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Educationchangeassocialchange:Communityengagementfromwithintheclassroom
AmandaJ.Borden
WesternMichiganUniversity

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Inmyeducationasafutureteacher,Ihavecometounderstandthatthegoalofeducationisto

makeprogressinsocietybyhelpingindividualsbecomeinformedandresponsiblecitizens.Ihavealso
cometounderstandthateducationandschoolinghavetakenonavarietyofchangesthatinfluencethe
waysocietylearnstoday,schoolsareviewedasinstitutionsofgatheringknowledgeandskillsforfuture
use.Toooftendoeseducationtakeontheformoftraininglearningwithminimalcriticalthinking.I
believethateducationshouldprovidethoughtfullyplannedexperiencesthatengageandprovoke
studentstofutureinquiry.Thewayweascitizenscontinuetoliveourlivesiscontingentuponthe
experiencesandoutcomesofschool,work,andrecreation.Communityengagementisanimportantpart
ofthisbecauseasweinteractwithmembersofourcommunity,weareencouragedtorelatethrough
discussionwiththemotivationofcreatingrelationships.

Withintheinstitutionofeducation,certainfactorsofthecommunicationprocessareevenmore

relevant.Forexample,itisessentialthatteachersareclearandconcisewithintheirinstructionsothat
studentsbestunderstandassignmentsandwheretheystandwithintheclass.Inmyeducational
experience,IhavenoticedthattheteachersthataremostlikelytofacilitatesuchinstancesasPeak
CommunicationExperiencesareclearinarticulation,immediatewiththeirstudents,buildsubstantial
relationships,andarewiseaboutencouragingdiscussion,motivation,andcommunityengagement.AsI
writethispaper,Ispeakfromtheperspectivesofbothteacherandstudent.
PCEsintheclassroom
ManyfactorsofthehumancommunicationprocessareassociatedwithPCEsthisespeciallybecomes
evidentwhenconsideringpeakcommunicationexperiencesintheclassroom.AlthoughPCEsare
introducedwithinageneralcontext,Iwillconsidersuchexperienceswithinthecontextofteaching

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pedagogy.AccordingtoGordon,PCEsaretheexpressionusedheretorefertoourgreatest
momentsininterpersonalcommunication,ourmomentsofhighestmutualunderstanding,happinessand
fulfillmentderivingfromtheprocessofcommunicatingwithotherhumanbeings(qtd.inEdwards&
Edwards,2012).Theseexperiencesareimportanttoeducationbecauseasweengageintheclassroom,
weareseekingexperiencesthatwillhelpuschange:apeakexperiencewillchangethepersonsview
ofherselforhimselfinpositiveandhealthydirectionsandwillaltertheperceptionofselvesand
relationshipstobemoreencompassingofothersandthewidercosmos(Edwards&Edwards,2012).
Itisimportanttoconsiderthisphenomenonintermsofcommunicationintheclassroom.Ifwethink
backtowhenwelearnbestintheclassroom,itisoftenwhenweareinterestedandparticipating.Thisis
whyitisessentialforteacherstocreatevaluableexperiencesthatreachadeepsenseofperceptionand
significancesoastomakethesubjectstandoutinawaythatdrawsthestudentintothesubjectsothat
heorshemaybeconsumedbytheirlearning.
Manyofmymostqualitylearningmomentshavehappened,notintheclassroom,butinmoreinformal
settings.Sincebeforecollege,Ihaveenjoyedhelpingmyfriendswiththeirpapersforschool.Ilove
discussingingreatdetailwaystoapproachapaperthisisaprocessthatIamstillperfecting.WhenIsit
downtohelpsomeonewithapaper,Istartbyhavingadiscussionaboutthetopic.Idothisbecauseitis
whatIhavelearnedfrommygreatteacherstheyhavetaughtmethatmanyacademicoutcomesare
possiblethroughthoughtfuldiscussion.
AtMichiganTechnologicalUniversity,IhadthehonorofworkingintheWritingCenter(nowcalled
MultiliteraciesCenter),whereIworkedwithindividualstudentsandfacultymembersonavarietyof
writingassignments.Theseinformalinstancesofeducationsparkedmyinterestinbecomingateacher
becauseIgenuinelyenjoyhavingthoughtfuldialogabouthowtobestrepresentthoughtinwriting.These

