The Learning to Teach Through Discussion : The Art of Turning the Soul

This sequel to Sophie Haroutunian-Gordon’s acclaimed __Turning the Soul: TeachingThrough Conversation in the High School__ presents a case study of two people learning to teach. It shows them engaging two groups of fourth grade students in discussion about the meaning of texts—what the author calls “interpretive discussion. The two groups differ with respect to race, geographical location, and affluence. As the novice teachers learn to clarify their own questions about meaning, they become better listeners and leaders of the discussions. Eventually, they mix the students from the two classrooms, and the reader watches them converse about a text as the barriers of race and class seem to break down. In addition to the detailed analysis of the case study, __Learning to Teach Through Discussion: The Art of Turning the Soul__ presents philosophical, literary, and psychological foundations of interpretive discussion and describes its three phases: preparation, leading, and reflection. A tightly argued work, the book will help readers learn to engage students of all ages in text interpretation.

This sequel to Sophie Haroutunian-Gordon's acclaimed Turning the Soul: TeachingThrough Conversation in the High School presents a case study of two people learning to teach. It shows them engaging two groups of fourth grade students in discussion about the meaning of texts-what the author calls "interpretive discussion. The two groups differ with respect to race, geographical location, and affluence.

As the novice teachers learn to clarify their own questions about meaning, they become better listeners and leaders of the discussions. Eventually, they mix the students from the two classrooms, and the reader watches them converse about a text as the barriers of race and class seem to break down. In addition to the detailed analysis of the case study, Learning to Teach Through Discussion: The Art of Turning the Soul presents philosophical, literary, and psychological foundations of interpretive discussion and describes its three phases: preparation, leading, and reflection. A tightly argued work, the book will help readers learn to engage students of all ages in text interpretation.

Contests 7 Preface 9 1. Introduction to Interpretive Discussion 15 2. Finding a Shared Concern: The Project Begins 33 3. Finding a Shared Concern: The Project Continues 57 4. Mixing the Groups 80 5. Learning to Question 105 6. Learning to Lead Discussion 133 7. Implications for Educators 166 Conclusion 192 Appendix A: Discussant Participation 195 Appendix B: Cluster of Questions for The Giving Tree 198 Appendix C: Cluster of Questions for “Jean Labadie’s Big Black Dog” 202 Notes 205 Index 225 This sequel to Sophie Haroutunian-Gordon's acclaimed 'Turning the Soul: Teaching Through Conversation in the High School' presents a case study of two people learning to teach. It shows them engaging two groups of fourth grade students in discussion about the meaning of texts - what the author calls 'interpretive discussion'