Response to "I Read It, But I Don't Get It

Unlike some of the other texts for this class, Cris Tovani's "I Read It But I Don't Get It," narrows her pedagogical philosophy down to something considerably practical and fundamental, as opposed to abstract and esoteric. While Paulo Freire' "Pedagogy of the Oppressed," was certainly the more entertaining reading of the two--almost a piece of literature in and of itself--it is quite the relief to read Tovani's textbook-like assessment of of the educational system with ideas and facts to support her assertions.

My favorite chapter from the book is chapter seven, "What Do You Wonder?". Certainly one aspect of secondary English classes (or, probably, all grades) is that they fail to interact with the students in a manner that brings the study of literature into the real world. Literature, criticism, history, etc. are all abstracted away from life, away from the personal experiences of the students. If the text exists by itself, separated from the messiness of lived reality, than students will fail to see the reason for studying it. This chapter attempts to bring the "school" questions out of the classroom and into real life, in all it's messy confusions. To ask--and answer--these "real world" questions requires a developed sense of wonder and an acceptance that there may be not Truth--with a capitol T--to these inquires. In fact, these kinds of questions beg the students to answer and ask questions without a literal meaning standing behind them. They are exercises in abstract thinking. They empower the student to come up with radically new ideas.

But perhaps the most important aspect of the chapter is what comes after this virtual brainstorming session. After wondering about the real life issues, the teacher brings these this "wonderings" to the texts at hand. The students will then, in theory, realize that the text, if it's any good, is life itself.