Cyber-Assignment: Reflection on Discussion Groups
Homework this evening is to reflect on the Literature Circle Discussion format: How does the dialectic process help students go deeper into the material? How has this process affected how you approach written material? Why is this dialogue necessary to true understanding whether the discourse is with a group of classmates or with with pen in hand--the conversation taking place as one reads actively?
What worked well today . . . yesterday? What didn't? What needs to change to make the process work better next time?
Homework for the weekend is already posted below.
Homework this evening is to reflect on the Literature Circle Discussion format: How does the dialectic process help students go deeper into the material? How has this process affected how you approach written material? Why is this dialogue necessary to true understanding whether the discourse is with a group of classmates or with with pen in hand--the conversation taking place as one reads actively?
What worked well today . . . yesterday? What didn't? What needs to change to make the process work better next time?
Homework for the weekend is already posted below.
posted by Professor Wanda's Posse at 10:18 PM
39 Comments:
Jamie McNair
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
01 February 2012
The discussion groups are a great idea for helping understand the readings better. That way, people can help each other interpret what the message of the novel is about.
The roles that are assigned for the discussion groups was a clever way to keep everything organized. Egst really helps during the discussions is when each person gives there opinion about what was read and kinda summarizes the message of the chapters etc.
An improvement that can be done to the groups is people should have a limited amount of time to speak because people tend to go on. In addition , everyone should speak and the same ones do not need to talk during the whole discussion.
Changes that should be made are everyone should speak for about the same amount of time. Everyine should get a chance to speak as well. There should also be vocabulary highlighted everytime the groups meet so that it is clear that everyone understands what they are reading.
Jamie McNair
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
01 February 2012
corrections : * What really helps . . . . their . .
* Everyone should get a chance to . . .
Whitney Maxwell
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
01 Feburary 2012
The literacy circle groups have proven to be very helpful in reading the text. Having the daily discussions allows us to gain multiple perspectives on the events in the reading. The reading group also allows us to focus on and discover details that could've gone overlooked, had this been an independent read without our jobs.
Although each group member has their own reading responsibility, my group has found that it works best when we allow it to flow as an open forum. The discussion director is not the only member who poses questions, & the connector is not the only one who draws connections.
I don't see any changes that should be made in our literacy group. However I do have a suggested improvement for reading groups of the entire class. I believe adding the job of character keeper to each group would be extremely useful. This member would be tasked with finding and providing a brief bio for each character, & keepping record of them as the reading progresses.
Mark Jansz
Mark Jansz
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
02 February 2012
The Literature circles was a great idea. It worked very well because we got to discuss about the book and have different inputs and views on it. It helps us go deeper into the material because there are a lot more people talking about it so there is more ideas on it. What worked well was that we all could share our opinions about the book, it was interesting to hear everyone's opinion.I think that it was a great idea to have literary groups to discuss such an intense book.
kenneth windham
professor wanda Sabir
Eng 1A
feburary 2 2012
The literrary groups help us all get an understanding of the characters motivations and mind set because we all have different ways of thinking and thus all are able to connect to some of the feeling and emotions that are displayed , in other words some of us have had the feelings shes been in , despair, depression and desperation for your children to survive.
everyone in our group was able to convey their feelings toward the book in the group to show their understanding of the character and in some cases enlighten our understading of leymah;
In order for this process to continue to grow we all need to keep reading and disscussing more in depth the text
Keith Salminen
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
02 Feburary 2012
The Liteary Circle is working great thus far. Everyone shows great interest in the book and the many twists and turns it has taken thus far.
The only issue we are having it seems is picturing the various areas the story takes place it. We have already figured out a way around this issue as all of us in the group will look at maps of Africa to get a better feel and vibe of the areas within the story.
Mike Lieu
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
02 February 2012
I have been really enjoying this in class discussion. It has really been helping me comprehend the reading. Sometimes when i read i don't understand, but talking about it with other people, helps me to remember what significant things happened. I don't think anything needs to change with this process. It's working just fine for me, maybe not for others, but for me it's going rather well.
James Espinoza
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
02 February 2012
I think that working in the literary circle discussion groups is a great way to delve into the material and really get a better understanding of what is going on in the material. It definitely makes me read the material more carefully and then I am able to come up with questions for the group.
When talking in a group it is interesting to hear everybody's perspective on what you have read. Someone might notice a detail in the book that you didn't or vice verse. Through these different perspectives we are able to come up with multiples questions and ideas that we might not come up with if we were working alone.
