Introduction and Aesthetic Modes of Knowing

This year I am teaching a diverse group of forty amazing fifth graders. The subjects of focus are reading, writing, and social studies. The setting is a Title I school in Prince Georges' County. It can be a definite challenge to create innovative lessons which are unique and engaging for my wide variety of learners. To provide you with some background knowledge- many of my students are far below grade level, while others are new language learners from another country (who recently enrolled in our school system). After completing the reading for this week, I have some new ideas which I can relate to my classroom experiences. Writing is a passion of mine, but it can prove to be a very difficult subject to teach young students.  This is where Eisner's forms come into the picture. For the first meaning of "form", it was vital for me to teach the basics to my group of learners. They needed to know how to form sentences, compose paragraphs, and write in a way in which their pieces would flow in a logical manner.

Once the basics were down I needed to zone in on the quality of my students' work. This is an ongoing and lengthy process. In his piece Eisner states that "The literary in literature resides in the aesthetic capacities of language to influence our experience" (Learning and Teaching the Ways of Knowing, pg.25). How do I get my students writing on the level of well versed authors? Well of course my students have a long way to go, but I have read some excellent final products at a fifth grade level of writing. This does take great effort, planning, collaboration, and patience on behalf of the teacher and student. I have developed a writer's workshop in my classroom which employs set routines and rituals to enhance the writing experience for my young authors. It also provides more of a focus on the topics we are working on for the week, or just that on that particular day. Some days I read touchstone texts to my students and ask them to describe what they hear, see, and feel. What picture is the author painting with their words? Focusing on sensory language is key.

Eisner writes that " All experience is the product of both the features of the world and the biography of the individual" (pg.25). It is my job to come up with ways to spark my students' interest and make writing personal to them. Another way I have done this is to take time to hold conferences in which I ask students to share their personal experiences with me. Often times we can use these ideas as a beginning point for our writing pieces.  Each individual student is essentially the product of their experiences and the world around them. On this note, I have also found it to be helpful to open up the floor to a variety of different discussions on grade level appropriate social issues. These rich discussions serve to give me an idea of where my students stand in terms of their passions and interests. They help me open the door to more abstract writing ideas, which require more of an effort. 

On another note, I wanted to touch on one last point that Eisner made in his work- the increase in the focus on standardized tests. I am fairly new to the field (four years experience in a testing grade), but I will say that testing has impacted the majority of experiences in teaching. Without being specifically told, I am basically being instructed to "teach to the test". Yes, I agree that students need to be assessed and teachers need to be held accountable for student learning, but where do we draw the line?

Note- The author of this cartoon is unknown to me, but I do find it fitting.

Furthermore, I agree that students should be interested in what they study. Unfortunately, on some days I barely have the instructional time to fully immerse my students in one topic before it is time to teach the next. Eisner states that "The absence of the attention to the aesthetic in the school curriculum is an absence of opportunities to cultivate the sensibilities" (pg.34). Students are less likely to take an active role in their learning if they are disengaged in the material. The same can be said if the teacher seems to be jumping from topic to topic without fully carrying out a complete lesson. Even with this said, I do still have a passion for teaching. While keeping the realities of the profession in mind, I will remain positive while I work with the best interests of my students in mind. With my new knowledge, I will strive to find ways to bring the "aesthetic modes of knowing" into my lessons for the benefit of my unique group of learners.