[etni] Re: literature
- From: maxinetz <maxinetz@xxxxxxx>
- To: rsheffer@xxxxxxxxx, etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:23:36 +0200
Hi Ruthi. Why would you be loathe to suggest the poems you mention? I
really don't understand on what basis you assume that the Ministry is deaf
to the feedback of teachers. Your comment strikes me as unjust - something
like the way I feel when I see Israel being unfairly attacked - because the
truth happens to be the opposite. And as Mitzi said, just because a
suggestion has not been accepted does not mean it has been ignored.
First of all, you are welcome to do the poems by the Liverpool Poets if you
choose the Log option, as long as they're approved by your inspector, and
why shouldn't they be? Second of all, the Choice Program will be created
based on the recommendations of teachers, so if enough other people
recommend your poems, they'll be part of the Choice Program. (put them on
the site for all of us to see and teach!!)
It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation: if the Choice
Program winds up being composed of the most well-known and often-taught
pieces, you'll complain (even though it will have been on the basis of a
democratic decision) and if it is dictated from above then you'll say "why
don't you listen to teachers' feedback?"
So much energy has been invested in seeing that this program is the product
of "what teachers think." The literature was re-introduced into the Bagrut
as the RESULT of teachers' complaints that literature was being sidelined
because "it wasn't on the Bagrut." Well, now it is on the Bagrut! Isn't
that great??? But it seems that you can never please all of the English
teachers all of the time......
Regards,
Maxine Tsvaigrach
-----Original Message-----
From: etni-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:etni-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Ruthi
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 1:18 PM
To: etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [etni] Re: literature
I for one would be really happy to suggest some good pieces of literature.
There are some wonderful pieces that are taught in schools throughout the
country. I have taught poems by the Liverpool Poets for many years with much
enjoyment on both sides, but I am loathe to contact anyone in the Ministry
to suggest anything of the sort.
In the past when suggestions have been made they have been ignored.I really
don't think anyone wants to know what teachers think. Sorry Adele.It is
clear from this list's comments that there is much dissatisfaction with the
new Module for a great number of reasons.Why are these concerns not being
addressed?
Ruth
2009/2/3 judy <judyewc@xxxxxxxxx>
> One of us wrote: *Our aim is to get the students to understand literature
> and appreciate the great works.
> *What* *does that even mean?* *How do we know that someone "understands"
> literature? When he agrees with our interpretation, or the one we learned
> in
> high school? * *
>
> And who really decides what is a "great work"?* * Jane Austen's work
> reflected her times, and so does Douglas Adams', and Kurt Vonnegut's, and
> Barbara Pym's Who knows which, if any, are truly great? I see some "works
> of literature" in 3 and 4 point books that I think are a wase of time. On
> the other hand, our older literature collections suggest that nothing of
> worth has been written either in the last 50 years or in the Southern
> hemisphere. And in English class, should we be teaching translated
> literature (we have a few of those in the books)?
>
> This is such a complex issue, and it deserves a process of thinking and
> discussion that the kids could be part of. Instead both we and the Hebrew
> literature departments just try to jazz up the lists once in a while. In
> Hebrew literature the situation is worse: the teachers care less about
the
> kids' understanding or learning from the literature than they do about the
> kids' knowing who the great writers are and loving them unconditionally
> (the
> phrase* "*nichsei tzon barzel" is bandied about regularly by literature
> teachers). Oh, and everyone should be able to reel off a list of genres
to
> you.
>
> You wouild think that with such a wealth to choose from, we could carry on
> a
> dynamic process of finding, testing, using and sharing age-appropriate
> literature from which the students could actually learn about themselves,
> their lives, their culture as opposed to other places and times, about the
> experiences of being human that writers have undertaken to describe,
> clarify
> and comment on for us. You would think that literature would be the most
> fun of both teaching and learning English. Or at least, I would think so.
> Apparently I'm wrong.
>
> Judy Cohen
>
> --
> "Music will save the world." Pablo Casals
>
>
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