Teaching Literature with Dr. Laura Eidt and Robin Johnston (pt. 1)
Dr. Laura Eidt and Robin Johnston join Adrienne to discuss the arts of reading and teaching literature. These veteran educators and lovers of good books consider how popular school methods like comprehension testing and plot analysis compare with narration and reading with a desire to be enlarged in mind and spirit.
Guest Biographies
Dr. Laura Eidt received her BA in English Literature and Linguistics from the University of Hamburg (Germany) and her MA and Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Texas at Austin. She has been teaching Spanish, German, Comparative Literature, and Humanities at the University of Dallas since 2006 and has published on German and Spanish poetry and on ekphrasis. For many years she taught an applied foreign language pedagogy class that sent students to local area schools to teach their language to elementary children, and she was a mentor at a bilingual school in Dallas for four years. Her courses include classes on foreign language pedagogy, teaching classical children’s literature, and great works in the modern world. She is the faculty advisor for UD's Classical Curriculum team and is currently writing a Latin curriculum for K-5rd grade.
Robin Johnston
Robin Ann Johnston is a daughter, sister, wife, mother of five, grandmother of four (so far,) and a convert to Catholicism. She graduated from Loyola University of New Orleans in 1985, cum laude, with a bachelor's degree in Cognitive Psychology and a minor in music. When her children were all old enough to go to school, she returned to the workforce as a teacher for Mount St. Michael Catholic School (MSMCS) in south Dallas. Robin taught mostly ELAR and World History during her years there, for grades ranging from 4th to 12th. As the lead middle-school teacher, she was instrumental in transitioning the school’s culture and curriculum instruction to a classical model. During those decades, Robin was given the “Work of Heart” award for excellence in teaching (twice) by the Catholic Diocese of Dallas. After retiring from teaching full time, she began writing classical ELAR and Humanities curriculum lessons and novel study guides. Robin’s passion is for igniting students’ hearts with a love for learning and helping teachers have a toolbox of ideas that are easy to use while making a real difference in the classroom. She is now working on a master's degree in Humanities and Classical Education. In her free time, she likes to craft, read, swim, and, along with her husband of 35 years, babysit the grandchildren.
Robin Johnston
Robin Ann Johnston is a daughter, sister, wife, mother of five, grandmother of four (so far,) and a convert to Catholicism. She graduated from Loyola University of New Orleans in 1985, cum laude, with a bachelor's degree in Cognitive Psychology and a minor in music. When her children were all old enough to go to school, she returned to the workforce as a teacher for Mount St. Michael Catholic School (MSMCS) in south Dallas. Robin taught mostly ELAR and World History during her years there, for grades ranging from 4th to 12th. As the lead middle-school teacher, she was instrumental in transitioning the school’s culture and curriculum instruction to a classical model. During those decades, Robin was given the “Work of Heart” award for excellence in teaching (twice) by the Catholic Diocese of Dallas. After retiring from teaching full time, she began writing classical ELAR and Humanities curriculum lessons and novel study guides. Robin’s passion is for igniting students’ hearts with a love for learning and helping teachers have a toolbox of ideas that are easy to use while making a real difference in the classroom. She is now working on a master's degree in Humanities and Classical Education. In her free time, she likes to craft, read, swim, and, along with her husband of 35 years, babysit the grandchildren.
Show Notes
In part one of this two-part episode, we reconsider the foundations of good reading with the help of influential thinkers like C.S. Lewis and Mortimer Adler and think about how an overabundance of “screen time” paired with modern “reading strategies” and a focus on “college prep” pale in comparison to the potential for life transformation within the classical tradition.
Some topics and readings in this episode include:
How can we become good readers?
Why is beauty harder to analyze than truth?
What role should “vocabulary words” play in our approach to teaching literature?
“College Prep” vs. Pursuit of Transcendence
Reading and the Fear of Grades
The Role of Morals and Virtues in Teaching Literature
The Origin and Place of Plot Analysis
Is it ever ok to skim when reading?
Narration and Picture Study
Readings and Resources
An Experiment in Criticism by C.S. Lewis
Little Red Ride Hood
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Credits:
Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
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