Friere’s Second Letter
“Deep down, group reading brings about emergence of different points of view that, as they become exposed to each other, enrich the production of text comprehension,” Friere pg. 55. I apply this philosophy in my classroom everytime we try to tackle a big chapter book. And the truth must be told, I have to do the same thing. I can read a text and never gain the same perspective as somebody else in the class. The discussion deepens my understanding.
The fear is taken out of reading a “big book” because the students are attempting to do this together (which still applies to me). Even when the students are reading books on their own, the weaker, less confident readers will choose books that are the same as their friends that are better readers. Fear is a very real emotion no matter how unrealistic is might seem from your point of view, but to overcome the fear, as in reading a big book or writing a big lit. review, it is easier to overcome if you are overcoming the fear as a group; forging through a deep dark cave of uncertainty together, and all the while having a teacher or professor holding your hand or waving the flashlight, pointing and guiding you to the mouth of the cave into the light of understanding.
It can be a scary place being stuck in a cave confused, lost, and not knowing what to do or where to turn. I have seen too many students come into my class having been stuck in the cave for too long, and it is a good feeling to see the light bulb go off and the confidence build, and the fears subside.
