Customer Reviews

Teaching Hearts and Minds: Colege Students Reflect on the Vietnam War

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I had Dr. Kroll for this class at IU, and some of my journal entries are used in his book. This class had a tremendous effect on me, having grown up without any understanding of the Vietnam War. It was one of those classes that has had a lifetime effect on its students. For anyone interested in teaching about Vietnam, Dr. Kroll's approach is a great model

In this book, Dr. Kroll takes us inside his class on Vietnam War literature in order to show how a teacher can use the richness of the material to engage students and to help them develop crucial critical thinking skills. Dr. Kroll gives a useful overview to the structure of his class, whereby the literature and assignments form a meaningful progression that continually challenges students to respond, analyze, rethink, and write. The book includes a detailed list of readings and, most helpfully, models for assignments. What comes through most in this book, however, is Dr. Kroll's commitment to both the material and his students. He pays careful attention to their writing and their responses to material that can be very disturbing on a number of levels. When I was a graduate student at Indiana University, I was fortunate enough to work with Dr. Kroll when he taught this course there. This experience was easily the most significant one I have had in my teaching career; I have never witnessed a higher level of commitment on the part of a teacher nor a more favorable and affectionate response to a teacher from his students. If you are at all interested in using Vietnam War writing in your classroom, you must read this book.