Literature Experiences Provided by Cooperating Teachers

Literature Experiences Provided by Cooperating TeachersAuthor(s): Maryanne HallSource: The Reading Teacher, Vol. 24, No. 5 (Feb., 1971), pp. 425-431, 463, 471Published by: Wiley on behalf of the International Reading AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20196525 .

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MaryAnne Hall is an Associate Professor of Education at

the University of Maryland, College Park.

Literature experiences provided by

cooperating teachers

MARYANNE HALL

of prime importance in elementary reading programs is the goal of developing a permanent interest in and a favorable attitude toward reading. In a speech, "The Right to Read: Target for the

70's," former Commissioner of Education, James E. Allen, Jr.

(1969), included the development of a desire to read as an

essential complement to the development of the skills of reading:

It must be recognized also, however, that for the majority who do

acquire the basic reading skills, there can also be a barrier which limits the fulfillment of their right to read. This barrier exists

when the skill of reading is not accompanied by the desire to read. We fail, therefore, just as much in assuring the right to read when

the desire is absent as when the skills are missing. (Pp. 31-37)

Huck and Kuhn (1968) stress the importance of a planned literature program in a classroom environment which is conducive to pleasurable experiences with literature. However, in a review of research on children's literature, ?dland (1969) reports little definitive information which describes actual teaching practices related to literature.

A course in children's literature is required by many institu

tions which offer degrees in elementary education. Such courses

may not have the effect on prospective teachers their professors assume if the students are not reinforced during student teach

ing by observing techniques for including literature in the curricu

lum. The influence of the student teaching experience on subse

quent teaching patterns is documented by Austin and Morrison

(1961, 1963) who report that the cooperating teacher's pattern of teaching is more influential in determining teaching techniques than are methods courses.

DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY

The purpose of the study was to ascertain the extent and

425



426 THE READING TEACHER Volume 24, No. 5 February 1971

types of experiences with children's literature and recreational

reading provided by cooperating teachers. The sample was com

posed of student teachers in the Department of Early Childhood

Elementary Education of the University of Maryland in the Spring Semester of 1969. The student teachers were primarily in subur

ban schools of the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore areas with

Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince

George's Counties and the cities of Washington and Baltimore

represented in the sample. A sample of 120 student teachers was selected randomly

from a list of all the student teachers (379) for the Spring Semes

ter. These students were sent letters asking them to attend a

meeting at which they would be asked to complete a questionnaire to be used in a research project. A total of eighty-four students

participated in a meeting held during the last week of student

teaching in May, 1969. Some students who were assuming all

teaching responsibility were reluctant to ask to be excused from

their assignments; travel time also deterred attendance.

The two-page questionnaire consisted of thirty-eight items

which were to be answered either yes or no. The questionnaire was divided into six categories: 1. classroom library corner, 2.

reading to children, 3. independent reading, 4. book-sharing ac

tivities, 5. school library facilities, and 6. teacher background. Directions were given to respond according to the situation

the cooperating teacher provided, not to the situation as the

student teachers may have altered it. Early childhood majors who

have student teaching experiences in nursery school, kindergarten, and a primary grade were asked to respond according to their

primary grade assignment. A number of student teachers at the

University of Maryland are assigned to teacher education centers

where they have experiences at various grade levels. The students

in centers were asked to respond to the questionnaire according to

the situation in which they spent the greatest amount of time.

The grade levels ranged from first through sixth, including thir

teen multi-graded classes.

The study did not cover all aspects of literature and recrea

tional reading experiences and did not in any way evaluate the

quality of the experiences reported. The student teachers were

not asked about the value of their children's literature courses or

how they applied the course content to the student teaching sit

uation or would apply the content in their future classes.

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

The findings are summarized to correspond with the six

categories of the questionnaire.



hall: Literature experiences provided by cooperating teachers 427

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430 THE RE ADING TE ACHER Volume 24, No. 5 February 1971

Library corner

Books were available in eighty-one of eighty-four classes.

Library corners did not reflect attention given to attractive dis

plays of books in almost half the classrooms surveyed. In over

half of the classes, space was not provided for children to read in the library corner. Over two-thirds of the classes did not feature

teacher or pupil-made materials related to books which, if used, should add to the motivation for reading. In almost half the classes the books were not changed each month. Although the

impression is that books are available, special efforts to attract

children to them are not evident.

Reading to children

In over half the classes the teacher did not read to children

daily. In over half the classes there was not a regularly scheduled time for reading to children. In 61 per cent of the classes the teacher read to children only if there was free time in the school

day. In 76 per cent of the classes the selections read aloud did not reflect a planned literature program.

Independent reading

In slightly over half of the classes, time was provided for in

dependent reading every day. In 63 per cent, time was provided for independent reading only when assigned work was finished.

