A New Model for Teaching Literature Classes

English teachers at all levels have accepted the computer as a legitimate tool for teaching students to write better. But so far, few have attempted to integrate computers with the teaching of literature. I suspect, however, that literature teachers will be making more use of computer labs in the near future. Currently available software can convert a traditional classroom discussion into a computer-aided discussion that not only involves all students in the class but also promotes greater understanding and appreciation for fine literature. * PC-Aided Discussion For the past two years, I have been experimenting with taking university students in World Literature and Modern Poetry classes into a computer lab where they could chat via keyboard about literary works. The classes are taken into a networked PC lab where we run Interchange, a program that is part of the Daedalus Integrated Writing Environment software package. Students consider a question or a proposition about a literary work, make comments using a simple word processor, then send the comments to all screens in the network. Students then scroll through the comments of other classmates and respond to them. At the end of the class, each student gets a hardcopy of the entire class discussion. The next meeting is a traditional class discussion, in which we use the written comments from the computer-assisted discussion. * Characteristics One aspect of the computer discussions that students like most is the way the software allows for anonymity. Students log onto the program under pseudonyms so that their comments appear onscreen under names not their own. On a written evaluation, one student said, "I don't like to speak in class, so the computer gave me a great opportunity to speak my ideas without anyone knowing it was me." At first I thought that introverts would love the anonymity and extroverts might dislike it. But in each class, all students love the computer-aided discussions. Those accustomed to dominating traditional class discussions like seeing immediate evidence that others are considering their ideas. And those who seldom, if ever, speak in class suddenly find their voices because of the safety of anonymity. Another advantage of computer-aided discussion is the change in how time affects the exchange of ideas. In a conventional classroom discussion, a student who does not speak up on a particular issue will soon lose the opportunity to do so as the discussion moves on to other topics. But at the keyboard, a student can go back at any time to add ideas about whatever has come up. There are some problems. Professor Jerome Bump, who has experimented for several years with computer-aided discussions, warns of "flaming." Some students will take advantage of their anonymity to send obscene or offensive language to the screen. However, of the ten classes I took into the lab, only one had students who sent out flaming language. But even in that class, other students put a stop to such antics by pronouncing the messages to be juvenile and silly. * Structure Is Key Another problem in conducting computer-aided discussions is that traditional methods for class discussions simply do not work in a networked computer environment. This problem is not a severe one, though solving it requires a new paradigm. My first attempts to get students to talk about literature via keyboard were less than successful. I had to rethink the structure of a class discussion and come up with a new model. Until I became accustomed to it, the new model was a bit discomforting. It either removed me, the teacher, from the classroom interaction or set me aside as simply another discussant. A teacher cannot control a computer-aided discussion while it is in progress. No one can. Any control of the discussion must come from the construction and arrangement of the questions. …