literature integrated language teaching: balancing literature activities in a four-skills course
TRANSCRIPT
Tara McIlroyLiterature in Language Teaching SIG
Literature Integrated Language Teaching: Balancing Literature Activities in a Four-
skills Course
Tara McIlroyLiterature in Language Teaching SIG
Literature Integrated Language Teaching: Balancing Literature Activities in a Four-skills Course
This presentation will describe some methods for integrating literature into a second language (L2) learning environment. Using Nation and Macalister’s curriculum design principles
(2010) and applying these to four-skills courses, the presentation will outline a range of activities making use of a
literature integrated approach. Next, the presentation will suggest ways to plan for specific aspects of a balanced L2 programme, such as fluency development, using literature.
Examples from the tertiary classroom will be introduced and participants will have an opportunity to consider applications
in their own contexts at the end of the session.
Outline• Pedagogical Background
• Problems in curriculum design and overcoming them
• Some Nation and Macalister Principles
• Selecting and using texts
• Discussion
Nation & Macalister, 2010 Nation, 2013
Literature Integrated Language Teaching
What are the teacher’s jobs?
Planning Training the learners Testing Teaching
Nation, 2013, p.8
Planning Training the learners Testing Teaching ……..
“There is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful nor more dangerous to manage
than the creation of a new system.”
Machiavelli (1513) The Prince
Ideal curriculum design situation
The waterfall model of curriculum design
All aspects of course, from goals down
Virtually no constraints on planning
Reality
Variety of learning goals
Unbalanced skills through testing/washback
Multi-level classes
Weak critical reading skills
Curriculum constraints
Limitations on planning
Complex student needs, lacks and wants
Global Issues Through Literature
Linguistic Creativity
Current elective courses:
Content-based language learning
Strong emphasis on student-centred learning
Multi-level classes
Focus:
Linguistic creativity: Course goals1 Show an understanding of creative language in English
Students will be able to demonstrate some awareness of language features used in a range of texts. As well as becoming aware of these features, students will have some awareness of the same poetic devices in everyday English also.
2 Show an understanding of the experience of reading
Using examples from the classroom activities and other student-choice of texts, students will be able to show an understanding of the ways that language affects the reader using the senses such as sound, sight, taste and feeling that make up the experience of reading creative texts.
3 Apply creative methods to write and respond to texts
Students will engage with texts and respond in ways which show their understanding of creativity in language use. Students will write and respond creatively to their choice of text for these activities.
Global Issues Through Literature: Course goals
1) Show an understanding of global issues using literatureStudents will be able to demonstrate some awareness of the role of literature in raising awareness about global issues. Some connections between local, global and international issues can be described and discussed within this focus.
2) Increase Global understanding using various perspectivesStudents will analyse problems in society from different perspectives.
3) Apply problem-solving skills to understand global problemsStudents will engage with texts and respond in ways which show their understanding of local, global and international problems, while additionally developing original ideas about solutions to those problems.
Nation & Macalister, 2010: 37-38
“A sensible basis to guide teaching and to help in the design of courses rests on
following principles. These principles must be based on research and theory, and must be general enough to allow flexibility in their
application”
Principle 1: Motivation
“As much as possible, the learners should be interested about learning the language and they should come to value this learning.”
Nation & Macalister, 2010
Interpretation• Self-selection of texts to encourage autonomy
• Using tasks which contain built-in challenges
• Setting clear outcomes with expectation that can be achieved
• Creating small, manageable tests to show learners they can be successful
• Rewarding efforts through publishing workbased on Nation & Macalister, p.50-51
teach a poem to a friend task
Principle 2: The Four Strands
A course should include a roughly even balance of meaning-focused input, language-focused learning, meaning focused output and fluency activities
Nation & Macalister, 2010
Nation’s Four Strands
Meaning focused input
Meaning focused
output
Language focused
learningFluency development
Nation, 2013, p.10
“The most important thing a teacher can do is make sure that the course contains the four
strands in roughly equal quantities”
MEANING FOCUSED INPUT MEANING FOCUSED OUTPUT
FLUENCY DEVELOPMENTLANGUAGE FOCUSED LEARNING
Close reading Listening Multimodal input
Spoken & written reflections Discussion & debate Role plays
Strategy tasks Intensive reading Group work
Repeated reading Use of simplified material Speed writing
based on Nation & Macalister, p.51-52
Pentametron• Four-strand mini-unit
• Beginning with language focused tasks (rhythm, rhyme)
• Workshop style lesson included reading Shakespearean couplets
• Examples of creative language in everyday use
• Finished with writing own couplets
Principle 3: Comprehensible input
There should be substantial quantities of interesting comprehensible receptive activity in both listening and reading.
Interpretation
• Checking the learning burden of texts
• Deciding whether to have difficult words glossed
• Offering multimodal support that provides L1 assistance
• Using the flipped classroom approach
based on Nation & Macalister, p.52-54
Example: Billy Collins
Principle 4: Fluency
A language course should provide activities aimed at increasing the fluency with which learners can use the language they already know, both receptively and productively
Interpretation
• “Making the best use of what is already known” (Nation, 2013, p.10)
• Using familiar topics and concepts
• Writing, reading, speaking or listening
• Simple texts for speed reading and writing
based on Nation & Macalister, p.54-65
People
Some people talk and talk And never say a thing Some people look at you And birds begin to sing
Some people laugh and laugh And yet you want to cry Some people touch your hand And music fills the sky
Charlotte Zolotow
Principle 5: Output
The learners should be pushed to produce the language in both speaking and writing over a range of discourse types
Interpretation• Using short lectures
• Spending time on talking and using materials in different ways
• Making use of language across text types helps to vary language use (formal, informal, etc.)
• Genre-switching, imitating style and retelling stories in texts all make use of this feature
Tools
Mobile readings
Communication
Multimodal support
Suitable content
Scaffolding
Thank you for listening!
Carter. R. 2004. Language and creativity: the art of common talk. London, UK: Routledge.
Collins, B. (2012)Everyday Moments, Caught in Time. TED.com https://www.ted.com/talks/billy_collins_everyday_moments_caught_in_time
Nation, I.S.P. & Macalister, J. (2010) Language Curriculum Design. London, UK: Routledge.
Nation, I.S.P. (2013). What should every EFL teacher know? Japan: Compass Publishing.
References