For the most part I think everything has worked out great. I was a little weary of working with a group but it has actually turned out to be a great experience. I look forward to more discussion groups.
Flora Diamond
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
02 February 2012
As the Discussion Director, I felt that rather than having myself draw in conclusions and ask questions, that it would be much more engaging (and easier for me *smile*)to open the floor up for open debate and bringing up topics.
I really enjoy my group, I feel they are a group of insightful and motivated peers. All of them contribute and it is evident they read the text and actually engage with the story of Mighty.
I have confidence we will be successful in this class and I greatly approve of the style of coming together in groups to learn from one another and discuss the literature at hand.
Savannah Conley
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
02 February 2012
Refection of the Literature Circle Discussion Format
The dialect process helps students go deeper into the material, by having each student focus on looking at the book with a specific outlook. Instead of each student looking for connections, vocabulary, understanding the culture and so on, each student gets to focus and share there thoughts and notes about their focus.The process of the literature circle discussions helps the students retain and understand what they have already read, without taking notes and having discussions, the content and the smaller, but important details, would not be as easily retained and remembered.
Today the size of the literature circles worked really well. At least for my group, we had all seven members and we each had done our reading and were able to execute our job with conversations as responses. I think one of the struggles for yesterday was even though we had all done our reading, we were all about ten pages behind in what had been assigned, it worked though because we were all at about the same spot. I think that it would help if were to find a reading amount that is somewhere between 20 pages which was too short and 55 which seemed to be too long for one night.
Samantha Swain
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
02 February 2012
Literary discussion groups are very helpful when it comes to understanding writing that you don't understand. If there's a passage that might have moved too fast for you, words you couldn't comprehend, or just have a general disagreement with the text, you are able to discuss it in class to fully comprehend what the author intended. It also has the potential to make the book more interesting, since everyone has their own views and opinions, whether they agree or disagree, or love or hate it.
The only problem I have with the discussion groups is that members in my group don't participate. There wasn't a discussion, as far as I could tell, at all.
If I could make any changes, it would be that everyone actually reads the book and participates in the discussion.
Our discussions in our literary circle both yesterday and the day before were stimulating.First of all we all read the required chapters, and were able to share our thoughts comprehensively. Secondly. being that we are all women, we were able to connect with the author in a deep way and our talks flowed freely about issues related to the book but looking at it from a world perspective. Surprisingly, we ventured into very controversial topics such as the Israel and Palestine conflicts.
I appreciate those in the group who made an effort to give their insight on Leymah's story and helped me gain new perspectives.
In no particular order I want to thank, Jovita, Flora, Whitney and Destiny.
Ana Vasquez
English 1A
Professor Wanda Sabir
The groups that were formed in the classroom have really helped make the reading and and the understanding of the book a lot easier.By having these discussion groups we can express and give our ideas to others and make it easier for each other and we can clarify whatever we do not understand.
Especially now that we have been assigned jobs to each person it will make even better for us.
I don't think any changes need to be made to these groups because our group seems to work better all together then by ourselves.
Maybe something we can improve is have everyone participate in the circle and talk a little more. But i think that with our jobs assigned we will be able to do so.
Jovita V. Wechsler
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
Group: Flora, Susan, Whitney and Destiny
In our group everybody does their reading and research, but as we go deeper into the discussion one sometimes realizes things they might have missed, or not given much importance to. When we discuss we recall everything we have read and also absorb the book even better, seeing as somethings are overlooked or forgotten. So, I believe that these groups are very helpful, because it helps us answer other people's doubts and raise questions for the group to answer.
We all have our assigned jobs, but we don't exactly divide the jobs, we all sort of cooperate in the discussion, putting in new information or doing another job. As long as everyone has read and completed their assignments the conversation is very rich and interesting.
I love my group, thank you guys!
Literary Circle
Susan Kelly
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
2 February 2012
Our discussions in our literary circle both yesterday and the day before were stimulating.First of all we all read the required chapters, and were able to share our thoughts comprehensively. Secondly. being that we are all women, we were able to connect with the author in a deep way and our talks flowed freely about issues related to the book but looking at it from a world perspective. Surprisingly, we ventured into very controversial topics such as the Israel and Palestine conflicts.
I appreciate those in the group who made an effort to give their insight on Leymah's story and helped me gain new perspectives.
In no particular order I want to thank, Jovita, Flora, Whitney and Destiny.
