AUSSIE

Blog entry posted July 16th, 2009 by Jane Piper

There is a common misconception that literacy models which integrate student choice and a variety of text types (i.e. including multimedia texts from popular culture) only further serve to confound students’ limited exposure to influential and canonical texts from earlier eras. This, however, does not need to be the case. True balanced literacy is not an extraction of students from the challenging and influential texts from days of yore, but rather an access route to understanding – a framing of the unknown via references to the known. Within this process of framing, students recognize the pre-existing breadth of their cultural and literary knowledge, rather than a lack there of.

English teachers are often faced with the monumental task of engaging students with texts which appear inaccessible, outdated and even intimidating.  Canterbury Tales and Macbeth for 8th graders….even Beowulf and Julius Caesar for sophomores….ouch!  How can we support teachers in promoting an exploration of such texts?

I recently had the privilege of supporting the design and implementation of a differentiated project-based unit wherein the process of framing was fundamental to student engagement and success. In Jersey City the study of Homer’s The Odyssey is mandated for freshman students. In an end-of-day class of 25 strong-willed, energetic 14 and 15 year olds, active participation and co-operation is fragile at best. Throw Homer into the equation and one could be forgiven for not maintaining the highest of expectations.  Through the integration of varied texts - short films, paintings, comics, geographical maps, modernized prose adaptations and of course, The Simpsons - the epic poem was contextualized and illuminated by utilizing the students’ own frames of reference.

Ok, so this might all sound a little too post-modern. However, such approaches diffuse students’ feelings of detachment and alienation when faced with formidable texts. The process of framing the unknown via discussions of the known has the potential to engage, motivate and empower students. 

Balanced literacy does not advocate a move away from older more challenging texts nor is the classroom ‘dumbed-down’ via the integration of variety, popular culture and student choice. Rather, we are supporting and encouraging students to develop their tools of analysis, enabling them to feel confident exploring and responding to a range of texts – be it from A Brave New World to Blade Runner, The Odyssey to The Simpsons. Balanced literacy is based on striking a balance between explorations of the new to illuminate and guide students’ comprehension of the old, and explorations of the old in order to gain a greater appreciation of the new.

For more ideas on maximizing the balance between classics and texts from popular culture in your classrooms click here -  or share what you are doing in your classroom by posting a comment!

--Jane Piper, AUSSIE Consultant