Rebecca Wenrich Wheeler
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Additionally, the instructor models questioning techniques emphasizing the value of
becoming a thoughtful reader (Lloyd, 2004).
Application to the Psychology Classroom
I adapted the literature circles concept to the advanced placement (AP) psychology class-
room for three main reasons: to expose students to a variety of psychological topics, to
handle a variety of reading levels, and to teach critical thinking and reading skills. First,
students experience a variety of topics in a relatively short amount of time, such as the
experiences of persons suffering from mental illness or a comparison of learning theories.
I provide students with four to eight reading selections from which to choose. I make the
selections based on genre, topic, and length, while making allowances for a variety of
reading levels. The discussion groups are formed based on book selections, so all students
in the group have read the same book. Ideally, the groups will contain four to eight
members.
The first literature circle of the semester, I often offer popular nonfiction with high
interest, for instance Reviving Ophelia (Pipher, 1994), An Unquiet Mind (Jamison, 1995),
and Blood Done Sign My Name (Tyson, 2004). Another variation would be to discuss the
psychological concepts present in novels, such as Catcher in the Rye (Salinger, 1951) and
Lord of the Flies (Golding, 1955). In addition, more contemporary novels, such as The
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (Haddon, 2004) also function well in the
literature circles format. Using popular literature first grabs the students’ attention and
interests them in reading. Once students become familiar with the literature circle process,
the class moves to more challenging pieces, primary documents, and scientific data. In
addition, through using popular literature first, I am able to deal with the assumptions
students have about psychology early on in the course and move them toward a scientific
approach. In a semester, my class typically engages in three literature circle experiences.
Through this process the students gain confidence in their own reading and critical
thinking skills.
As the semester progresses, I begin to add literature circle texts with meatier psycho-
logical concepts, such as Hock’s (2004) Forty Studies that Changed Psychology. With this
text, students choose chapters to read instead of the entire book, allowing the small group
to focus deeper on one particular study. I have also used Tim Kasser’s (2002) The High
Price of Materialism and Robert Sternberg’s (2004) The Psychology of Hate; both provide
excellent talking points related to social psychology.
In addition, the literature circles concept helps to manage a variety of reading levels that
might exist in an introductory or AP psychology classroom, as the instructor may choose
texts on a variety of reading levels. Often “less proficient or inexperienced” readers do not
take an active role in reading comprehension and “are less willing to work through their
confusion” of the text (Day, Spiegel, McLellan, & Brown, 2002, p. 134); however, through
literature circles, reluctant readers gain deeper understanding of readings and learn to
work independently (Day et al., 2002). As an instructor, I realize that not all students
enter my classroom with the same reading comprehension skills, and therefore I must find