British Literature Class Notes -- Week 14 (April 30)

Greetings!

Once again, the weather was beautiful, and my garden was calling my name.  As we're winding down our school year here at CHAT, students and teachers are getting ready to change gears.

We are on our final book, the 1915 espionage/thriller The 39 Steps by John Buchan.  The class seems to like the book.  Not only is it shorter, it has an engaging plot and feels more contemporary in its style.  In class we not only discussed the the questions that each student brought to class, but we watched excerpts from a 2008 BBC version of the book and a scene from a stage play.  The movies made from this book follow the serious, dangerous tone found in the book while the plays are more farcical.   We will finish the book for the last week in class.

This week, our final week together, we will finish our discussion of The 39 Steps and will also have a final exam.  I haven't decided if this exam will look more like a Bingo game or a game of Jeopardy.  At any rate, no studying will be required; on the other hand, students have mentioned that treat would be nice, so they may bring something to share with the class.

This Thursday is also the National Day of Prayer, and my community hosts a city-wide Prayer Breakfast; I will be playing on the worship team for this event.  Because of this, there is an outside chance that I may be a few minutes late.  I usually leave Northfield quite early to avoid heavy traffic, so I'm not sure what I will encounter leaving a bit later.  Students have been forewarned.

Finally, I've given the students one writing assignment for this semester:  a Reflection Paper.  I would like them to take time to think about what they've learned in this class.  They can include thoughts about styles of writing, themes, periods of literature, their personal opinions about various pieces, assignment lengths, and class discussions.  I'd prefer these reflections go deep rather than broad.  In other words, instead of a bullet-pointed list of all the particulars of the class, they could choose one aspect of the class and "unpack" it a little deeper.

Assignments for this week:

-- Finish The 39 Steps

-- Reflection Paper

Links for this week:

Class Notes

The 39 Steps (BBC version)

Drury Lane stage version of The 39 Steps

The Value of Reflection Papers

Looking forward to our class,

Mrs. Prichard

The Value of Reflection Papers

I've asked my students from my classes this year to write an end-of-the-year paper that will cause them to reflect on their classes and on themselves as students.  They groaned a bit because  they realized they would have to put some deliberate thought into this assignment.  

I thought I'd give some of my thoughts about reflective work that students can do in order to be more effective learners.  Reflection, put simply, is looking back and thinking about what you've done, where you've been, what activities you've been involved in, and what you've learned.  It's taking time to allow think about the information you've learned and your performance as a student.  When students take time to "think about their thinking," it affects their retention and enables them in future studies.

How does this happen?  Firstly, when a student is forced (at least that's how if might feel to him) to take stock of what he's learned and how he's learned, he owns his education to a greater degree.  He not only has learned stuff, but he's aware that he's learned it.  He also might be more aware of how he learned it.  Secondly, being reflective helps them in future classes.  The more a student is aware of how he learns, the better he will learn new material.  According to Republic Polytechnic in Singapore, "Learning is not just a process of accumulation of information. Instead it is about how the new knowledge that the learner encounters is integrated with his existing schemata of prior knowledge ... Reflective thinking is not only an organic component in the learning cycle, it is simultaneously the very ground from which knowledge and belief spring.  Reflective thinking, in short, is both process and product."

Other thoughts about reflection:
1.  Reflection helps turn an experience or academic information into genuine learning.  It's crucial for integrating material in a real way.
2.  Reflection helps a student assess his own goals, values, and progress.
3.  Reflection can help improve basic academic skills; it promotes a deeper understanding of the class materials and its relations to the rest of the world.
4.  Reflection papers force a student into higher level thinking by causing them to look at his own personal development, sense of self-awareness, and capacities.
5.  The writing process itself often brings new ideas to mind.