Kenneth Magno
Professor sabir
English 1A
2 February 2012
I feel that the literary discussion group is a great tool to use in class. It really helps me understand the readings more and maybe even learn new things that I might have missed. I love how my group mates are so engaged in the discussions we're having. It then makes me want to participate even more.The ideas, comments and thoughts flow one after another. I feel that the discussions in our group went really well yesterday and that everyone in my group had something interesting to bring to the table. I only wish that we had more time to share our thoughts. Time seems to fly when everyone is participating with a positive attitude.
Daniel Escudero-Whitney
Professor Sabir
2 February 2012
On the Literary Circle
The dialectic process allows our circle to get deeper into Mighty because we are all different readers and we catch different things in the writing. We are a more complete reader as a group than just as an individual, so to speak.
My approach to the material has since changed because I take what the others say and try to look at the writing from their perspective. This is quite valuable.
In order to be able to convey what you have learned to others, you must first understand what you are trying to say. I believe that learning from reading occurs in one part of the human brain, and when you try to talk about it, you are, in effect, having to transfer it to another part of the brain.
The work that we did yesterday was far more rewarding than the first day, since we were all more comfortable with each other. I find that although we all have specific tasks to accomplish with our circle roles, is good to be able to transcend those roles to have what turns out to be a very provocative discussion about the reading that we may not otherwise have had due to role restraints.
Stephen Yang
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
2 February 2012
The literature circle discussion helped everyone get some clarity on the events in the book. People were able to ask questions to other group members about the book that were confusing to them. One example in our group was about who's mama was who's. Another was what was the time line for the events in the chapters we read. The process was smooth and engaging for everyone because everyone was able to go over their notes if they didn't remember anything. This dialogue was necessary to those who really understood what happened in the book because they actually read it than those who didn't read it beforehand.
The things that worked well yesterday was that everyone took a part in the discussion. The book was interesting to everyone, even when we thought otherwise. The things that didn't work were few, but some of them were that those assigned with discussion jobs didn't do them because it was our first time. The changes were examples on the jobs we were supposed to do in order to better understand on the clarity on what we were doing.
Daniel Escudero-Whitney
Professor Sabir
English 1A
2 February 2012
Correction:
The class name "English 1A" was omitted from the heading of the above post by accident.
Allison Griffin
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
Feburary 2 2012
The Literature Circle worked out good for our group. We all very easily chose what our job would be and began working immediately. One issue we encountered yesterday, was some of us did not have our book yet and were behind on the reading.
Nezha Abdelrahman
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
2 February 2012
The literature circle is a very helpful tool. Why? Well, because it helps the reader to share their thoughts about how they felt about the book and it also helps them get other ideas from the people in their group. Sometimes one person wouldn't have understood something in the book and they would want more clarity by asking someone else, so being in a group with about 3 or 5 people, you can ask questions and one out of those 3 to 5 people are going to help clarify your questions.
Literature circles are meant to share thoughts and opinions about the book that you are reading. Having to share thoughts with others can help a person get the bigger picture about the book. Some people go in depth to research more about the book that they are reading. Sometimes others can relate to the book,I believe that when I hear my group members talk about how they can relate to the book and then they discuss their relation to the book, I think it a very interesting thing. Literature circles are very helpful in my opinion because it helps me understand more about the book.
Sherah McCurdy
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
02 February 2012
The Literature Circle process had greatly affected my approach to written material in a huge way.I have had this kind of group process before but it wasn't very helpful until now because this book is very descriptive and groups were very helpful. Through the discussion we were able to organize the written material to a way we can remember an understand it. Most importantly to take it thought about reality.
This dialogue is necessary to true understanding through group and with pen in hand because a short pencil is better than a long memory and even though you have good conversation and understnading, main points have to take place on paper so that you can ponder on it and bring it up again when necessary.
What worked yesturday was group participation and letting everyone get up to speed so that everyone can have a chance to speak. To make the process work better it would be helpful if everyone can take more notes and annotate thoughts in book so that you can it can further our organization an ddiscussion. So that scattering wouldn't be an option if we run out of things to say.
Allison Griffin
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
February 2 2012
The Literature Circle worked out good for our group. We all very easily chose what our job would be and began working immediately. One issue we encountered yesterday, was some of us did not have our book yet and were behind on the reading.We all shared the books and got caught up on the reading. Most of us had questions,some of them were simple and another member of the group would be able to asnwer it.I believe the literature groups will work out great. We have enough people to share ideas and our opinions with as well as ask and anwser questions. Hopefully our discussions will get even better as we get more comfortable with eachother and more familiar with the book. I think overall the literature circle will be a great way to get feedback and share our thoughts with eachother to gain a better understanding of the book.
