I heart Maxine Greene

First, I appreciate reading The Artistic-Aesthetic Curriculum by Maxine Greene since it was originally a speech. It flowed so well, making it easy (and of course it was interesting) to read.

"Always, there is the linking of imagination to the opening of possibility."
By using imagination to enter into literary worlds, the individual finds "new connections." In other words, when I read To Kill A Mockingbird and take away a new connection of my white Southern ancestors related to characters in the story, I'm entering that world. I begin to think questions such as: 'Which character do I relate best to in the novel and why?' and 'If I was a character in the novel, how would I change the outcome?'

Literature has universal value
Most people who value an art experience value it because of how it have related to their lives. Reader response is heavily indoctrinated into education today. As Greene says, "according to this view [closely related to reader response], you will not be likely to have a full experience with [a novel] if you take a disinterested, distanced view." I do not find this quote to be incorrect in any way, and I believe that my agreement with this view is heavily reliant upon reader response being a part of my education. Greene's mention of working to make Don Juan an "event in the life [she lives] with others" also relates to constructionist theory in education. Reader response is, after all, taking a piece of literature and integrating it with your own experiences, just like in constructivism the learner integrates new knowledge into her own schema.

"If our students are attentive, if they are authentic..."
This is our challenge. This is where the disconnect is. Each student has individual needs and interests that must be engaged for this kind of learning to occur. If the student is disinterested, like Greene says, then she won't get as much out of it. But how do we make it interesting to someone that doesn't care?