My Desire to Teach Literature

My Desire to Teach Literature

A couple of months ago, out of curiosity, I engaged in a test offered by the MENSA association. Along with the I.Q. figure, I received there was also some two word description attempting to label my intellectual prowess. As I recall one of the words was “intuitive”, or some variation thereof. People with a propensity to intuitiveness generally have some sense of this. Call it intuition.

As a learner I would have to say that I fall into the visual category. For an instructor to describe a mathematical formula, for example, it just does not have the impact as to actually see the process worked out on a blackboard. The same applies to a tangible object. I am able to fully grasp its applications if it was placed before me, as opposed to being merely explained.

I do intend to teach in the visual style when, at last, that role is mine. Ultimately my goal is to teach college level literature. Off hand I can think of a few instances where visual tools might be employed in this arena. Suppose I was to assign a class to read Joseph Heller’s “Catch 22”. Clips from Mike Nichols’ film version would give the class a firmer grasp on the insanity of war. Gustave Dore’s sullen and intense companion paintings to Samuel Taylor Coolidge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” would assist in bringing students closer to the mood and drama the poem evokes. And why stop with artistic mediums. Nature herself is the ultimate instructor. After a reading of Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights” I can see myself marching a class out into a rainfall (weather permitting) and proclaiming “O.K., guys. You feel those cold drops pounding you? Feel the general wildness of it all? That, my friends, is unbridled passion. That is Cathy and Heathcliff in a nutshell.”

Regarding the application of learning styles and learning style assessments, quite honestly, I don’t know enough about it yet to make a judgment call. This is new to me and I am still learning. From what I understand of some of these issues, such as integrated learning, this is a practice that should be administered to students at a lower grade level.