Changing the Classroom Climate with Literature Circles

Burns, Bonnie. “Changing the Classroom Climate with Literature Circles.” Journal of Adulescent and Adult Literacy. Newark: 1998. Vol. 42, Iss. 2; pg 124-130.

The aim of this article was to prove that using literature circles in the classroom would motivate students to take greater academic risks. This teacher chose six novels with a specific theme, and students were allowed to choose one of the six to read and discuss in the smaller group setting. While reading in the groups, the classroom climate became more “cooperative, responsible, and pleasurable.” The article covered several aspects of the lit circle project, from implementing to assessment, and was largely student dialogue. This author would follow every claim that was made with quotes from students in her classroom. Things that stood out were that the students enjoyed the choice that this assignment offered and that everyone in the group had an opportunity to speak in the small group setting. They seemed to like being in charge of the learning that was taking place: setting their own schedules and assigning their own roles in the group. The article goes on to mention that literature circles should be used in conjunction with other teaching methods to change the climate in a classroom. Whole group and independent reading should not be tossed by the wayside and replaced by literature circles.

The only issue I had with this author’s experience was that she was teaching a relatively heterogeneous population. She was in an upper middle class suburb teaching above average to gifted students, so that, to me, casts a shadow on her findings. I can’t say that all classes could be as successful as hers.

I believe this will be relevant to my research in that this is the only article I’ve seen so far that includes other methods of teaching in addition to literature circles. Whole group instruction – not mini lessons – is still important according to this author.

The Power and the Passion

Greef, Elizabeth. “The Power and the Passion: Igniting a Love of Reading Through Literature Circles.” International Association of School Librarianship. Selected Papers from the Annual Conference. Seattle: 2002. Pg. 311-321.

This author used a lot of lists, which was a refreshing change from some of the dense text I’ve been reading. She listed nine reasons for the use of literature circles, some being: to encourage cooperative learning, to develop an emotional response, to develop critical literacy, and to build skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Greef is the only author I’ve seen yet who has mentioned test scores as well. According to the author, research carried out in Chicago linked literature circles to rise in test scores – as much as 27%. This is an important point to be made in today’s schools, which depend on test scores for their funding as much as the students depend on them to graduate

Greef outlined the implementation of literature circles as well, but I felt she did it in a much more concise manner than previous authors I’ve read. She gave step by step instructions and rules for just about every aspect of the project. She included student feedback to the questions she provided her students, as well parental feedback about her reading program.

Though she examined the use of literature circles in a parochial middle school, I feel that the author’s advice on how to guide discussion (and her questions) are very useful. I will be adapting some of her ideas on a questionnaire. Definitely a very usable source.

Getting Started: Using Literature Circles in the Classroom

Gilbert, Lori. “Getting Started: Using Literature Circles in the Classroom.” Primary Voices. Urbana: Aug 2000. Vol 9, Iss 1; pg. 9.

Gilbert is a 5^th grade teacher who introduced literature circles to her students. She wanted to make her students better readers and writers, so she used this method to teach her youngsters basic reader-response criticism. She tells how she started group reading with picture books to pique their interest and moved into more difficult books and concepts. One of the response techniques her students enjoyed was using sticky notes to keep track of their ideas while they were reading. She describe and defends her use of “stickies” and even what she does with the submitted ones. When she collects her students stickies, she uses them to help plan future mini lessons based on what the kids don’t know. She also discusses her method of implementation and what the experience was like, and expresses her frustration with assessing the project. She gave a self-evaluation and conducts individual conferences with the students to discuss that assessment.

The author of this article was a first year teacher at the time she wrote this article, and she was quite idealistic. She does express some frustration with the process and the need for more reflection and tweaking to perfect the use of literature circles in her classroom. Ultimately, I think I’ll use her experience more in action than in writing. Some of the problems that plagued her have also been plaguing me, so I’ll learn from her mistakes. I will not likely use her findings in my report though.

Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in Book Clubs and Reading Groups, 2nd ed.

Daniels, Harvey. Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in Book Clubs and Reading Groups, 2^nd ed. Portland: Stenhouse, 2002. Print.

This book was written by the creator of literature circles, Harvey Daniels. This book outlines how to start and manage literature circles in a variety of classroom settings, including elementary and high school classes. It also includes role sheets for putting them into action, and a guide for assessing students. It also clearly defines the roles of the teacher and students, and includes research to defend the use of this practice in the classrooms. The book has some information on using literature circles in the high school classroom, but it was the smallest chapter in the book, and there was no related research. Though there was little information on my particular subject, I believe there is enough to help me continue my own chapter in this research.

This source is a credible one, Daniels is the creator after all, and very usable for my research. As I am doing an action research project, the information on how to put these groups together properly will be very useful. I also believe that the assessment tools he gives will give me a starting off point to assess my research project. I will use parts of his assessment guidelines to develop my own.

Strategizing corporate social responsibility: evidence from an Italian medium-sized, family-owned company.

Perrini, Francesco, and Mario Minoja. "Strategizing corporate social responsibility: evidence from an Italian medium-sized, family-owned company." Business Ethics: A European Review 17, no. 1 (January 2008): 47-63.

CSR is becoming a mainstream issue as both researchers and managers are realizing its importance, but knowledge gaps persist. Specifically, the processes underlying the adoption of responsible managerial practices and the effects associated with them are still at the center of the debate. This paper finds three basic answers to encompass theoretical and managerial concerns over the integration of CSR into strategy. First, beliefs and value systems of entrepreneurs, as well as their past experiences, seem to play a fundamental role in shaping responsible corporate strategy. In fact, conditions leading to competitive advantage tend to coincide with those enhancing CSR. Next, the importance and extent of the relationship between social performance and financial performance depend on the consistency between CSR programs and policies adopted and the kind of competitive strategy that has been selected. Last, people need to be aware of it. CSR strategies must be explicit and worked into specific managerial procedures.