. And in Chicago the public school district has had a pilot program in place since 2006 in 31 of its 483 elementary schools to give students in grades 6, 7 and 8 more control over what they read. Chicago officials will consider whether to expand the program once they review its results.

Applebatch.com wants to know what teachers think regarding this method. Critics of the approach say that reading the same book as a group generally leads to more meaningful insights, and they question whether teachers can really keep up with a roomful of children reading different books. Even more important, they say, is the loss of a common body of knowledge based on the literary classics — often difficult books that children are unlikely to choose for themselves.

What do you think about the reading workshop approach? Participate in our online teacher network to meet other K-12 teaching professionals and discuss important education topics such as this. It is important to stay connected to other educators and Applebatch is here to help.