Antonio Austin
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
02 February 2012
i wasn't here for the Literature circle due to family issues but by reading my other classmates comments i think when your in a circle its a great thing to do because you can be open minded to other people thoughts and opinion and its very helpful. What can make a perfect circle is when people take notes and everybody has a chance to speak and be respectful to other people opinions then yours
Jaron Terrell
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
2 February 2012
Form my point of view of the literature circle, I think it is a very brilliant idea, it benefits in many different ways, it not only benefits in the class room but outside the classroom. For first are second year students it helps us socialize with others, witch could be a key with getting through college. Form a class room perspective; it gives you many ideas about the topic form different student’s point of view, that helps understand the literature. I am very thankful to have my group because it fits with my style of Learning. We as a group benefit form this exercise in think it will be great to continuing in the future.
Hoan Vu
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
2 January 2012
The dialectic process help me listen to different opinions from different people on the same subject, I had oppotunities to view the same subject from a different perspective, therefore, it help me to focus on what I think I miss during my reading. the next time I read, I did try to keep in mind what other's think or saying on the same material. My mind open to new considerations and opinions, this does made me go deeper into what I was reading. I don't know how this will effect my writing yet, may be in time it will sink in. Discuss the reading assignment in group was the chance for me to know how other people understand and think of the same material. this does make me think differently when I was reading. I took notes when I read. After reread my notes.I asked my self, will my opinions the same or differ from others?. some aspects of the group discussion work for me and some does not.
Kathleen Adams
Professor Sabir
English 1A
Feb. 2, 2012
Our Group: Alison, Courtney, De'Janae, Kathy and Mark
We chose our positions yesterday and some of the classmates have just started reading the book. Everyone seems to be confident in their position and is ready to take on our jobs.
Mark and I agree that these people are very strong, and the reading is helping each of us to appreciate and to be thankful what we have. We are so blessed here in America, yet a lot of us take things for granted. These are strong people with great determination to overcome any and everything. All of us would like to have the bravery that she displays.
Kennedy Alston
Professor Wanda Sabir
Lit. Circle Reflection
2 February 2012
The literature circle is a great way to communicate and share thoughts and opinions about the topic at hand.I belive the dialetic process helps by bringing thoughts to the light that would usually be kept inside .The conversation also brings people together that would normally not associate.People usually bring up little observations that I either payed less attention to, or just completely missed and that always helps.I belive one of the main benefits from the circle is meeting your classmates, so that when you need a second opinion or have a inquiry about class you could ask them.The process hasn’t changed how I approach written material, but I would rather I have a second opinion, being that different people notice different things.I think the circles are pretty much flawless, we might need more organization though.
Danishia Mahomes
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
02 February 2012
The literacy circles have been working out so well for me and i think that it just works best, to create better writing assignments and class/ group discussions. I don't like to speak aloud but the literacy circles help me to be more confident in my writting, reading, and speaking. I believe its neccessary because it gets you in the mindstate of knowing that you have a group of people working with you. This process actually helps with creating better writting assignments and allows you to have clear understanding on anything you might not be all the way clear on.
Jules Mulholland
Professor Sabir
English 1A
February 2, 2012
Our literature circle discussions help to gather different perspectives and opinions from our classmates. In addition to the consideration of others' ideas, I feel this exchange of opinions provokes new thoughts on the subject. Responding to–and being responded to by–group members allows us to build new ideas on our subject (Mighty) while we share our first notions. Sharing these notions also helps me, personally, to develop them into fully-fledged ideas and beliefs. I'm very happy my group and the diversity of ideas it brings; everyone is doing what is necessary while supplementing each others' skills.
You guys go.
Colleen Low
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
2 February 2012
Literature Circle Discussion
I wrote a blog in class, but i don't know what happened?
During our Literature Circle Discussion, we have been able to openly discuss the main ideas, which have caught our attention. The group communicates with such flow and ease during our discussion, to which we freely add political, social and psychological aspects during our dialectic sessions. Our talks are quite expressive and sharing coalesces with each other’s attitudes and deep feelings about the events taking place. We are fortunate to have three men, who are confident and expressive, which brings more insight within the collection. With each person sharing their own experiences, and connections, it has broadened our perspectives of Leymah’s journey through her life in the time of war. Thus, dialectically it has enhanced what we understand and reemphasized the emotions connected to each changing event. This will make for a more meaningful writing experience.