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instancesresemblethoseofpeakcommunicationexperiences,whichdirectlyrelatestomyacademic
motivation.ThebestmomentsoflearningoccurredwhenIengagedinconversationswithstudentsabout
howtheyapproachthewritingprocess.IheldaweeklyappointmentwithastudentfromSouthKorea,
whichwasespeciallymemorablebecauseourprocessesforwritingwereverydifferent.Asaresult,we
bothgrewaswritersbecausewesharedourbackgroundknowledgeonthesubjectwitheachotherin
ordertocreateastrongrelationshipthatmotivatedusbothtodowell.Theactofgettingcaughtupina
conversationaboutwritingcameeasilytomebecauseofmylevelofabilityandinterestinhelpingpeople
throughthewritingprocess.Helpingothershavequalityconversationsaboutthoughtandwriting
motivatedmetobecomeateacherthismotivationcamefromcountlessinstancesofqualitymomentsof
learning.
Relationshipswithintheclassroom
Communicationexperienceswithfamily,friends,teachers,colleagues,andstudentsaremostlikelyto
resemblethatofPCEsbecauseofthelevelofrelationshipinvestment.Thisiswhyitisimportantfor
teacherstoconsidertheenvironmentandrelationshipsoftheclassroom.Withinclassrooms,teachers
andstudentsdefineandnegotiaterules,norms,andvaluesthatcreateauniqueclassroomculture.Each
classroomcultureisdefinedby:
theteachersandstudents(a)beliefsaboutthenatureofknowledge(b)philosophiesandknowledge
aboutthediscipline,teachingandlearninginthatdiscipline,andteachingandlearningingeneral(c)past
schoolexperiencesandtheirroleinschoolsandschooling(d)homeandcommunityexperiencesand
(e)feelingsandemotionsaboutschoolandaboutthemselvesingeneral.(Moje,1996)
TheclassesthatIhavemostengagedwithmaintainmotivatingrelationships.Thisiswhyitisimportantto
considerthefactthatweareteachingstudentsratherthansubjects.Thebestteachersconsiderthe

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natureofthecontenttheyareteachinginrelationtothefeelingsandemotionsofstudents,aswellas
howtoimplementcommunityexperiencesthatmaketheseconsiderationsrelevant.
Consistentwithmyownobservations,researchonadolescentsfindsthatcloserelationshipswith
teachers(affectionateandnurturing)leadtohigherlevelsofstudentengagementandachievement
(Stipek,2006).AtMTU,IhadtheprivilegeoftakingadigitalmediaclasswithDr.WendyAnderson,
whoallowedustorefertohersasWendyinsteadofDr.Andersoninordertoeliminatehierarchies
andpowerdynamicswithintheclassroom.Wendyisagreatrolemodelasateacherinthatshe
modeledwhatshewantedustounderstand.Affectionateandnurturingteacherbehaviorsinclude:
listeningtotheirconcerns,respondingtotransgressionsgentlyandwithexplanationsratherthansharply
andwithpunishment,andshowingpositiveemotions(smiling,beingplayful)(Stipek,2006).Wendy
helpedourclassroombuildandmaintainastrongrelationshipthroughoutthesemester,whichhelpedus
engagewiththematerial.Sheputherselfonourlevelatthebeginningofthesemesterbyengagingwith
usthroughmultipleicebreakers.Shemadeitexplicitthatshedidthissothatwecouldbetterrelateto
herand,therefore,thematerialshewasgoingtobecoveringwithus.Learningismorethangaining
knowledgeabouthowtoreadandsolveproblemsteacherstudentrelationshipsshouldserveasthe
contextsinwhichweteachoursubjects(Moje,1996).Muchofourclasstimewasspentindiscussion,
sothiscontexthelpedengagewithourstudiesthroughoutthesemester.Wendybuiltaspecialcontextin
whichwewouldlearnsothatwecouldbestrelatewiththematerial.Participationindiscussionwasone
ofthemainmodesoflearninginWendysclassaswellasmanyotherclassesthatIhavetaken.
Facilitatingstudentdiscussionwithintheclassroom
Astourguidestoreadingliterature,EnglishLanguageArtsteachersshouldhelpstudentsengagewith
literaturethroughdiscussingandwritingaboutwhattheyread,asopposedtoassigningreadingquizzes

