<i>Learning to Teach Through Discussion: The Art of Turning the Soul</i> (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Learning to Teach Through Discussion: The Art of Turning the Soul Sarah Selmer S. Haroutunian-Gordan. (2009). Learning to Teach Through Discussion: The Art of Turning the Soul. New Haven: Yale University Press. 220 pages. ISBN: 978-0300120004. $22.00 paperback. Sophie Haroutunian-Gordan’s 2009 publication, Learning to Teach Through Discussion: The Art of Turning the Soul, examines components of the complex world of education and teacher preparation. Laying a theoretical and philosophical foundation, the author explains the application of “interpretive discussions” as they apply to education and teacher preparation. Interpretive discussions are classroom conversations driven by questions about the meaning of a text. These questions often explore themes such as morality, goodness, respect, virtue, and thoughtfulness. Using interpretive discussions as the common link, the author describes the implementation of interpretive discussion in a classroom setting, teaching through interpretive discussion, and the practical applications for teacher education. The author lays a theoretical, literary, and psychological framework to define the meaning and uses of interpretive discussions. She draws on past theories and associated literary works including Plato, Gadamer, and Heidegger as well as modern contributors such as Beck, Schoenfeld, Lampert, and Ball to provide this framework. Interpretive discussions are described as conversations “between people who together seek to understand the meaning of the text” (2). “Seeking” within interpretive discussions is done by members of a group searching for understandings based on common uncertainty, motivations, and ambiguities (3). Seeking is focused on understanding the “meaning of a text.” The author broadly defines a “text” as statements, data, pictures, artifacts, films, or anything that is the focus of students and teachers’ collaborative discussions. Ideally, an interpretive discussion brings together the participants with a common question or uncertainty and encourages open dialogue. [End Page 61] The reader is presented with a case study of two novice teachers and their experiences co-leading interpretive discussions. In the case study there are five interpretive discussions done with two groups of fourth-grade students. The texts are purposefully chosen literary books. The two groups differ with respect to race, geographical location, and affluence. Four of the interpretive discussions are done with each group separately, while one brings the two diverse groups of students together. Descriptions are engaging as the reader delves into classroom dialogue, the co-leaders and students’ use of questioning, and information about participating students. The reader is presented with the opportunity to consider many of the components that are associated with interpretive discussions. These include the planning and implementation of interpretive discussions, the progression of both the students and the novice teachers’ ability to engage in interpretive discussions, broad societal issues affecting the students’ perceptions, the building of collaborative communities within the classroom, and notions of inquiry into the novice teachers’ practice. Drawing on the novice teachers’ exposure to leading interpretive discussions with these two groups of fourth graders, the author goes into great depth analyzing their experiences. Working together, the teachers and author contemplate topics such as planning, implementing, and reflecting on interpretive discussions. The author explores how the novice teachers chose texts, their process of creating questions while coached by the author, and developing conceptual templates for guiding discussions. The empirically based outcome of the novice teachers’ experiences offers practical suggestions for learning to lead interpretive discussions, specifically how these suggestions can be applied within teacher education. Once the empirical data are revealed, the author continues to apply her findings specifically to teacher education, including the possibility of novice teachers within teacher-preparation programs having opportunities to lead, select text, prepare questions, and participate in interpretive discussions. The reader is given real-life examples of students in Northwestern University’s Teacher Education Program participating in interpretive discussions. Some of these examples of interpretive discussions are drawn from science and mathematics texts. These examples are a limitation of an overall rich book. The examples have limited scope, and the descriptions of the students’ experiences are too brief. Expanding on these practical examples, including more varied texts, and sharing the created questions and the resulting interpretive discussions would have been valuable to the reader and strengthened the cross-curricular connections. Learning to Teach Through Discussion: The Art of Turning the Soul...