Michael Cunningham
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
2 February 2012
Literacy Discussion Circle:
I think that your decision to have the discussion groups were a great idea. Now when we all come together to talk about the readings we can see how everybody else percieved the reading. Then we can all talk about eachothers ideas of what is going on.
Destiny Williams
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
4 February 2012
Litreacy Discussion Circle
Your idea to break us up into groups were great. I love my group. My group works because everybody in our group reads the book and do the required work. I love that we can come together every morning and have an open and free discussion about the book. We as a group help each other when needed. I like that we share our ideas and nobody is judging. I also love that when we get to talking we think of things to research (example: what started the war in the first place)? I like that we learn from each other everyday.
Thanks ladies for all your hard work.
Flora,Susan,Whitney,and Jovita
Amy Srimoukda
Professor Wanda Sabir
Enlglish 1A
05 February 2012
Literacy Discussion Circles
Due to some family circumstances, I was not able to actually engage in our group discussions last week. I was able to get into contact with another group member, Colleen, and got caught up with the assignments and such that were assigned in class. I was also informed of whom was in the group and of whom had what tasks at hand when it came to our discussion group. I would meet up with Colleen and get a recap and discuss what happened during class, when we both finally found time. I understand that the group may find it a little foggy to have me in the group because of the time that I missed last week. I reassured Colleen that I am not behind in the reading or the reading log and I will not hold the group back. I hope that when the time comes for me to finally meet and get into discussion with the group, that the group will understand my circumstances and allow me to continue with my role as a group member. I loved the idea of getting into these group discussions because for one thing, you get to see how everyone reacts to what they are reading. We also get to ask more questions on the literature and such without having to be judged about how we are viewing the book, viewing it the wrong way or the right way. I hope that the assigned groups can really open up to further discuss and compare the text to real life events. I find myself comparing Leymah's life to my own life. At one glance, the book didn't seem interesting. Now, I can't put it down and I am so drawn into it that I feel the need to discuss it further with our group members.
I would like to thank Colleen for working with me and giving me support through the tough times that I have had. Without her, I may have quit and not have been able to see or read how incredible this book really is. Thank you very much Colleen and I look forward to being in a group with you.
Analise Bostrom
Professor Wanda Sabir
Enlglish 1A
05 February 2012
The literature circles take us through a dialectic process that helps us go deeper into the material. We take our ideas and share it with the group; in turn, we get to hear everyone else’s ideas and turn them into our own. Depending on what people say, sometimes our perspectives of the reading change. Everyone brings new ideas to the discussion and therefore new perspectives are formed.
Overall it’s good to discuss your ideas with others because you get lots of good feedback and you learn a lot from each other…
Sulekha Yussuf
English 1A
Professor Sabir Wanda
5 February 2012
I always think it wonderful idea to have discussion groups in the classes. I believe every set of people who organize in the name of education might takes someone in the level of highness. And I'm feeling I reach this level in discussion groups. I learn new ideas when I listen other ideas from the students. Sometime it tells you how connected we are even though we may disagree with each other, but we can still respect that we all have our own perspective in different issues and its certainly we all agree due to our good intentions. Our intention is all about knowledge and that is what we survive in.
Adriana Ultreras
English 1A
Professor Wanda Sabir
5 February 2012
Literature Circle Response
Working with a group can either be great, or challenging. I was lucky enough to have a great group that is filled with great ideas As we work together it seems that our knowledge expands even more than before. Talking amongst each other helps more because I am able to catch onto things that some other student don’t, and vice versa. This sort of way of putting our brains together when we work in our group makes us understand the book even better. The only thing that is a little complicated is that we don’t have enough class time to actually have a discussion and write (for example our in class essays) all at the same time. We always have a note taker, which helps tremendously! Me myself is more of the talker. I like to spend hours reading the book until I completely understand what is being said. And i take a whole bunch of good notes that will help me with our group discussions. At the moment, there is nothing that I would change in my group. Just wish that class was a little bit longer...feel like 50 minutes a day isn’t enough for us to really say and do what we can. HELLO TO ALL MY GROUP MEMBERS :) WE ARE DOING GREAT :)
Abel Abyu
English 1A
Professor Wanda Sabir
7 February 2012
I was ill Tuesday the 1st and Wednesday the 2nd, so I wasn't able to come to any conclusions. But so far I'm enjoying my group thoroughly.
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