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withtheassumptionthatoneinterpretationofthereadingexists.Teachersshouldbeconscientiousas
theyestablishaconstructiveenvironmentinwhichallstudentsfeelcomfortablewithparticipatingand
contributingtoathoughtfulandmeaningfulconversation.Thebenetsofdiscussionincludehelping
studentsdevelopcriticalunderstanding,selfawareness,appreciationfordiverseperspectives,andthe
abilitytotakeaction(Dallimoreetal.,2004).Thesebenefitsoutlinecomponentsofqualitylearning
momentsthatIhaveexperienced.
Sincewritingisoneofthebestbridgesbetweenstudentsandreading,teachersshoulduseavarietyof
strategiesthatallowstudentstoreflectonreadingthroughwriting.Mrs.Foreman,myEnglishteacherin
10thgrade,wasthoughtfulinhowsheframedourclassdiscussions.Duringmysenioryear,Iwasher
TA,andlearnedherapproachtothoughtfullessonplanning.Whenshepredictedthatwewouldhavea
hardtimegraspingconcepts,Mrs.Foremancreatedwritingpromptsthathelpedusthinkcriticallyabout
importantconceptsthatwewouldbediscussing.Oneofthemostimportantthingstoconsiderwhen
approachingaclassdiscussionorwritingpromptiswhetherornottheprompteffectivelysparksstudent
inquiryandengagement.Onthefirstdayofschool,Mrs.Foremangivesstudentsaquestionnairetogain
insightintotheirlearningexperiences,interests,andpersonalbackground.Shethenusesthisinsight
throughouttheyeartoframeassignmentsanddiscussionpromptsbecausesheiswiseofthefactthat
thesefactorsgreatlyinfluencestudentlearning.
Themainpurposeforclassroomdiscussionistohelpstudentslearnfromeachotherasstudents
exploretheirownindividualreadinginterpretationswithinthecontextofclassroomdiscussion,theylearn
tobuildonandtranscendeachoftheirownindividualresponses(Beachetal.,2011).Thisleadstothe
importanceofconsideringopenendedquestionsthathavenopredeterminedanswerandinvolve
studentsinhigherlevelthinking.Mrs.Foremandoesthissothatshecanbesthelpstudentsdiscuss