An overwhelming percentage indicated that children did select books for independent reading. However, it is impossible to know what percentage of children this figure represents within classes.

Book-sharing activities

Children were required to do a specified number of book

reports in fifteen classes and in fifteen classes children were di rected to follow a set form for the reports. In three situations, children were asked to do only written reports while in six classes

only oral reports were done. In thirty-seven classes children did both oral and written reports, but apparently no specified num

ber was required in all these instances. No regular period was

scheduled for book-sharing activities in 64 per cent of the classes, and only 45 per cent of the student teachers reported that creative

projects related to books were encouraged in their classes. More

respondents reported that children participated in art activities

with books than with creative writing or dramatic activities.

Perhaps the lack of reporting is an advantage since standard

book reports can be distasteful to children. The lack of attention

to creative activities may be indicative of little correlation between

literature and other language arts activities.




School library facilities

All of the student teachers were in schools with central

school libraries. Of these, fifty-five were staffed with full-time li

brarians while twenty-nine had part-time librarians. In over two

thirds of the classes, the librarian was used as a consultant for

recommending books. A regularly scheduled library visit was

reported for sixty-nine of the classes. Children were free to go to

the library as needed in forty-five of the classes but the negative

response for thirty-nine classes indicates a lack of the availability of the library as a resource for children.

Teacher background

The student teachers generally did not know if their co

operating teachers had had a course in children's literature. For

the twenty who answered "yes" one can assume literature was

discussed between the student teacher and the cooperating teacher.

One can only speculate about how much attention is given to

discussion of literature and recreational reading experiences be

tween student teachers and cooperating teachers.

CONCLUSIONS

The data indicate that in many of the classrooms surveyed there are deficiencies in the experiences provided with children's

literature and recreational reading. Many teachers selected to

work with student teachers do not offer experiences which would

lead to the goal of enjoyment of reading. If children do become

enthusiastic readers, the enthusiasm is not a result of a conscious

effort to produce that interest through planned curriculum ex

periences.

Although generalizations cannot be drawn regarding the

literature experiences observed during student teaching for stu

dents from other institutions, the findings reported here do raise

some questions to be studied by other investigators. Studies of

types of literature experiences provided by teachers in other school

systems are needed as are studies which investigate the applica tion of content of pre-service methods courses in children's litera

ture, reading, and language arts to student teaching situations.

With the growth of school libraries, the inclusion of librari

ans as part of elementary school faculties, and the increase in the

quantity of books available on a range of levels and interests,

teachers have more resources than ever before on which to draw

in developing dynamic literature programs. However, the resources

themselves cannot produce excellent reading programs; teachers

must actively draw upon these resources as they put a program (Continued on page 463)



Research 463

Caccavo, E. The listening compre hension level of an informal reading

inventory as a predictor of intelligence of elementary school children. Dis

sertation Abstracts, 1969, 30, 164A.

deHoop, W. Effects and interaction

effects of speaking rate, visual limi

tation, and intelligence level on aural

acquisition and retention of sentences.

Dissertation Abstracts, 1966, 26, 3752

53.

deHoop, W. Listening comprehen sion of cerebral palsied and other crip

pled children as a function of two

speaking rates. Exceptional Children,

1965, 31, 233-240.

Dolcini, M. E. Children's listening

comprehension of fictional and fac

tual materials at two levels of difficul

ty. Dissertation Abstracts, 1965, 25, 6428.

Farrow, V. L. An experimental

study of listening attention at the

fourth, fifth, and sixth grade. Disser

tation Abstracts, 1964, 24, 3146.

Fergen, Geraldine K. Listening com

prehension at controlled rates for chil

dren in grades IV, V, and VI. Dis

sertation Abstracts, 1955, 15, 89.

Foulke, E., Amster, C. H., Nolan, C. L., and Bixler, R. H. The compre hension of rapid speech by the blind.

Exceptional Children, 1962, 29, 134-41.

Hedrick, Dona L. A developmental

investigation of children's abilities to

respond to competing messages varied in intensity and content. Dissertation

Abstracts, 1967, 28, 1926A-1927A.

Jackson, E. An investigation of the

relationship between listening and se

lected variables in grades four, five, and six. Dissertation Abstracts, 1966,

27, 53A.

Legge, W. B. Comparisons of listen

ing abilities of intermediate grade pu

pils categorized according to intelli

gence, achievement, and sex. Disserta

tion Abstracts, 1967, 27, 2947A-2948A.

Lutz, Nancy G. The effects of or

ganizational ability, general listening

ability and sentence arrangement on

listening comprehension of second

grade pupils. Dissertation Abstracts,

1969, 30, 1917A.

Maccoby, Eleanor E., and Konrad, K. W. Age trends in selective listening.

Journal of Experimental Child Psy

chology, 1966, 3, 113-122.

