[etni] The literature module (again)
- From: "Ask_Etni" <ask@xxxxxxxx>
- To: "ETNI" <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:33:29 +0200
From: David Graniewitz - graniewitz@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: The literature module (again)
I am pleased to see that my comments have again sparked off
a lively and productive debate.
Let me start off by writing that in a perfect world, I would
agree wholeheartedly with Avi and Adele. I would much rather
be teaching literature than plodding my way through reading
comprehension passages in order to ensure that my pupils
passed their Bagrut. But, my friends, the Israeli school
system ain’t a perfect world.
Personally, I have an MA in History and I would very much
like to utilise that in the classroom in my capacity as an
English teacher. I have developed, for instance, a unit
teaching war poetry. Amongst the poems that we read are “The
Charge of the Light Brigade” and several poems by Siegfried
Sassoon. I start it off with a song (“Fighting For
Strangers” by Steeleye Span) and try to make the lessons as
inspiring as possible. Class participation hasn’t been that
bad. It gives me the opportunity to teach a bit of history—
something that I love doing—as I have to give the background
to the poems. Even so, I get the impression that the only
reason that I have the kids paying any attention at all is
because I keep reminding them about the grade I am going to
give them after they are tested on the material.
And I can’t really blame them. 11th and 12th graders are
under incredible pressure. The number of subjects they have
to study is burdening. Add to this the fact that they may be
doing 2 majors which is very demanding. Those who are doing
drama or art will disappear for large chunks of the year as
they have other obligations. I had a pupil who was allowed
to be absent for 2 months of the school year last year
(after the strike!) as he was practising the viola in order
to be accepted into the IDF orchestra. Go figure.
The fact is that the literature module is worrying many
teachers. Nothing substantial is being taken out to make way
for the module. We will still find ourselves doing the same
amount of work in addition to the extra requirements. I may
have misunderstood how many hours we are supposed to get to
teach English, but that does not alter the facts. We are
already walking a tightrope with our pupils and I am afraid
that the additional obligations will cause us to lose
balance. Perhaps the inspectorate should consider removing
the book reports as a concession to the teachers.
Psychologically, I believe, it would alleviate many of the
teachers’ apprehensions about the new module. Following the
posts on this list and from speaking to my colleagues, it is
clear to me, that the main complaint of English teachers
today is that they feel overburdened. We also have to
remember that not all teachers work the same amount of
hours. Many of us (such as yours truly) work in more than
school and work more than 24 weekly hours in order to scrape
together a living. The remuneration we get is pitiful as we
all know.
As for the assertion that everything can be learnt through
literature, I find that hard to accept under the present
Bagrut system. Most teachers agree that the reading
comprehensions have more like IQ tests than tests which
really show the level of a pupil’s understanding of a text.
How many times have we heard pupils say after attempting and
doing badly on an unseen, “I understood the whole text, but
I didn’t understand the questions”? As with all IQ tests,
the best way of improving grades is to keep practising them.
I have found, to my chagrin, that pupils actually enjoy
doing unseens more than studying literature. I would dearly
like to believe that those who think that the new module
will change things are right. Unfortunately, I have my own
reservations.
In order to prevent the “Pygmalion Effect” taking place i.e.
teachers (like myself) putting the mockers on the module
even before it has started, the Inspectorate needs to take
our opinions into consideration and prove to us that we will
not be even more overburdened than we are at the moment.
This cannot be done by making us take part in yet another in-
service training course (how long has it been since we did
the NBA course?). Concessions have to be made, and, as I
have already written, removing a module isn’t the answer as
it just doesn’t decrease our workload. Whilst there may be
teachers who are excited at the prospect of the literature
module, there are at least an equal number (if not more) who
are not. the Inspectorate has to start work on a major PR
campaign in order to convince us that it understands our
position and is taking everything into consideration.
Best regards
David Graniewitz
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