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classroomcontentwithouthavingtobecometheleadertothediscussion.Mrs.Foremanexplainsto
studentsthatherroleintheclassroomdiscourseisasilentfacilitatorratherthanthemainsourceof
knowledge,whicheliminatestraditionalpowerdynamicswithintheclassroom,andboostsstudent
participation.
Theimportanceofparticipatingwithintheclassroom.
Reportedbenetsofdiscussionincludestudentsinvolvementintheirownlearning,learningthroughthe
contributionsofothers,andthedevelopmentofhigherlevelcognitiveskills,whichisaconceptthatmy
bestlearningmomentsresemble(Dallimoreetal.,2004).InmyAdolescentLiteratureclasswithDr.
NancyGrimmatMTU,Ilearnedtheimportanceofengagingwithliteratureonmultiplelevels.
Specifically,Ilearnedaboutreaderresponseliterarytheorythatintroducesthenotionthatliterary
interpretationisbasedonthereadersexperiencewiththetext.Iapproachedthisclasswithacritical
lens,asthoughitwasmyjobtocriticizeyoungadultnovelsandexplicitessentialquestionstoconsider
withintheclassroom.Asmypeersengagedindiscussionabouthowthenovelmadethemfeelcertain
emotionsorinterests,IbecameannoyedbecauseIthoughtwewerewastingtimethatcouldbespent
talkingaboutthenovel.Luckily,Irealizedthatwhenapproachingdiscussion,itisimportanttogive
studentsachancetofirstdescribetheirengagementresponses,Startingoutwithengagement,
description,orclarificationresponsesbuildsmaterialthatcanserveasthebasisforlater,higherorder
interpretiveresponses(Beachetal.,2011).Asstudentsengagewithliterature,theyaremore
motivatedtodelveintootheraspectsofliteraryinterpretation.
Ihavelearnedthat,duringdiscussionlearnersarenotpassiverecipientsofinformationthatis
transmittedfromateacher.Rather,learnersareactiveparticipants(Larson,2000).Duringmyearly
yearsofcollege,Irealizedthatthemostimportantaspectofdiscussionwithintheclassroomisthat

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studentsactivelyparticipatewithclassmaterial.Animportantcomponentofthisiswhetherornotthe
classroomhasbeenestablishedasasafeenvironmentformeaningfuldiscussion.
Anessentialelementincreatingspacefordiscussion,thatteachersmustconsideristheimportanceof
helpingstudentsseeideasfromdifferentperspectives.Atthebeginningoftheterm,teachersand
studentsmustagreethatclassroomdiscussionswillcapitalizeonstudentstrengthsandpositiveoutcomes
(Applebeeetal.,2003).CabelloandTerrelldiscusstheideaofmakingstudentsfeellikefamilythrough
theirresearchonhowteacherscreatewarmandcaringclassroomclimates:developinganemotionally
aswellasacademicallysupportiveenvironmentisacomplexprocessrequiringspecificknowledge,
skills,andcommitmenttoimplementavarietyofstrategies(1994).Theyfurtherthisbyconcludingthat
learninghowtoachievethistaskinvolvesalongprocessofguidance,monitoring,andfeedbackthatis
beyondthescopeofaonedayworkshoporlecturebasedcourse.Smallgroupdiscussionsandbook
clubsareagreatwaytogetstudentstoopenupwiththeirresponses.InMrs.Foremansclass,we
formedstudentchosenbookgroups.Theassignmentwastoreadandengagewithanovelbycreating
discussionquestionsforourbookgroups.Thiscreatedamoreintimateinstanceofdiscussionand
engagementbecausewewererequiredtorelatetoeachmemberthroughdiscussingour
studentgenerateddiscussionquestions.
Acreativeinterpretationoffacilitatingdiscussion.

Muchliketherigidformofpoetry,discussionswithintheclassroomareaffectedbyoutsideinfluences,
suchasthatoftheteacher.Thishighlightstheimportanceoftheteachertakingtheroleasfacilitatoror
guideratherthanprimarysourceofknowledge.Studentsarelesslikelytoparticipateandgrowfrom
authenticclassroomexperiencesiftheyareinaclassroomthatshutsdowntheirprocessofinquiry
throughastrictformofclassroomdecorum.Allteachersshouldknowhowtobestfacilitateclassroom

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discussionsandotheractivitieswithoutshuttingdownstudentthoughtprocesses.Oneofthemost
importantthingsteachershouldconsiderishowtostrikeabalancebetweenstructure/supportand
allowingstudentstofollowtheirownpathofinquiry.Iwrotethefollowingformpoemwithsimilar
hesitationsabouthowformandstructureinfluenceorhindertheabilitytobestinquireorexpress
particularunderstandingsandexperiences.Theassignmentofwritingthispoemwasoneofmybest
learningmomentsbecauseIactivelyengagedwithmyconcernswiththesubjectathand.
Ireachintomyimagination,
Lookingforformtogetmethroughthisthing,
ButallIperceiveisstagnation.