Rathgaber, Sister Jean Marie. A

comparison of the listening ability of

blind students and the listening abil

ity of sighted students in the inter

mediate grades. Dissertation Abstracts,

1966, 27, 420A.

Reddin, E. Characteristics of good listeners and poor listeners. The Jour

nal of the Reading Specialist, 1968,

7, 109-113.

Ross, R. A look at listeners. Ele

mentary School Journal, 1964, 64, 359

372.

Staffen, Patricia M. Comprehension of compressed and expanded speech

by emotionally disturbed children. Dis

sertation Abstracts, 1969, 30, 1085A.

Wenger, Thelma W. A study of the

effect on listening test scores of

change in methods of presentation. Dissertation Abstracts, 1968, 28, 2466A-2467A.

Wood, C. D. Comprehension of com

pressed speech by elementary school

children. Dissertation Abstracts, 1966, 27, 336A-337A.

Woodcock, R. W., and Clark, C. R.

Comprehension of a narrative passage

by elementary school children as a

function of listening rate and reten

tion period and IQ. The Journal of

Communication, 1968, 18, 259-271.

Literature experiences . . .

(Continued from page 431)

into operation. Developing a permanent interest in reading cannot be left to chance. Literature experiences are an essential part of the elementary curriculum. The need for improving the quantity and quality of literature experiences is great and must receive attention in both preservice and in-service education of teachers as a part of the national effort to make the/'right to read" a reality.

(Continued on page 471)



Literature for children 471

nal to make pupils think that they do not "like" to read or that they do not "like" books. In Frances

Walsh's That Eager Zest one of

james Thurber's delightful essays, "Here Lies Miss Groby" tells of his nighttime agony from too much dis

secting literature:

Night after night for homework

Miss Groby set us searching in

Ivanhoe and Julius Caesar for met

aphors, similes . . . and all the

rest. It got so that figures of speech

jumped out of the pages at you,

obscuring the sense and pattern of

the novel or play you were trying to read ... I would find myself

lying awake at night saying over

and over, The container for the

thing contained/ In a great but

probably misguided attempt to keep

my mind on its hinges, I would

stare at the ceiling and try to think

of an example of the thing con

tained for the container. It struck me as odd that Miss Groby had never thought of that inversion.

The skills of literary interpretation must be taught, but they need not

be applied overtly to everything that a child reads. At the elementary

level, good taste is more readily de

veloped by exposure to high quality materials, and enthusiasm for read

ing is more likely to be caught from teachers, librarians, and classmates

than to be learned as a formal proc ess. The use of the term required

reading or the practice of drawing firm lines specifying what each

child is to read is another way of

dampening the desire to read. Lim

iting selection to graded lists or

collections tends to have a negative effect also.

Neither should the formal book

report be required for every book a pupil reads. From listening to

comments of young readers, one

may assume that the surest way to

make them stop reading anything but required texts in school is the

formal written or oral book report. Children should learn the skills of oral and written book reports by

preparing such reports occasionally, but to demand such reports rou

tinely makes reading (in children's

current language) "a drag." On the

other hand, children do enjoy re

sponding to what they read through creative activities, individual con

versations, or small group sharing. Few educators would deny that

enjoyment of reading, development of inner-motivation to read, and

habits of wide and discriminating reading are desired outcomes of

reading programs. Accordingly, let

us evaluate our actions and atti

tudes relating to independent read

ing in terms of our expressed ob

jectives.

Editor's note There are several publications

that will be helpful to teachers and librarians in the motivation and

guidance or reading and in sharing literature with children. A few titles

worthy of note are:

Gillespie, J., and Lembo, Diana. In

troducing books. Bowker, 1970.

Gillespie, J., and Lembo, Diana. Jun

iorplots. Bowker, 1967.

Jacobs, L. Using literature with

young children. Teachers ' College

Press, 1965.

Meeker, Alice M. Enjoying litera

ture with children. Odyssey, 1969.

Reasoner, C. F. Releasing children

to literature. Dell.

Literature experiences . . .

(Continued from page 463)

REFERENCES

Allen, J. E., Jr. The right to read: target for the 70's. Speech to the National

Boards of Education, September 23, 1969. In Reading Newsreport, 1969, 31-37.

Austin, Mary C, and Morrison, C. The first r: the Harvard report on reading in elementary schools. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1963.

Austin, Mary C, Morrison, C, et al. The torch lighters: tomorrow's teachers

of reading. Cambridge: Harvard Graduate School of Education, 1961.

Huck, Charlotte S., and Kuhn, Doris Y. Children's literature in the elementary school. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1968.

?dland, Norine. Teaching literature in the elementary school. Champaign, 111.: National Council of Teachers of English, 1969.



Documents

Literature Experiences Provided by Cooperating Teachers