AVReading Newsletter February-- The Value of Assigning Books
Teaching remotely has really made me think long and hard about whether assigning books is still valuable. Considering the many logistical obstacles required to get the book (digitally purchased or hard copy), I have to be really committed to it. So, for this month’s newsletter, I would like to highlight some of the most important reasons for assigning books to our students. For starters, it is perhaps good to explain that “assigning books” means something a little different today. On occasion, we still choose one common text that the entire class will read, analyze, and discuss (e.g. Romeo and Juliet , Flight, Raisin in the Sun ). However, most of the books assigned to students today allow for students to choose a title from a short list-- usually 5-7 books. Each of these books will come at a given topic or theme from different angles, allowing students to ha...