Until
College I was not exposed to a great deal of nonfiction reading in the
classroom. Nonfiction writing was always a part of my schooling, but it usually
seemed dry and boring. It was not until I started reading scholarly articles
and more periodicals that I began to appreciate and enjoy nonfiction. Publications like The New Yorker and The
Economist perked my interest in the library during study breaks, and I
found myself reading more and more newspapers and editorials. My professors
also made great use of nonfiction. I specifically recall my time in Dr. Grant’s
Rhetoric course when we would read through nonfiction works and pick them apart
slowly. This deconstruction of rhetorical pieces helped me to become a better
constructor of arguments. Now I truly believe nonfiction to be a valuable and
engaging classroom tool that is clear and very close to students. Nonfiction is
all around us, and it is written in such a way that captivates and calls the
reader to action.
In
Jennifer Wells’ article “’It Sounds Like Me’: Using Creative Nonfiction to
Teach College Admissions Essays” the author describes how nonfiction opened up
an entire new set of knowledge for her students. Wells used nonfiction because “it
is grounded in truthfulness, requires authorial reflection, and reflects
stylistic techniques usually ascribed to fiction” (48). I believe nonfiction is
truly one the best types of literature we can rely on for the reasons stated
above. Not only that, but I believe nonfiction is more effective in helping
teachers improve student writing. Nonfiction tends to be what students respond
to most. The issues and problems addressed in nonfiction are done so in a much different way than fiction. When reading nonfiction it is clear what you are reading about. Nonfiction also offers a degree of freedom and a change from the usual academic assignments. Anything in which “the author doesn’t pretend to be objective and
unbiased” seems to appeal to students (48). I know it appealed to me.
The
appeal of nonfiction also stretches to the idea of motivating students to speak
and take action. The main goal of nonfiction works is sometimes just that. According
to Pace and Adkins “nonfiction addresses important issues in a way that is
interesting and easy for a reader to understand” in order to engage students
(Fist 48). The authors state that nonfiction is about “real people with
intriguing stories” (49). Those are exactly the types of stories students need
to read if they are struggling with English or Language Arts classes. It is
those types of works that get students thinking, talking, and writing.
Nonfiction is close to students, and it can ignite a flame within the classroom
if used correctly. The issues found in nonfiction works can be the spark
teachers are looking for. I wish more time would have been spent on nonfiction
during my high school days, but thanks to this week’s reading I am definitely
more invested in becoming an expert.
When I think of nonfiction I go back to my literary journalism class and how we studied creative nonfiction pieces to learn to write better. I didn't think about how other areas of nonfiction can be used to make students think about the current situation and motivate them to take action. Used effectively in a high school classroom, it should merit a positive response from students.
ReplyDeleteBruce,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your statement that, "the appeal of nonfiction also stretches to the idea of motivating students to speak and take action." When we consider the very purpose of public education, it should be that our students are able to participate in society: governement, social causes, letters to the editor, etc. I always felt that students graduated without some of these skills, but after this week's reading, I definitely think that nonfiction texts should be a staple of every classroom.
"Take action": this seems to be what stands out for many of us in your thoughtful and well-supported post. In addition to political action (though it is important), I'd like to add that reading and writing nonfiction can inspire other kinds of actions important to high school students, such as
ReplyDelete-- gathering and recording oral histories (from family members or elderly members of the community)
--researching local history (cemeteries, old homes, community institutions -- like Dixmont!)
--writing reviews on-line (for everything from books to electronics!)
If fiction is imaginative, than nonfiction seems often to be highly relevant and practical -- not a bad thing for many teens.
PS: GREAT list of non-fiction links -- very inspiring!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, getting children to read nonfiction at the same time as fiction would be beneficial to allowing the imagination to develop. Each type of literature gives way to different and distinct experiences and lessons. This might help with the non-reader issue.
ReplyDelete