Reasons not to teach whole-class, teacher-selected novels

The comments to my recent post on why students don't read got me thinking about whole-class, teacher-selected novels and why they might not always be the best solution.  Of course, I realize that we are never going to stop teaching novels like this, but this kind of instruction is the dominant type in our field (especially in high school) and I think this is a mistake.

This installment is about the reasons against this type of curriculum.  I put these ideas out there to challenge the status quo.  In my eyes, it is dangerous to teach in a certain way without questioning why one does it and looking at the reasons to do it and reasons not to.  My follow-up installment will look at the reasons to teach this way (and my responses to the reasons).  We must constantly question our methods, look at both sides, and do what is best for our students.

The Four  Reasons Not To Teach Whole-Class, Teacher-Selected Novels:

1. Ignores that students have a variety of ability levels.  Reading one book for 30 kids assumes that every student in the class can access the book in their zone of proximal development.  Now, it is completely possible, but in today's world of inclusion classes, it is even more unlikely that every child will be at exactly the right level that challenges the students just enough to be educationally beneficially, but not frustrating.

2.  Ignores that students have a variety of interests.  Again, it is possible that 30 students would all have exactly the same tastes, but very unlikely.  This is what leads to students saying, "This book is boring."  It is boring - to them.  There are very few books that are universally appealing (and us thinking that it should be universally appealing to our students doesn't make it so).

3.  Focusses instruction on what students are to "get" from the novel and not on improving students' reading skills.  It is inevitable during a whole-class discussion that when a teacher sees that students are not "getting" part of the book, that they would want to correct it.  Great teachers find ways for students to do this themselves, but most teachers either clear up the misunderstanding directly or ask leading questions to clear it up.  This does not help students as they need to learn how to do all this stuff on their own.  In my experience and from what I've noticed from dozens of teachers and student teachers is that when you are teaching a whole class novel, the main concern is if students "get" the book.  We should be focussing on teaching skills so that students can do this work on their own for the rest of their lives.

4.  Does not foster students learning how to select books.  Yes, we need to expose students to books that they would not otherwise select on their own.  Adding to students' cultural capital is a prime reason for using teacher-selected books.  But, in the world outside of school no one will be telling our students what to read.  We should be teaching them to select books of their own.  When adults are looking for a book, we do a lot of evaluating in order to figure out if the book would be entertaining, useful, etc.  When students never have the opportunity to do that, they don't learn how to do it.  This then leads them to not know how to select books or, even worse, think that reading books is something only done in school and to be dictated by someone else.

All of these reasons contribute to students not becoming life-long readers.  Deborah Meier said at a speaking engagement recently that if when students leave us and go on with their lives and they never pick up a book, we've done something wrong.  We should be teaching students how to read (which includes what to do when they encounter a difficult text and reading for pleasure) and doing everything we can to foster a love of reading.  Whole-class, teacher-selected novels may not be the best method for doing this.

Next installment: Why we do use whole-class, teacher-selected novels and what's good about them?

Comments

[Zahira the Teacher]

This has helped me to understand part of the reason why my first attempt to read an entire class book failed miserably. Some students loved the book, others hated it, several didn't read it. We worked together on a book called Red Scarf Girl which I thought would be great for our memoir literacy theme. I'll be looking forward to your next blog on the reasons why teachers use whole-class books.

[anon]

I'm a bit confused--since not all the kids will be at the same level, you shouldn't teach them all the same stuff so that they could one day all GET to at least a minimum same level?

Or in other words, since it's never the case that 30 kids are at the same level, why teach?

[anon]

(to a classroom of 30 kids, that is, as opposed to having simply tutoring or home schooling.)

[Tim Fredrick]

We teach, not because we are trying to get all our students to the same exact level, but rather to move each child - no matter where they are with their skills - ahead.

In my opinion, it is unrealistic to think that all children in our classes will be on the same level. We want to get them ahead and all the research that I know shows that if you want to improve a child's reading skills, you give them books that are slightly challenging, but not frustrating. In other words, in Vygotsky's zone of proximal development.

