Beyond the Page: Pedagogical Implications of Teachers' Experiences in Book Clubs

• In Event: 32.083 - Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: 32.083-7 - Educator Identity, Preparation, and Assessment: Framing Teachers as Social Actors

Abstract

This paper explores the findings of a qualitative research project that questions how teachers’ experiences in book clubs can inform their pedagogical practices. Framed by a social constructivist epistemological stance, grounded in the work of narrative inquiry, and conceptualized by transactional reader-response theory, five data collection methods were employed. This paper showcases the ways in which thirteen Canadian teachers’ experiences in book clubs enter into the classroom, including selecting ‘quality’ literature, facilitating student book clubs, talking to students about reading, and allowing students choice in reading material. Teachers’ perceptions of how their book club experiences influence their teaching and reading practices can offer a great amount of insight into how a love for reading can be instilled within the classroom.

Author

• Jennifer Jane Rottmann, University of Ottawa