Interview with a Classroom Teacher

I interviewed Caitlin Bennett, a classroom teacher at Tyler Elementary School in Southeast Washington, DC. Ms. Bennett teaches an self-contained special education classroom with 10 students between the ages of 10-12 with learning disabilities, mild to moderate mental retardation, and/or Asperger's Syndrome. I thought that this would bring an interesting perspective to these questions.

What role does literature play in the classroom curriculum?

Ms. Bennett explained that literature provides a way for her to model how someone reads. She utilizes many teacher read-alouds and think-alouds to model her thought processes when approaching text. Literature provides students with exposure to varied vocabulary and is also used to teach literary elements, problem-solving, social roleplaying, and sequencing.

What kinds of books are chosen? Why and how?

Books are chosen based on students' ability levels and individual interests. Ms. Bennett also uses controlled vocabulary books such as Merrill readers. Students also each have their own book for uiet reading time. The teacher reads aloud about two books per week. The students are divided into three guided reading groups, each with their own related spelling list. Students work together to decode and discuss these books in their group and quiz each other on related concepts.

Who decides what books are used in the classroom?

Ms. Bennett has most of the control over what books are in the classroom, apart from the leveled readers provided by the district. The students can choose their own individual books from the class library. They self-select their quiet book with the teacher's input and guidance to make sure it is appropriately leveled. The teacher also provides students with special interest books; for example, Ms. Bennett brought in many books on African Americans for Black History Month. The class also takes a field trip to the local public library every two weeks for students to choose their own books, as well as books on tape, which are not widely available at the school library.

What is the teacher's theoretical perspective on teaching or specifically on using chidlren's literature in the classroom?

Given that she teaches special education, Ms. Bennett identifies most with a transactional perspective on reading. She explains that she thinks that each text means something different to each individual reader, and each reader brings something different to a particular text. Thus, a book cannot mean the same exact thing to two different people. Ms. Bennett translates this perspective into her reading instruction by having students answer questions such as, “what would you do if you were in this character's shoes?” and “how do you feel as you read this part?” These questions allow students to make their own connections to the story. Ms. Bennett provides students opportunities to share their individual interpretations through classroom discussion supported by the teacher.