Response # 3 for Dr. Pytash-- Classics in the Classroom Chapter 6

As I read chapter 6 of Jago's Classics in the Classroom, I reflected upon when I read the Odyssey during my freshman year at Kent State University. As Dr. Sanders taught my Great books classmates and me about the many characters, he used a diagram similar to the ones provided in the chapter. Additionally, just as explains on page 138-141, Dr. Sanders also had us not only read the novel but also take notes as an expert on one specific book within the Odyssey. By giving the class ownership over the lessons about certain chapters of a book, I noticed that we were not only able to establish a classroom community, but we also learned more about the text by teaching it to one another. Therefore, I found this to be a very effective strategy.

I have heard some of my cohorts explain that they do not agree with this method because it encouraged students to not read the entire novel. However, I disagree with this opinion. From my experience, I noticed that the students who chose to not read the assignments, thinking they could just follow their peers' notes and lessons, were not able to do well on the assessment about the assigned readings. Therefore, no matter who teaches or provides notes about the text, nothing can supplement actually completing reading assignments. Thus, if implemented correctly, this is an effective teaching strategy in the language arts classroom.