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Home > Features > Creating a Climate of Trust and Communication
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Creating a Climate of Trust and Communication
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by Conni Shelnut
Lakeland High School
Lakeland, Florida
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| | Teaching is a wonderful and mysterious art. Although each of us probably has an idea of what contributes to poor teaching, many of us continually struggle to identify the elements of that perfect alchemy we call good teaching. In this in-depth interview, Danell Jones, the English editor for AP Central, talks with Conni Shelnut to find out what she thinks are some of the key ingredients of good teaching. Recently named the 2002 Outstanding Florida Teacher of English, Shelnut has been involved with the Advanced Placement Program for over 20 years. She is an AP teacher, College Board consultant, and Exam Reader for AP English Literature.
You've just been named the 2002 Outstanding Florida Teacher of English. What ingredients do you think are necessary for the successful teaching of English?
For successful teaching of any kind, flexibility is crucial -- having the willingness to try new approaches, to give up nonproductive methods, to switch lesson plans while driving to school in the morning just to try out something new. A successful teacher also should listen to students, letting them see her putting some of their ideas into practice, relating to them on an equal basis -- as much as the particular group will permit. Although always an authority figure, an excellent educator will become an integral part of the classroom itself, participating while leading, nurturing while admonishing. Most of all, a successful teacher can admit mistakes, laugh at flukes, and emote on command. Knowing when to be serious and when to be zany, a confident, cheerful instructor creates a climate of trust and communication, making learning challenging yet fun.
What sort of things do you do in your classroom that you think make a real difference to your students?
What goes on outside the classroom makes my classes unique and allows me to connect to my students. I firmly believe that all students reach peak performance when they are actively involved in their learning -- researching materials, presenting their findings, exchanging opinions and expertise through various encounters, and, most importantly, maintaining contact with their teacher.
I create the overall plans and then provide handouts, Web addresses, and explanations, typically functioning as facilitator -- a primary source for guidance and final decisions. Although my objectives and course expectations remain the same, I teach each class according to my clientele, picking and choosing materials according to their interests, learning styles, and backgrounds. Students participate eagerly in this atmosphere, and the feedback I receive is positive. The key to this rapport is consistent and lively interaction, and some of the most stimulating and creative exchange occurs outside class on the computer, where I can communicate online with each student -- and often their parents -- as needed.
Since my AP and pre-AP students have access to computers at home, I send many assignments and helpful links to them by e-mail. Even though it takes extra time in the evenings and on weekends, this correspondence allows me to provide individual feedback and support. For instance, I often will edit their introductory paragraphs or theses by e-mail, returning immediate feedback with the "send" command on my computer. In the evenings they may ask me specific questions about their assignments, and I may send them some practice analogies to complete. Sometimes conversations will shift to include an entire group, such as students who may be involved with an upcoming seminar presentation.
Anything is possible when online interaction is encouraged! Although the assignments and conversations vary, I want each person to feel free to correspond with me. With most people moving at such a fast pace, I have found online communication to be an excellent way of getting to know students well as individuals, outside the limitations of the daily classroom schedule. As a means of enhancing my teaching and inviting regular communication, I have logged on permanently to this invigorating facet of my profession!
Do you have any advice for teaching an AP course for the first time?
Personally, I became rejuvenated after I got on the computer, found the AP Electronic Discussion Group (EDG), got new materials, and decided to change a lot of what I had been doing. Now, I teach each class according to what feels right for me and for the unique group of students, so the pacing doesn't get as chaotic as it once did, when I tried to stick to a set agenda no matter what. I still give the same types of assignments -- I just put more of the pressure on the students to do their share, and I pick and choose things that I think will motivate my particular clientele. They vary so much from year to year.
Something that has helped me cope with all the demands of AP English is offering the students the opportunity to work cooperatively with a class "job." At the beginning of the term, they complete a business letter of application, and each 4.5 weeks they write an update letter evaluating their performance and requesting "pay." Top salary is usually 20 extra points, which can help bring a test grade of 80 up to 100. It adds camaraderie, helps them make up for a temporary slump in motivation, and takes some of the burdensome tasks off my shoulders.
Having students present seminars on different areas, sometimes for literature and sometimes for other review purposes, also is a good idea because the students learn more when they are actively engaged in the learning process. In the AP Literature classes, they cover the poetry book Sound and Sense alone or in pairs for an extra 100-point grade. For all these extra presentations, I give guidelines and support, then help them out as needed. When all the responsibility isn't on me, I can go to work looking forward to what the kids might have to offer instead of having to race around and do it all myself. As someone said on the EDG, we are working too hard; share the load!
