Young+Adult+Lit+Professional+Reflection

Young Adult Literature was designed to not only be an examination of the growing genre of young adult novels, but also an avenue for practical and creative applications of the novels studied during the course of the semester. Along with studying the actual literature, the definition of young adult novels was also explored along with the perceptions of young adult novels not only to the general public, but to the world of education. Throughout the course of young adult lit, my idea of what books of "literary value" was challenged, and by the end of the semester, I saw the merit of reading young adult novels in my classroom. One of the most poignant ways this was done was through my literary theory presentation using Cultural Poetics to analyze Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. This opportunity allowed me to be a "collaborative leader" within the classroom for one night, entering into the discussion about literature and theory with my classmates (**Standard 1**). After my presentation, I immediately wrote a reflection about my experience and noticed, on my own, things that I would need to work on before giving this mini-lecture to my students (**Standard 5**). Being offered a "dry run" of sorts allowed me to evaluate the best way to pass along this type of information to my students, and that directly impacted the plans that I made for my research project that paired a young adult novel with a non-fiction text. Not only did this one project help me see the value in young adult lit, but my own love for this genre was renewed. Because of the number and variety of novels we read, I was able to recommend novels from which my students would not only benefit but enjoy in the process. Having this strong and deep knowledge of not only the literature, but of my students and how to creatively and effectively teach this type of literature (**Standard 3**) through the arsenal of ideas we shared through Ning as a class, allowed me to establish more meaningful connections with them.