Fromform,Iseeklinguisticsalvation,
AndyetIfeelmywitgrinding
Ireachintomyimagination.

Ifeel,peninhand,asenseofcreativecastration,
SearchingforinspirationuponwhichIllcling
ButallIperceiveisstagnation.

Withoutform,theworldfeelsdeprivation,
SoIhopeforanintelligentspring
Ireachintomyimagination.

WhenIfindit,therewillbecelebration,
Andtherewillbesongsofpraisetosing
ButallIperceiveisstagnation.

Finally!Ifindatopicworkimmortalization,
Yetzilchwithafancyring
Ireachintomyimagination.
ButallIperceiveisstagnation.

Engagingstudentswithintheclassroom
Theideaofengagementintheclassroomisdefinedas,apsychologicalprocess,specifically,the

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attention,interest,investment,andeffortstudentsexpendintheworkoflearning(Klem&Connell,
2004).Thedefinitionofengagementwithintheclassroomsuggeststhatteachersfindavarietyofways
forstudentstoapproachandinteractwithsubjectmaterial.InmyEnglishclasses,Ihavehadthebest
experienceswhenteachersarethoughtfulinregardstohowstudentsconsiderthesubjectonmultiple
levels.
Concerningliteratureselectionfortheclassroom,thevalueofthecanonisendless,buttotrulyengage
studentsinreading,teachersmustapproachthisissueasourstudentsshould:withmanylenses.
Teachersmustbeconscientiousaboutwhotheirstudentsareandwhatkindsofexperiencestheyneed
tobestapproachreadingindifferentgenres.Readingmustbemaderealistic,relevantandengaging,by
helpingstudentsconsiderhowtheyfitwithinthegenres/topicsathand.Theissueathandisfindinga
balancebetweenteachingavarietyofliterature:thetraditionalcanonandcontemporaryyoungadult
literature.
Inmy12thgradeEnglishclass,myteacherBrittanyDaviswasconsciousofmakingthesubject
engaging.Inparticular,DavishadstudentsconsiderthevalueofthetraditionalcanonaswereadJoseph
ConradsHeartofDarkness.AfterwestudiedConradswork,westudiedacontemporarynovelthat
exploredsimilarthemes:ThingsFallApartbyChinuaAchebe.Thisencouragedustolookatthe
novellafrommultipleperspectives,includingourown.Davisthoughtfullypairedtwodifferentworks
(onechallenging,oneapproachable)withthegoalofhelpingstudentsnaturallyengagewithliterature.
ThebestlearningexperiencesIhaveencounteredencouragenewwaysofthinkingsuchasthis.
Beingthoughtfulaboutliteratureinstructionisaprocessthatmustbeconsiderateoftheideathat
studentsreadformultiplepurposes.Whilecanonicalliteratureispermanentduetoculturalsignificance,
youngadultliteratureshouldberecognizedasapointofculturalaccess.Theculturalaccess

