Readings of Reading

What do we hope to teach in teaching literature, and how can we best serve that purpose? These are questions that are no less urgent than they are fundamental, and should, in fact, be constantly in our minds as we engage in our practice. This discussion will entail a conversation between the theories behind, and the process of, teaching literature to adolescents, with a series of observations and thoughts rooted in specific texts and classes. I will start by querying how we define our mission, and then situate this debate in its historical context. I will look at how current influences are affecting this mission, before examining in a more granular sense how we attempt to trace progress and process. I will root this discussion in both theory and practice, utilizing my own teaching and extant student artifacts. I will argue that the elliptical nature of the process means that our assessment must be multifaceted, and that a mirror elliptical approach on our end can yield richer understandings, for both teacher and students.