Literary Imagination and Professional Knowledge

“Praise for this compelling compilation of creative teaching lessons and ideas to captivate and renew interest in teaching with literature! Teachers will be motivated to use the powerful themes of such classics as Milton’s Paradise Lost, Dickens’ Great Expectations, and William Blake’s lyric poetry, but they will also be mesmerized by the many learning connections to the heart wrenching memoir by Isabelle Allende The Sum of Our Days, the delightful multi-cultural children’s read aloud My Name is Maria Isabel, and “For Every One,” a poem by the very popular Young Adult (YA) writer Jason Reynolds...and more!”

Laura Staal, PhD, Professor of Education, Department of Leadership and Educational Specialties, University of North Carolina at Pembroke

“Literary Imagination and Professional Knowledge: Using Literature in Teacher Education is a gift for educators. This book highlights the power of literature as a source for lessons in identity, resilience, human development, the journey of an adolescent’s life, and much more. Reading each chapter’s valuable lessons interwoven with fantastic literary examples made me wish I had this book while on my teacher education journey, but so thankful that it is available now for all!”

Robyne Elder, EdD, Editor, The Journal of Educational Leadership in Action, Head of Academic Effectiveness, Lindenwood University

“For far too long, teacher education has been trapped in a professionalization feedback loop which focuses on concepts, methods, and hot-button issues in a piecemeal fashion. Dr. McLaughlin’s edited volume reminds us of something that most teacher educators have forgotten, that reading good literature is key to developing the consciousness of the teacher workforce. Teacher education programs typically present students with a myriad of topics through dry textbooks and classes that emphasize concepts outside of a compelling narrative. We try to train teachers at the risk of graduating future schoolteachers who aren’t educated. We may claim that students “get” literature in general education courses, but these are often larger survey courses. An elementary education major, for example, may only take a single 100 level literature course in college.

Dr. McLaughlin presents us with a compelling solution, that we should incorporate literature, poetry and compelling prose within teacher education courses so that narratives can shift the consciousness of future teachers. Stories which build upon what Dewey referred to as “the sympathetic imagination” form rich, compelling backdrops for aspiring teachers to shift their own thinking. What is impressive about Dr. McLaughlin’s edited volume is the variety of classical and contemporary literature and poetry presented by its diverse contributors. The authors clearly demonstrate that literature has a power that textbooks lack. By assimilating the struggles of protagonists, future educators will see problems through new lenses. Lines of poetry can foster existential moments. Beautiful prose can carry students away from the mundane into a realm of humanistic evolution. The authors’ use of Milton, Blake, Dickens, Homer, Allende, and Dante bring us all back to the great minds of the past who shifted human consciousness for the better. Teachers, above all others, should be privy to such greatness.

We should all thank Dr. McLaughlin for reminding us that great minds can make great teachers.”

Matthew V. Schertz, EdD, Professor, Department of Teaching and Learning, Phyllis J. Washington College of Education, University of Montana

Introduction – Jeff McLaughlin

Chapter One - “A Fire Was In My Head”: Using Classic Stories to Teach the Ecstasies of Adolescence, with a Purpose – Mark Beatham 

Chapter Two -Teacher Resilience and the Lessons of Great Expectations – Frank Giuseffi 

Chapter Three - “A Mighty, Mighty Thing”: Jason Reynolds’ Poem For Every One as a Framework for Examining Adolescent Identity Development and Teacher Identity Development – Erin Hill 

Chapter Four - John Milton’s Paradise Lost: Eve’s Construction of Knowledge, Identity, and Morality – Anna Gallagher 

Chapter Five - The Crooked Roads of Genius: William Blake and Educational Psychology – Jeff McLaughlin 

Chapter Six - Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and Ishtar: Lessons on Living for Incarnated Souls – Margarita García-Notario 

Chapter Seven - O Brave New World, That Has Such People In’t! – Cory Glenn 

Chapter Eight - Homer, The Odyssey, and Resilience in Education – Lynanne Black 

Chapter Nine - Developing Preservice Teachers’ Beliefs About Cultural Diversity Through Multicultural Children’s Literature – Brian Hibbs 

Chapter Ten - Circles of Learning: Teaching with Dante’s Inferno – Lochran C. Fallon 

Chapter Eleven - Isabel Allende’s The Sum of Our Days: Discovering the Extraordinary Through the Ordinary – Margarita García-Notario 

Contributors 

Index

Jeff McLaughlin

Jeff McLaughlin is Professor Emeritus at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. A former elementary school teacher, he received his B.S.Ed. at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and began his teaching career at Horace Mann Elementary School in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Later, Jeff earned his M.S. (Curriculum and Instruction) at The Pennsylvania State University and Ph.D. at Temple University (Psychological Studies in Education), as he also transitioned from teaching elementary school to higher education. Prior to West Chester University, Jeff taught at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, and the State University of New York at Oneonta. His research interests have included teacher identity, teacher authority and autonomy, and unconventional teaching methods. Utilizing a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods, Jeff has published and presented research on the development of teacher identity over time. He has also published research on the attitudes of graduate students toward quantitative research methods and interpretation of quantitative research results. When straying from the pedagogical universe, Jeff plays guitar and enjoys many kinds of music. He also loves to wander in the natural world, dabble in junk art creations, and write fiction. Some of these extra-curricular details are available at www.moondogmotel.com.