Kay Smith The High School Connection
Back to the Future—One Good Lesson at a Time
love movies, and it doesn’t the Eighties. An aspiring musician may be irrelevant to our students’ matter what kind of movies. in an uninspiring band, McFly current schema and need. For IWhen you love them as I do, spends time with his friend, example, consider a possible there is nothing except a good book Professor Emmett Brown. Although similarity found between our that is as entertaining as two hours he appears to be nothing but a Huckleberry Finn lessons and the of convoluted plots, rich character- scattered and disheveled scientist, incongruity found in “Back to the izations, and critical dialogues. As Emmett has created a time ma- Future.” When Marty McFly asks indiscriminate as I appear to be chine. It can not only launch people Emmett Brown a simple question about my selections, I am, however, into the past and future, but it does about the type of fuel needed for pragmatic about my movie habit: a so with style. The time machine the special DeLorean, he learns that movie must give me something to resides within a plutonium-powered some things have not stayed the chew on. Undoubtedly, this is a DeLorean car, and while driving the same. universal and humorous idiosyn- car at a speed that activates the crasy of English teachers. We enjoy machine, Marty McFly is hurled Marty McFly: Does it run on, on the unrelenting search for “deep through an amazing trip back to regular unleaded gasoline? meanings” and effective outcomes. three previous decades. After a One movie and its wacky theme, a series of outrageous events, Marty Dr. Emmett L. Brown: Unfortu- theme somewhat related to out- completes his important work; acts nately, no. It requires something comes, has continued to intrigue as Cupid for his parents so they can with a little more kick. . . . me. It’s been a few years since the meet, marry, and eventually Plutonium! movie’s debut, but when I visit become his parents. With that classrooms, review old unit plans, done, Marty can move forward in Marty McFly: Plutonium! . . . wait, research new pedagogy, and watch time and get “back to the future.” are you telling me that this students learn, I continue to In our work as secondary sucker is nuclear? struggle with what practices will English educators, we know we lead us nowhere, backward, to the should routinely consider the Although knowledge of fuel future, and paradoxically, “Back to literacy practices that best meet the production and lessons from Mark the Future.” Let me see if I can needs of our students. Times and Twain compare like apples and explain a connection. standards change; we should also oranges, it is the relativity of our It seems like only last year that change. The lesson plans that fill instruction that we are attempting America watched the movie about our filing cabinets, and quite to explore. In preparation for state Marty McFly, a typical teenager of possibly even last year’s lessons, and national assessments, students
57
THE ALAN REVIEW Summer 2004
k57_59TAR_Summer04 57 9/3/04, 9:22 AM would find more significance in Dr. Emmett L. Brown: Precisely! poor Marty McFly experienced the “Huckleberry Finn” instruction that frustration that can occur when helps students “. . . read . . . literary Marty McFly: Whoa! This is proper schema has not been texts from different periods, heavy! achieved. Imagine the confusion he cultures, and genres” (USOE), experienced while innocently trying rather than lessons which require Dr. Emmett L. Brown: There’s that to order a soft drink . . . albeit a learning an outdated Southern word again: “heavy.” Why are drink that had not yet been in- vocabulary or the life and times of things so heavy in the future? Is vented. Samuel Clemens. there a problem with the earth’s Because we English teachers gravitational pull? Lou: You gonna order something, have always loved our content area, Kid? even when our own high school Just a month ago, I enthusiasti- teachers transmitted information cally began a class discussion, but I Marty: Ah, yeah . . . Give me a from yellowed and boring lecture soon learned my students knew Tab. notes, we may understandably little about the content. Stating and underestimate the need to evaluate then outlining the learning objec- Lou: Tab? How can I give you a tab our practice. We like a diet of tive seemed easy enough, but the if you don’t order something? words, parts of speech, persuasive students had no schema or back- essays, metaphysical poetry, and ground information to draw upon. Marty: Alright. Give me a Pepsi classical literature. We like it, and After ten minutes of shallow Free. students should, too. Could it be, answers and confused expressions, however, that our practices make I knew my teaching, no matter how Lou: You want a Pepsi, Pal, you’re literacy instruction less attractive pedantic, would not bring about gonna pay for it! than it could be? comprehension. I could hear the I cringe when I think of the words of Madeline Hunter in my Effective teachers are those weekly spelling and vocabulary lists mind: it was time to “monitor and who constantly monitor what is I once doled out every Monday adjust.” Although changing my working in a classroom. When morning of the year. Doggone it! plans spoiled my unit-plan-magic, learning is compromised, effective Learning to spell and vocabulary backtracking was a necessary teachers determine what isn’t development was good for students, adjustment. Out went the pre- working and why. and new-fangled research that scribed lesson, and in came The changing role of English exposed the worthlessness of my something new. While punting is teachers is shaped by new needs, lists was just nonsense. never recommended, we managed new standards, and a new type of The research was nonsense; to salvage the class period. student. Yes, we must continue to nonsense until I realized students When my lesson wasn’t be knowledge specialists, but memorized my lists for Monday working, why didn’t I just continue remaining specialists will be the and couldn’t remember a simple my instruction and expect the easy part. Our natural love of definition a week later. With that students to fill in the gaps? The English obliges us to read more, sad realization, I began to under- answer is simple. If we expect write more, and analyze more. The stand the necessity of context. Even imperfect comprehension to challenge for the changing educator the brilliant scientist Emmett Brown effectively scaffold to future goes beyond our knowledge. The needed context to understand the learning, it won’t happen. The challenge calls for a reformation. It words of teenager, Marty McFlye. unfortunate consequences will fall requires us to carry student-relevant on our students, and in our unwill- knowledge by fresh strategies. It Marty McFly: Wait a minute, Doc. ingness to change the way we requires us to show new support Are you trying to tell me that my teach, we will ultimately botch for assessment-driven and quantifi- mother has the hots for me? multiple lessons. Like our students, able curriculum. Lastly, it requires
58
THE ALAN REVIEW Summer 2004
k57_59TAR_Summer04 58 9/3/04, 9:22 AM us to re-shape our practice and high school English. In 1993 and 2000 Works Cited meet the needs of America’s most respectively, she earned an M.Ed. and Davies, Tom. “Changing School of differentiated consumer: our Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Thought: Back to the Future.” Paris: Promoting Multimedia in Education and teenagers (Davies). The challenge Brigham Young University. After working ten action-packed years as a Training in European Society Consor- to write our new future is exciting, tium 10 October 2002. secondary principal, she left what she especially when the alternative is to Hunter, Madeline. Mastery Teaching. loved and decided to do what she languish in the past. As English London: Sage, 1982. really loved: teach English education educators, we can help make the “Memorable Quotes from Back to the on the college level. She currently Future.” Internet Movie Data Base. words of Marty McFly a promising teaches Young Adult Literature and 10 Aug. 2004
59
THE ALAN REVIEW Summer 2004
k57_59TAR_Summer04 59 9/3/04, 9:22 AM