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perspectivehasundergonefoursignificantshifts,eachyieldingadifferentviewofthereadersrolein
literaryreading:readerasproductivecitizenreaderasactivemeaningmakerreaderaspersonal
authorityandreaderastransformativeagent(Beachetal.,2011).Myteachersthatmaketherolesof
readersobviousaremorelikelytofacilitatePCEs.Thissetsthestageofselectingthebestliteraturefor
studentssothatstudentsaremoreabletoengagewithclassroomcontent.
Startingoffclasswithanintroductiontoreadingfromdifferentperspectiveswillhelpstudentsreadwith
differentlenses,begin(theterm)byemphasizingtheideaofmultipleperspectivesormultiplewaysof
seeingratherthanbeginningwiththeheadyandsometimesoverlyacademicconceptofliterarytheory
(Beachetal.,2011).Helpingstudentsacquireknowledgeofgenreconventionsprovidesstudentswith
anotherentrancepointtoreadingandinterpretingtexts,Inteachinginterpretingstrategiesbasedon
genreconventions,youarealsoattemptingtofostertransferofknowledgefromwaysofunderstanding
oneillustrativeexampleofagenretexttoanotherexampleofthesamegenretext,transferthatservesto
buildgenreknowledge(Beachetal.,2011).Iwouldhavebenefittedfromalearninginstanceinwhich
myteachersframedthevaluesofreadingandwritingsignificanttexts.
Usingtechnologytoengagestudents.
Theuseofmultimediahelpstheclassroombycreatingdifferentdimensionsthatstudentscanchoose
fromtointeractwithandreactto.Incorporatingtechnologyisimportantformultiplereasons.Adding
differentlayersintolessonsallowsstudentstointeractatdifferentlevels,whichheightensthelearning
experience.Asstudentsareintroducedtonewmediums,theymaintainnewperspectivesoverwhatthey
arelearningabout,whichsupportstheirlearninginotherthemesandsubjects.Oneofthemost
importantreasonstoincludemultimediaistohelpstudentsmakeconnectionsamongthecanonand
youngadultliterature.Teachersmustacclimatestudentstoconceptstheymightencounterincollegeand

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life,whichincludestheuseofmultimedia/technology.
Motivatingstudentstofurtherengagementwithintheclassroom
Studentssimplylearnbestwhentheyaremotivatedinsomeway.Motivatingstudentsthroughactive
learningisoneofthemainprocessesofeducation,Allgenuinelearningisactive,notpassive.Itisa
processofdiscoveryinwhichthestudentisthemainagent,nottheteacher(Adler,1982).Ihavebeen
mostmotivatedbymyteacherswhentheyframethestudentasanactiveparticipantintheirlearning.
Activelearningstrategiesareassociatedwithincreasedstudentmotivationandrequirethatstudentstake
onmorecomplexratherthansimpletasksactivelearningstrategiescreateexcitementwithintheclass
(Bonwell,2000).Inmyeducation,IhavebeenmadeanactivelearnerwhenIamassignedprojectsthat
requiremetothinkcriticallyabouthowclassmaterialrelatestomyfuture.
Inmyeducationasafutureteacher,IhavebeenmostmotivatedtoworkonassignmentsforKristin
Sovisclassesonteachingliteratureandwritinginsecondaryschoolsbecauseshemakeslearning
purposefulandrealistic.Foracademicandprofessionalpurposes,Ihavestartedablogthatoutlinesthe
bestpracticesofteachingasmaderelevantbymybuddingcareerineducation.Onthisblog,Ipost
informationandideas/strategiesthatadvancetheideaofeducationasamodeofsocialchange.I
originallycreatedthisasaresourceblogforaseminaronthebestpracticesofteachingwritingin
secondaryschoolsinaclasswithSovis.InanotherclasswithSovis,Ispentmoretimefocusingonthe
bestpracticesofteachingliteratureinsecondaryschoolsIhaveworkedwithotheraspiringteachersto
locateresourcesthatwewillwanttouseinthefuture.Theseresourcesincludeteachingapproachesand
strategiessuchasusingtextsets,providingstudentchoice,andconstructingsocialworldsthrough
studentreading.
TeacherslikeSovisareconsciousofwhatstudentsshouldlearninclass,andshechoosesassignments

