Climbing the Stairs:Innovative Approaches to

Teaching Adolescent Literature

Diane Kern

University of Rhode Island, School of Education

Kathryn Lee Johnson

University of Rhode Island, School of Education

Padma Venkatraman

Author, Penguin Books 1

Secondary English Language Arts Methods Seminar, Fall 2008

Collaboration—Co-construct– Diane Kern, secondary methods instructor– Kay Johnson, nonviolence trainer– Padma Venkatraman, author– Pre-service teachers– Cooperating teachers– Larger professional community (NCTE today!)

2

Diane’s Wikispace

3http//: uri-englishlanguagearts.wikispaces.com www.uri.edu/nonviolence

Have you ever stood up for something you believed in? Describe. Do you think you handled this situation violently or nonviolently? Why?

4

The Protest March

Image from the National Archives

5Visualize or Make Connections

Climbing the Stairs…“The Protest March”

• Life knowledge: Have you ever stood up for something you believed in? Describe.

• Literal: What was the main event in this chapter? How do you know? Cite the text at least 2 times.

• Text implicit: How did Appa feel once he knew the protest march was “coming this way” and he had Vidya in the car with him?

• Literature connection: Do the events of “The Protest March” chapter remind you of events in other print or nonprint texts?

• Application to new context: Why do people choose to respond to violence with nonviolence? Would you if you were Appa?

6

Literature Circles Roles by Liz Ferguson, RI Middle SchoolTeacher &

MA candidate

• Sensory Image Maker…makes and then draws or describes what you see when you read the text

• Connector…makes ‘ text to self,’ ‘text to text’ or ‘text to world’ connections

• Questioner…makes questions for discussion and leads the literature circle discussion

• Inference Maker…finds passages in the text that require you to ‘read between the lines’

• Importance Determiner/Synthesizer…identifies key story elements (narrative) or key facts (informational) and then closes the discussion with a synthesis of what was learned

7

Fish Bowl

8

• Group discussion• Signal one group as the

‘fish bowl’• Others gather around• Observers listen,

comment & summarize• Empty chair variation

Julia Ward Howe Boston Authors Club Award

*Bank Street College of Education Best Book

*ALA/YALSA Best Books for Young Adults

*Booklist 2008 Best Books of the Year

*2009 New York Public Library Books for Teen Age

*2009 CCBC choice

*NCSS/CBC Notable SS Trade Book 2009

*Capitol  Choice, 2009

*CLN Top 25 07-08

*ALA/Amelia Bloomer 2009 Book

*Starred Review, Booklist

*Starred Review, Publishers Weekly

*Starred Review, VOYA

*Booksense Notable

*Shortlisted for RARI, Utah State, Maine State

*Booklinks Best New Books

*Publishers Weekly Flying Start

9

1. Author study as a starting point

2. Building background knowledge

3. Using Climbing the Stairs to teach theme

4. Using Climbing the Stairs to explore multiple perspectives and spur discussion on topics relevant in today’s classrooms

Author in the ELA Methods Class

10

• Albus Dumbledore at Harry Potter-esque school in England• Dealt with issues of violence (overt and subtle e.g. forming caste-like cliques)

Writing Climbing the Stairs

11

1. What, if anything, does nonviolence mean in my life?

2. When, if ever, should a person or a nation act violently?

Questions of Current Relevance

12

• Thinking of becoming a United States citizen

• What do I feel about the wars our country has been and is involved in?

• Same questions asked in another context by my family…

Larger Issues of Violence and Peace

13

INDIA,1941

A TIME OF TURMOIL

AN ERA OF CONTRAST

14

Mahatma GandhiEmbodiment of Peace

15

Adolf Hitler

16

Personificationof Violence

India fighting nonviolently for independence…

17

A world engaged in war…

18

Well known: Gandhiji’s Ahimsa Movement – World’s 1st successful

nationwide nonviolent freedom struggle

19

Largest all-volunteer force in WWIIfrom Indian subcontinent

20

Indians fighting with allies for the freedom of the world, but not free themselves (subjugated by Britain)

21

- Fight nonviolently for Indian freedom?- Voluntarily enlist?

What would you have chosen to do?