We don't help students improve their reading skills by giving them the books we want them to be able to read eventually. That only turns them off if the book is too frustrating.

[asc;hoolyardblogger]

I didn't read carefully but am going to comment anyway. How bad is that? We don't always have the opportunity in life to have everything the way we want it. On this premise many teachers have taught very boring books to many kids, given out lots of F's and went comfortably to bed at night guilt free. I think there is a place for whole class reading - even of the most boring books. Once upon a time I taught a class of pretty much non-readers. More like gang bangers. I was young, stupid and ready to follow instruction. I am thankful for that because all the exterior crap led me to read to those kids some very boring books which together we decided didn't have to be so boring at all. Boring, depressing, futile are all things you can make if you want to. I think helping kids see the difference between want to and have to and making have-to into both a challenge and an opportunity is important. In teaching books you have a wonderful opportunity to show them the road to all kinds of success - if you take it. I think it is important to show kids their way into a whole class book so that later they can find their way in a neighborhood, city and country.

[anon]

--We don't help students improve their reading skills by giving them the books we want them to be able to read eventually. That only turns them off if the book is too frustrating.

Why? They learn to do dishes, don't they? Even thought the goal is simply that we want them to eventually do the dishes, right? and it's frustrating to them, isn't it?

Yet they learn to wash the dishes, and as adults, they wash the dishes.

If your only goal of teaching is to move each student ahead of where they were, why bother having schools instead of just having tutoring? Clearly they aren't having a common experience, so why pretend?

[Tim Fredrick]

Learning to do dishes is not so frustrating that it makes you want to give up.

Reading a book that is WAY over your head does make you want to give up on reading.

Yes, we need to give them CHALLENGING books - books that are just slightly ahead of them. We should not give them FRUSTRATING books - books that are so difficult the students think they are stupid and incapable.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step - not jumping ahead hundreds of miles at a time.

[Eric Jean]

I couldn't agree with you more.

Speaking as an English student, and not as an educator (yet) I think that an approach that privileges individual ability and interest over whole-calss novels is a must. Perhaps it need not be the only approach but space needs to be made in every teacher's currriculum for it.

Certainly, if whole-class novels had not be taught to me I would be imporverished by it: having to read certain books just because the teacher made me do it has enlarged the category of "books I like to read." (I also realize, however, that I was that student who was a 9 or a 10 on the scale and was willing to read just about anything because, guess what, I had success in the classroom so this was somethign I was "good at.") At some point you have to assign reading that may not be right up everybody's alley in order to try to broaden one's appreciation. Before switching my major to English, I abhored poetry. I was a bright student who could write about drama and prose but who felt as if he had no understanding of poetry whatsoever. It scarred the heck out of me. It took a great teacher to get me motivated, to encourage me go for it and nowI can't get enough of the stuff.

I do think, though, that this approach itself would work best when it is joined with a more individualized approach. I often think about how I will address these issues in my own classroom when I finally graduate. In many ways it is very frighteneing because I would love dearly for eveyone to care about literature as much as I do but realize that sadly, that will not be the case. Of course, I would hope that by individualizing our approach we would stand a better chance of at least increasing a student's appreciation. Anyway - I'm with you 100%.

I would qualify this whole idea of the scale and giving a level 6 kid a level 10 book. Sometimes, a level 6 kid is a actually a level 9 kid who never gave a dam,n and never really belived he could be a level 9 kid. So, while I agree that it makes more sense to tailor and scale the difficulty to the studetn, sometimes it is healthy to set the bar at 9. I had an English teacher who did that for un in my graduatuing year: he assigned a variety of research projects and expected from his students college level work in return. And of course he got it. Occasionally, when the bar is set too low... after all, it's easy enough to be a level 6 kid when level 6 will get you a pass...

I've rambled on for a little longer than I set out to.

Love your blog and I look forward to reading more!!!