In Learning Module One, we were instructed to review a literary journal and discuss it. I chose to review the Journal of Literary Research. I found this journal to be unusually student-focused and I appreciated that the journal seemed to genuinely discuss, analyze and reflect on why students do the things that they do and the effect that the individual students can bring to his or her own learnging and to the learning environment of his or her classroom.
In particular, one article I read discussed the fact that student's discussion on the comprehension of a text is undoubtedly influenced by his reading level and reading identify. Too often, as teachers, we expect that if we give students an assignment, such as discuss what you took away from this particular book, we expect, and even require, that the conversation look and be as in-depth, as we think to be appropriate. This article exposed the irrationality of that thinking. If a student's reading identity is one way, we should respect in regards to the discussions and not attempt to change that by requiring them to fit the molds of typical reading comprehension conversations.
I had never heard of this particular journal prior to LM1 but I have subscribed and I intend to follow this article because I see true value in professional research that is written with genuine concern for the students that are being examined.
