It's good to know what dystopian literature is and examples of it, but of course the big questions are "why do I teach it" and "what can students learn from it?" The overwhelming answer I found while doing research is that students can learn about social responsibility.
Spisak (2012) mentions that in dystopian literature, the readers see that:
the characters who clearly cannot see beyond the ways in which they have been raised force readers to consider not only how they might respond in that society, but also to thoughtfully assess elements of adolescence that carry across setting (hormonal adjustments, curiosity about and interest in the newest technology...)" (p. 57)
She also mentions that the dystopias that are well-written offer the opportunities for readers to ask "big-scale life questions" (p. 60).
Since our world is changing right before our eyes year after year, we have to be aware of it. Dystopian fiction is a way in which students willl be exposed to see how "the issues in their own lives and societies are mirrored in these worlds gone horribly wrong" (Chipman, 2009, p. 50). Basically, students see what is wrong and learn how they can change things and work together to achieve a common goal; for example, students can learn not only about the abuses of power, but they have to be able to see it and "have an ethical commitment to stop it" (Wolk, 2009, p. 666).
Teaching through inquiry and for social responsibility go hand-in-hand, according to Wolk (2009). He says that "classroom inquiry nurtures social responsibility, and living a socially responsible life means to live a life of inquiry" (p. 666). In dystopian novels, students see the moral dilemma with which characters are faced, and they wonder what they would do in the characters' situation. Through teaching about social responsibility, Wolk (2009) says that students can be taught about historical empathy/historical consciousness, current problems, caring, war, lack of Constitutional rights, propaganda, and social imagination (p. 666).
The idea is to create what Wolk (2009) calls a "living curriculum" (p.666), and using dystopian literature to teach students about social responsibility supports a process of inquiry that can only be described as "active' and "living." Wolk (2009) says that "social responsibility must go far beyond basic citizenship; it is about shaping human beings with intellectual curiosity, a caring heart, and a belief in the common good" (p. 665). In a world with so many issues that are continuing to escalate, students need to be aware of them and have to learn to believe in a way to incite change for the greater good.
Spisak (2012) mentions that in dystopian literature, the readers see that:
the characters who clearly cannot see beyond the ways in which they have been raised force readers to consider not only how they might respond in that society, but also to thoughtfully assess elements of adolescence that carry across setting (hormonal adjustments, curiosity about and interest in the newest technology...)" (p. 57)
She also mentions that the dystopias that are well-written offer the opportunities for readers to ask "big-scale life questions" (p. 60).
Since our world is changing right before our eyes year after year, we have to be aware of it. Dystopian fiction is a way in which students willl be exposed to see how "the issues in their own lives and societies are mirrored in these worlds gone horribly wrong" (Chipman, 2009, p. 50). Basically, students see what is wrong and learn how they can change things and work together to achieve a common goal; for example, students can learn not only about the abuses of power, but they have to be able to see it and "have an ethical commitment to stop it" (Wolk, 2009, p. 666).
Teaching through inquiry and for social responsibility go hand-in-hand, according to Wolk (2009). He says that "classroom inquiry nurtures social responsibility, and living a socially responsible life means to live a life of inquiry" (p. 666). In dystopian novels, students see the moral dilemma with which characters are faced, and they wonder what they would do in the characters' situation. Through teaching about social responsibility, Wolk (2009) says that students can be taught about historical empathy/historical consciousness, current problems, caring, war, lack of Constitutional rights, propaganda, and social imagination (p. 666).
The idea is to create what Wolk (2009) calls a "living curriculum" (p.666), and using dystopian literature to teach students about social responsibility supports a process of inquiry that can only be described as "active' and "living." Wolk (2009) says that "social responsibility must go far beyond basic citizenship; it is about shaping human beings with intellectual curiosity, a caring heart, and a belief in the common good" (p. 665). In a world with so many issues that are continuing to escalate, students need to be aware of them and have to learn to believe in a way to incite change for the greater good.