This article encourages large improvements toward a more efficient classroom. They encourage teachers to try new things and to not get discouraged if something they try goes bad.
They instruct teachers to reflect upon what went wrong, or right, about their methods and to take small steps, preferably using methods previously tested and proved successful. Lessons should not be based on fun, but they should be based on learning—a tie-in for backwards design.
Sometimes teachers are too focused on student interest that they forget there are ways to engage the student with teaching them the content as well.
Modeling was also pushed by the authors—they suggested that teachers daily read articles, journal, and build an educational community—which is the same thing that teachers ask of their students in class! I have very little experience of teachers giving students control of the classroom like the authors described. I was very happy that they gave many concrete examples throughout the article that I believe I will try to incorporate into my classroom; I particularly liked that the students would help form the time frame and due-dates for assignments, making it more of their responsibility to get things turned in on the time they set up for themselves.
Knowing that students have different learning styles and giving alternate possibilities is also something I would like to incorporate in my classroom.
McWhorter, Patty, & Hudson-Ross, Sally. (1996). Student-Centered Literacy Instruction in High Schools: I Want To, But How? National Reading Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED398556.pdf
It sounds like you might be able to use this article for your midterm paper. If you found another resource you could use this as a starting place for your paper.
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