My Desire to Teach Literature :: Teaching Education Essays

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 â€Å"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 â€Å"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 â€Å"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 â€Å"Wuthering Heights† I can see myself marching a class out into a rainfall (weather permitting) and proclaiming â€Å"O.K., guys. You feel those cold drops pounding you? Feel the general wildness of it all? That, my fr iends, 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.