Analysis and Summary

Summary

Hyman Kaplan is the main focus of this book as he is the student at the American Night Preparatory School who stands out the most. Mr. Parkhill, the instructor of the class that is learning English as part of the naturalization process, seems to have never encountered a student such as Mr. Kaplan before. Throughout the book we see Mr. Parkhill's struggle with a student so difficult to understand in the way that this student thinks and applied the material learned in class. As the duration of the class progresses, Mr. Parkhill learns that Mr. Kaplan is very bright and comes to respect him for his creativity and ingenuity.

Mr. Kaplan consistently misinterprets and misuses words of the English language, all the while truly believing that he has understood them correctly. He is always enthusiastic and loves to participate in the class activities and discussions. When critiquing other students, he both motivates and offends fellow students but always with an innocence to be marveled at. As for his progress in the class, Mr. Kaplan really does not progress in the way that most of the other students do, which is in accordance to the standards set by the school that would move him into the next grade. This does not seem to matter to Mr. Kaplan one bit as he is getting something from the class beyond standards and grades. Being in the class gives him opportunities he may not have had otherwise, such as a chance to think in ways that he has not thought of before, a chance to be among peers who come from different walks of life from whom he can either identify with or not, and the opportunity to express himself without allowing the judgement of others to stop him from learning.

Analysis

I find it interesting that this book was printed in 1937. The setting is an adult education class where the instructor employs a variety of teaching methods to engage the learners in their own learning. Mr. Parkhill acts as a guide, or facilitator, while encouraging the students to learn from one another. This is not what I think of as a traditional method of teaching which is what I would expect of this time period. Instead, the teaching methods are very much like those that we have been learning about in adult education courses in the year 2009. Some of the same methods used in the book as are used in adult educartion today are:

• Assignments that are personalized and practical to each student
• Sharing with the class in a safe and respectful environment
• Critiquing of work by other students, not just the teacher
• Allowing discussion when conflict arises to gain multiple perspectives
• Guiding students when needed (by the teacher)
• Teacher is learning along with the students
• Using hands-on, relevant activities
• Exam is given but is not used as the sole determination to whether learning has occurred or not...more like a standard measure for the school and school politics

These are all methods that I have learned are effective in teaching and learning in adult education through coursework at CSU. Interesting how in 1937 these methods were being used as well.

I believe that this book shows some great examples of how to apply these methods to a subject that might be difficult to teach, yet these techniques can be used in teaching all subjects. It also highlights the differences among students and the struggles that one might have as an instructor with such a diverse group. Learning styles, personalities, experiences, and self-esteem are things to take into consideration because they will create interesting (and possibly unexpected) dynamics in the learning setting.

Excellent book!