Another point of advice is to space out the paper grading so you don't overdo and become frustrated. What I try to do is grade the first few papers with detailed comments, then let students rewrite until they get to an acceptable level. After that I teach them how to use a rubric and let them at it for the first round. Pretty soon, our scores usually are very close. Then, I can just hit the high points with a magic marker -- doing it this way forces me not to get too wordy with my comments -- and the bright colors (often orange or purple) stand out, overshadowing any red pen!
I realize now how much I didn't know the first few years, and I'm still pitching ideas and changing methods as I go along. When I first started teaching AP, I took forever to grade essays, and I wasn't even doing them "right." Now, after I've trained my students to use the rubric themselves, it's much easier for me to come behind them to grade holistically, especially if I sit upright in an uncomfortable chair and reward myself with a break now and then. I can really make a mad dash with that method.
In the best of all possible worlds, what would an English class look like? What would students do?
I would suggest the cooperative learning strategies that I discussed earlier. It would be a busy class with much interaction between student and teacher and student and student. Students would be responsible for helping out and for assisting each other, depending upon their level of expertise. An ideal class would have both formal and casual presentations, with much discussion led by the students, especially in inner circle/outer circle discussions. When they read a new book, they would follow assigned threads to assure that they didn't skim -- or resort to plot summaries. This ideal class also would provide a variety of evaluations so that all learning styles could benefit: writing portfolios, tests that combined plot and style analysis, conferencing, and --naturally -- the usual timed writings and creative projects. The teacher would participate with the class, often writing along with the students and sharing the result. He or she would act as facilitator and purveyor of knowledge, making the plans, delegating duties, giving advice. Such a classroom, though not perfect, would exude warmth and smiles -- at least most of the time.
How did you get involved with teaching English? With AP?
After finishing college, I stayed home to be with my sons for nine years. Being active in volunteer work, I heard that the state needed tutors to provide remedial training for what then were called "compensatory students," the ones who had failed the latest basic skills test. I went to my alma mater, Lakeland High School, to talk to the principal about working with students in the afternoons. However, after the principal looked at my resume and chatted a while with me, he asked if I could start a "real job" in a few weeks, as a position had recently become available. Startled, I went home and thought about it, then made the decision to give it a try.
That was in the winter of 1978, and I am still teaching there. In 1981, I was asked to take over the tenth grade pre-AP class. In 1990, the AP Literature teacher retired, and once again the administration asked me to move on up to twelfth grade. In about 1995, the junior pre-AP teacher shifted her course into AP English Language, and when she retired in 1997, I took on that too. Since our school is on the 4x4 block one-semester schedule, I developed a pre-AP fall feeder for the junior year, so now I'm teaching 100 percent AP -- "looping" the students for two years. I find this to be a great advantage because I get to know them well, extremely well; I also can watch their writing and SAT scores escalate. To keep up with their progress, each year I chart them on Excel, from their tenth grade PSAT scores through their last SATs and AP Exams.
As far as enhancing learning, my regular involvement with AP teachers and college professors from around the world ranks at the top of the academic scale. Each June, I gather with colleagues at the AP English Literature Exam reading. Although most of our week of intensive scoring is spent reading essays, in the evenings we share time learning from each other and engaging in activities such as author lectures and professional demonstrations. Establishing camaraderie with a broad spectrum of equally enthusiastic educators, I come home with renewed zeal for my job.
Working with rubrics and the many sample essays we must use for practice exercises at the AP Reading, I gain immense expertise in evaluating writing. After reading so many essays -- approximately 200-plus a day -- a Reader becomes infinitely more qualified to teach that particular exam passage! Then, when I go back to my own students, I am better able to convey information on the prompts so they can practice similar evaluation techniques. Working with the materials and understanding that I provide them from my AP Reading experience, my students tackle essays with the knowledge of what differentiates an articulate, focused paper from a formulaic one and how to create specific support and mature commentary.
The materials I glean from the AP Reading experience, both concrete and abstract, I also use to create challenging activities for teaching workshops and conference sessions. After I finished my week's scoring last June, for example, I immediately typed up many pages of commentary to provide meaningful scoring rationale and high interest. I will be using these materials as I conduct this year's AP College Board workshops. Without a doubt, scoring the AP English Literature Exam rejuvenates my professional spirit and enhances my writing instruction on a yearly basis.
Do you have a favorite book or author? What's your current favorite work and why?
I don't think I have a favorite. I lean toward works that have unique style and multiple narrators. Examples of some that I cannot relinquish because of their AP English appeal are Their Eyes Were Watching God, As I Lay Dying, The Scarlet Letter, Poisonwood Bible, Brave New World, and Heart of Darkness.
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