Families torn apart by political tension

22

Character born out of my question

• Narrator’s brother, Kitta

• Struggles most directly with nonviolence vs. violence

23

VOICE

When I began writing, I heard the voice of a woman

IMAGE

• A teenage girl standing at the foot of the stairs• Afraid to climb to the forbidden library• She would take a risk & climb those stairs• Girl was my mother

24

THEMESVidya’s voice spoke

about . . .1. Gender equality

2. Nonviolence

3. Hindu philosophy/spirituality

vs. oppressive Indian societal customs

4. WWII - Indian perspective

5. The universality of human experience

through literature, books

6. Social justice (caste), guilt and more25

Nonviolence

• Nonviolence an active force for social change and in daily life • Violence at various levels:

overt and subtle; political and personal

• Appa’s imperfections: a silent bystander at Thatha’s home, although a hero during protest march

• Every character struggles with ideal of nonviolence26

1. Hitler vs. Gandhiji

2. Holocaust vs. WWII

3. Colonial oppression vs nonviolent independent movement

4. Indian society (caste) vs. ahimsa

5. Gender inequality within a caste vs. Hindu idea of equality

6. Family hierarchy among women vs. religious ideals of nonviolence

7. Individual conflicts of violence vs. nonviolence: personal struggles, choices and debates

Layering of Nonviolence Theme

27

Hindu Philosophy and Spirituality

• Vidya grows in her understanding of the inner realities of Hinduism

• Vidya learns to distinguish between philosophical underpinnings of a religion and unjust societal traditions (a divide that exists in every religion/society)

• Appa vs. Periappa: extremes of thought within cultures and within families

o Appa’s liberal and egalitarian ideals are as firmly rooted in Hinduism and Indian-ness as Periappa’s conservatism

28

Universality of Human Experience, Ideals

• Through books and exposure to Indian and Western literature, Vidya understands the fundamental similarities between cultures

• Similar ideas and feelings expressed by Indian and non-Indian authors

• Nonviolence connection: USA/India (Civil Rights -Gandhiji)

29

• STRENGTH OF CHARACTERS

Kitta & Vidya - both equally strong • Kitta and Vidya agree to disagree

leave the violence vs. ahimsa question open-ended• Neither person/path “wins”

though Vidya (and her father) believe in nonviolence• “a part of Appa was still alive” – sacrifices body not soul

Multiple Perspectives on Nonviolence

30

31www.climbingthestairsbook.com

My Hopes

More than a story about a young woman growing up long ago and far away

Richness of themes has current relevance to adolescents

The nonviolence thread that is woven into Climbing the Stairs may also be intertwined into the fabric of your teaching

Infusing Nonviolence into the English Curriculum

An Introduction to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

& the Nonviolence Movement in Americaby

Kathryn Lee JohnsonSchool of Education - URI

The Dreamer

“Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.”

“Everybody can be great. Because

anybody can serve.

You only need a heart full of grace

and a soul generated by

love.”

“Love is the only force capable of

transforming an enemy

into a friend.”

“Forgiveness is not

an occasional act;

it is a permanent attitude.”

Influenced by Gandhi

“You must bethe changeyou wantto see in theworld.” - Gandhi

Segregation

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Dr. King’s 1st Campaign, 1955 Proof of effectiveness of nonviolence

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

"The strong person is the one who can stand up for his rights and not hit back."

“Keep your eyes on the prize, Hold on, hold on”

Birmingham Jail

“I Have a Dream”

March on Washington1963

Nobel Peace Prize1964

“True peace is not

merely the absence of

tension; it is the presence

of justice.”

Landmark Legislation

Civil Rights Act ‘64 Voting Rights Act ‘65

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

Worked for Civil Rights

Worked to Bring Peace in Vietnam

“The war in Vietnam must be stopped.”

(1966)

“As long as there is

poverty in the world I can

never be rich, even if I have

a billion dollars.”

Worked to End Poverty1967 Poor People’s Campaign

“Deep in my heart, I do believe,

We shall overcome some day.”

What is Violence & Nonviolence? Violence

Nonviolence

Nonviolence Why Teach Nonviolence in the classroom?

Violence in Families Violence in Schools Violence in Communities Violence in the World

Family - Child Abuse A child is abused every 11 seconds.

800,000 children per year were victims of child abuse nationwide (reported).

By age 18, over 200,000 acts of violence have been seen on TV (excluding news & video games)

School - Bullying & Harassment In the average classroom, 3 students

are victims or bullies

3/4 of all students report having been bullied

1/3 of victims have plans for retaliation

Communities - Homicide Second leading cause of death for

15-24 year olds

Most with handguns

Leading cause of death for African-Americans.

Text-to-Self Connection

Write about a personal experience related to violence or nonviolence.

Principles of Kingian Nonviolence

1. Courageous Way of Life

2. Beloved Community

3. Attack Problems, NOT People

4. Suffer without Retaliation

5. Avoid Internal & External Violence

6. Universe is on the Side of Justice

Explore the Principles

1. Discuss 1 principle with your group

2. Write in your words what this principle could mean to middle/high school students

3. Give a personal example of this principle

Connect a Principle to Text

Select a passage from Climbing the Stairs

Connect it to one of King’s Six Principles of Nonviolence

Be Part of the Legacy – Nonviolence