Conversations in Literature — The Stances in Action


About CONVERSATIONS IN LITERATURE Individual Program Descriptions 1. Responding as Readers 2. Envisioning 3. Stepping In 4. Moving Through 5. Rethinking 6. Objectifying the Text 7. The Stances in Action 8. Returning to the Classroom Support Materials Teacher-Talk

Introduction

Key Points

Learning Objectives

Background Reading

Homework Assignment

Extension:
Classroom Connection

Ongoing Activity

Additional Reading

Introduction

The envisionment-building process is recursive in nature, where at any given moment a reader can move from one stance to another, in no particular order. Envisionment describes the process competent readers go through as they make meaning out of what they read. Each stance provides another set of options — a panoply of ideas, filling out the reader's depth of experience with the text and offering a fuller understanding of it.

Effective readers actively engage in literature in a meaningful, sophisticated manner, connecting text to their own personal experiences, literary experiences, and to the world in which they live. Competent readers are not aware of the stances as they build envisionments, nor should they be. It is necessary for educators to understand the envisionment-building process, as well as each stance, for the sake of instructional design and planning. Here, teachers can utilize their envisionment-building knowledge in order to create rich classroom experiences by asking questions that will stimulate student thinking. Students will benefit tremendously from creating their own envisionments, and from being a member of a literary community.

This program showcases the stances in action, where panelists are engaged in natural literary dialogue, recursively moving through all of the stances. Panel members build a rich understanding of the texts at hand, while adding layers of complexity to their envisionments.

For a complete guide to the workshop session activities, download and print our support materials.

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