How to Catch a Shark: And Other Stories About Teaching and Learning

by Donald H. Graves

"I submit that the well-told, well-chosen story can tell the most about the qualitative status of both teaching and learning in the classroom." So says Donald Graves, author of this unique new book and one of the field's best-loved and most respected authorities on literacy education.

Now, in this eclectic collection of personal stories, Graves recalls with power and clarity the many events-great and small-that have informed his views on how we come to understand the world. In an age when teachers are under constant pressure to find the right pedagogical "method" and when the measure of success is often reduced to a test score, How to Catch a Shark will be both a comfort and an inspiration.

Here is a beguiling and thoughtful anthology of autobiographical tales, based on both personal and professional experiences. There are recalled moments of childhood wonder; anecdotes about remarkable and not-so-remarkable students; lessons from the pulpit as well as the ballfield; stories of painful loss, hilarious mishaps, and awesome epiphanies. Each one teaches as it reveals the nature of human learning. Graves' point is clear: the best way to understand effective, responsive teaching is to examine our own learning histories. He invites readers to do the same in a reflection and practical exercise at the end of each story.

Sit down with Donald Graves' book. Listen to his tales. Resonate with the truth of your own experiences. And in so doing, you will discover myriad ways to help students access the powers of their own stories.

The power of narrative --
Breakfast --
Shoe tying --
Life and death --
Working next to mother and dad --
Uncle Nelson --
How to catch a shark --
Shaving --
Singing into learning --
Learning the old-fashioned way --
Lessons in failure --
Cave man --
The test --
The custodian --
Graves vs. the town of Fairhaven --
The preacher --
A royal adventure --
The pro --
Meet Myrtle --
A report to the Arabs --
Exer-genie --
Independence --
Learning speeds --
The voice coach --
You jerk! --
Choices --
The bus driver --
Twin learning --
"The woman in charge of smiles" --
The man on the plane --
Blue highways and red expressways --
Walking the land

134 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Donald Graves was one of the greatest voices of his generation, a plain spoken, thoughtful genius. He was an educator, a writer, an outspoken advocate for educational best practices. His death was a loss too great to put into words for people the world over, whether they were aware of it or not. A Professor Emeritus at the University of New Hampshire, Donald Graves, with the help of mentor Donald Murray and contemporaries like Lucy Calkins and Ralph Fletcher, revolutionized writing instruction in the U.S. with the widespread practice of practical workshop-based language arts instruction. In his decades at the forefront of writing instruction research, Donald offered numerous works that continue to shape the face of instruction today and for the foreseeable future.

Reviews

[Graham Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I picked this book up it didn't give me what I expected or needed. However, it was a very good set of short stories about life as a whole.