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andclassactivitiesthatwillmotivateherstudentstodowellinthefuture.Qualityteachersaremost
effectiveatcreatingenvironmentsandexperienceswithintheclassroomthatresemblePCEsthese
largelyoccurwhenstudentsarepurposefullymotivatedbytheteacher.
Educationchangeassocialchange:Communityengagementfromwithintheclassroom
Communityengagementisatopicthatshouldbemorerelevantinschoolsbecausestudentsneed
instancesinwhichtheythoughtfullyengagewithothersoftheircommunity.Communityengagementcan
happeninmanyformsandarenasasteachers,weshouldstrivetousestrategiesthatallowforthisto
happenintheclassroom.Englishteachersshouldconsiderdramastrategiesandthepoweroftheatre
there'snothingliketheimmediacyoflivetheatre.Goingtothetheatreisapowerfulexperiencebecause
audiencemembersmakeaconnectionwithactorsonstage.Muchliketheimmediacyoflivetheatre,
communicationwithintheclassroomisespeciallypowerfulwhenstudentsareinanenvironmentwhere
theyfeelasthoughtheycandiscusstheirthoughtsfreelyandwithoutjudgment.Runninglines,working
throughscenes,blocking,andportrayingemotionofactionareallaspectsoftheatrethatinvoke
communityengagement.
Dramastrategiesareafoundationofcommunityengagementthatcanbecontinuedinschooland
communitytheatre.Communityengagementwithintheclassroomisaconceptthatwillhelpbridgethe
gapbetweenstudentsandcontent.Inordertoengagestudentswithliterature,wemustbethoughtful
aboutourinstructionandconsiderwhetherornotweareputtingliteraturewithinacontextthatmakesit
mostapproachabletoourstudents.Planningactivitiesthatgroundreadinginapurposeorsituationthat
matterstostudentswillhelpsparkstudentmotivationandinquiryaboutreading.Presentingdifferent
perspectives,lenses,andtheoriesonliteraturegivestudentsastartingpointininterpretingliterature.As
weapproachtextswithstudents,weshouldconsiderwhatliteraryexperiencesandcontentknowledge

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theyneedinordertoreadtothebestoftheirabilities.Wemustalsoidentifywhichperspectives,lenses,
andtheorieswouldbemostrelevanttothetext.
Dramastrategiesassistinmakingsophisticatedstrategiesofreadingvisibleandavailabletostudentsin
inpowerfulwaysthathelpthemtouse,experimentwith,andultimatelyinternalizethesestrategiesby
helpingstudentstoevoke,experience,interpret,andreflectonallkindsoftexts(Beachetal.,2011).
EngagingwiththeworksofShakespeareisdifficult,howevereachofmyhighschoolteachersprovided
opportunitiesforustoworkthroughscenesusingdramastrategies.
Summaryandconcludingdiscussion
Asfacilitatorsoflearning,teachersmustfocusondifferentiatingtheeducationweprovidedirectlytothe
needsofthestudent.Toensurethatalllearningmodalitiesarecateredto,wemustpresenttheprocess
oflearningbyestablishingandmodelingmultiplestrategies.Wemustteacheverystudenthowtolearn
sothattheycanexcelinanysituation.Wemustgivethemthetoolsforcriticalthinkingandinquiryin
ordertogivethemcontrolovertheireducation.Ourgoalshouldbetopreparestudentsforcollegeand
lifebygivingthemcontrolovertheirownlearning.
Studentslearnbestwhentheyareinterestedinandcanrelatetotheirwork.Teachersshouldcreate
lessonsthatsupportthespecificneedsandinterestsofstudents.Byfocusingonreshapingand
recontextualizingimportantknowledgethatinterestsstudents,teachersfueltheirdesiretocontinue
learning.Studentsshouldbeequippedwithatruedesiretolearnaswellasavarietyofstrategiesand
toolsforlearningacrosscontentareas.ELAteachersshouldpreparestudentsfortherealworldby
engagingthemaswritersandreadersforanyaudience,genre,orpurpose.Teachersshouldteach
studentstotakeondifferentperspectivesofinterpretationliteraryinterpretationisimportantforreal
worldthinkingbecausestudentsshouldbeencouragedtoanalyzeandevaluatemultipleperspectives,

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andcreatenewmeanings.Allstudentsshouldbegiventhetoolstowriteandreadwell,butinorderfor
thistobepossible,teachersmustfacilitateanenvironmentofexplicitinstruction.

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