In Jago’s Chapter 7 of Classics in the Classroom, Jago explains that she tried to make lessons meaningful to students’ lives. Jago states: “I look for ways to engage students in lessons where they apply what they learn from literature to more familiar circumstances, for example, an election.”
I loved that Jago had her students evaluate the characters of Julius Caesar as if they were possible candidates. This shows students what they would look for in a president. Since these are high school students, they will soon be voting and need to know how to evaluate a candidate. Also, giving specific examples from the text supporting their decisions is a necessary skill in analyzing literature.
I loved Jago’s text. It really inspired me to think about my teaching and my purpose as a teacher of English. I feel like Jago and I share the same beliefs about teaching English. Thank you for selecting this book, Dr. Pytash! I will miss you next year! Thank you for everything!
Jord,
ReplyDeleteI loved the quote you picked out of this chapter. I truly feel it is our jobs as teachers to make the material we are teaching relate to the lives of our students. Imagine how much better our literature classes would have been if all of our teachers made the material relate to our lives!
This is the part of teaching I am looking forward to the most. Making meaningful lessons will help students make important decisions in their own lives.
Good quote! I agree - students are most engaged when lessons are meaningful and relevant!
ReplyDelete