Ayers, William, & Alexander-Tanner, Ryan. (2010). “To Teach: The Journey, In Comics”. New York: Teachers College Press. Over spring break, I read “To Teach: The Journey, In Comics” by William Ayers and Ryan Alexander-Tanner. I was talking to one of my Music Education professors, Jesse Rathgeber, about my desire to ask all of my professors what top three books they would recommend reading. This year, I’ve been learning about the importance of linguistics and how as a teacher, I must carefully choose my words because each of them have deeply ingrained meaning. And what better way to learn than through books and reading! There is already so much good information that people have discovered and written about in books, so why not take the resources I already have and use them? I think it would be an amazing idea to be given a book list over the summer so that I can continue my learning when the school year stress does not consume me. As I was talking, Jesse walked over to his giant bookshelf and pulled out this comic book. An educational comic book?!? Of course, I had to read it (and reflect because that’s where learning and understanding occurs), especially when I had some free time over spring break. When I think of a comic book, I think of an easy read; however, there was some dense material in this book! After each chapter, I had to sit and think about what I had just read because in these word bubbles of text were extremely important pedagogical ideas about teaching. The pictures made this material easier to grasp and contextualize, and I was better able to concentrate because I was interested in everything that the comic contained. The book begins with a journey and the myths of what teaching is, then goes onto how to observe and characterize a student and the false labels they are given at times. The next couple of chapters go onto to explain building a positive and constructive learning environment for students and scaffolding to help students expand their knowledge. Then Ayers and Alexander-Tanner go onto expanding the curriculum so that it includes standards but creates experiences that are unique and beneficial to the student in different contexts. They then explain assessment, community and values, and end with “commencement” where even though the school year is ending, the learning has just begun because as a teacher you become “a student of your students, unlocking the wisdom in the room, and joining together on a journey of discovery and surprise” (p.113). My favorite part when reading was seeing the growth and development of Bill’s student, Quinn. Bill interacts with Quinn, a student who would initially be thought of as hyperactive and unruly, sees his potential and special qualities, develops experiences based off his interests and abilities, and as a result the reader sees a student who has maintained his uniqueness, but is more knowledgeable and able to articulate the ideas he is learning from the world around him. I would absolutely recommend this book and would consider reading it every year because there is something new to be gleaned from it each time. For myself, I know that a lot of these concepts I would not have understood my freshman year of college, but now I have more clarity because my knowledge is expanding. Comments are closed.
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Davina MiawOn this page, I will present examples of my scholarship in the form of reflective essays and philosophical assignments. Archives
November 2019
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