Jennifer Woods, Whitefield English teacher in both the Middle School and Upper School, gave a professional development presentation yesterday at a conference held in metro-Atlanta for 30 middle school English teachers. The conference focused on best practices for preparing students for the rigors of high school.
Woods presented the rhetoric and persuasion unit she uses for her eighth-grade English class, a unit which introduces the concept of influence and challenges students to question how they are influenced by society and culture without even realizing it.
“We study Animal Farm by George Orwell as the foundation of our rhetoric and persuasion study in order to analyze the concept of influence,” said Woods. “Students learn the different forms of rhetoric and propaganda, learn to identify what forms of rhetoric the animals in the story use, and discuss the effect of their rhetoric on the audience. Once students have analyzed the idea of influence through the use of rhetoric in the literature, we work on applying this knowledge to nonfiction—specifically in editorial articles and famous persuasive speeches.”
During her presentation, Woods reviewed the concepts taught through the literature and shared how to use the book to teach persuasion and rhetoric; she also gave the teachers practical exercises to use in the classroom.
“I enjoyed giving the presentation and always benefit from going to these conferences, whether it is as a presenter or a listener,” said Woods. “It’s important that teachers share strategies and techniques with one another so that we all become more skilled as educators.
Woods, who has taught Middle School English for five years at Whitefield, taught high school for two years before coming to Whitefield, and is now teaching both eighth and tenth-grade classes here, has a unique perspective on the groundwork which needs to be laid to ensure students’ academic success as they progress through school.
“Professional development helps us stay ahead of the curve,” said Woods. “Participating in conferences like this helps teachers understand where students need to be at certain grade levels in terms of knowledge and skill level. For example, knowing what other ninth-grade teachers are observing as ninth graders’ strengths and areas in need of improvement gives middle school teachers a context by which to plan their units of study.”
“I always get a lot from both attending and teaching professional development classes,” added Woods. “Sometimes I try something practical I’ve learned the very next day.”