Teaching Poetry
TEACHING POETRY
CONTENTS
Introduction…………………………………………………………………....3
1. The child as a learner………………………………………………………5
2. Basic principles of teaching poetry……………………………..………..10
3. Using poems to develop receptive skills…………………….……….….14
4. Role of poems in developing productive skills……………….….….…..17
Conclusion………………………………………………………………..…..20
Summary………………………………………………………………………22
References…………………………………………………........................…23
Introduction
Children learn a language in a different way. They pick it up as a holistic process. The development of listening comprehension forms one of the important bases of this process. The child learns to understand what they hear, speculating about what it could mean.
The content of what the children are offered in the new language is of crucial importance in motivating them to work out the meaning of what they hear and read.
The same is true for developing speaking skills. Poems give children the opportunity to gain experience with pronunciation and intonation, through play, without anxiety.
Recent findings in cognitive psychology demonstrate clearly that the development of foreign-language skills doesn’t take place independently of the child’s general cognitive development. In this case the teacher can help develop the children’s general intellectual skills, while at the same time developing their listening and speaking skills, which should precede reading and writing.
Motivation is one of the key factors that determine the rate and success of attainment. It provides the main incentive to initiate learning a foreign language and later the determination to persevere and sustain the long and often difficult learning process. Without sufficient motivation, even individuals with the best of abilities cannot accomplish long-term goals. Teachers working in state schools are first and foremost supposed to teach the curriculum, but we cannot ignore the fact that this
CONTENTS
Introduction…………………………………………………………………....3
1. The child as a learner………………………………………………………5
2. Basic principles of teaching poetry……………………………..………..10
3. Using poems to develop receptive skills…………………….……….….14
4. Role of poems in developing productive skills……………….….….…..17
Conclusion………………………………………………………………..…..20
Summary………………………………………………………………………22
References…………………………………………………........................…23
Introduction
Children learn a language in a different way. They pick it up as a holistic process. The development of listening comprehension forms one of the important bases of this process. The child learns to understand what they hear, speculating about what it could mean.
The content of what the children are offered in the new language is of crucial importance in motivating them to work out the meaning of what they hear and read.
The same is true for developing speaking skills. Poems give children the opportunity to gain experience with pronunciation and intonation, through play, without anxiety.
Recent findings in cognitive psychology demonstrate clearly that the development of foreign-language skills doesn’t take place independently of the child’s general cognitive development. In this case the teacher can help develop the children’s general intellectual skills, while at the same time developing their listening and speaking skills, which should precede reading and writing.
Motivation is one of the key factors that determine the rate and success of attainment. It provides the main incentive to initiate learning a foreign language and later the determination to persevere and sustain the long and often difficult learning process. Without sufficient motivation, even individuals with the best of abilities cannot accomplish long-term goals. Teachers working in state schools are first and foremost supposed to teach the curriculum, but we cannot ignore the fact that this
References: 1. Belcher, D. and Hirvela, A. Coming Back to Voice: The Multiple Voices and Identities of Mature Multilingual Writers JSLW (journal od second language writing) Volume 10, Number ½, 2001. 2. Brumfit, C and Carter, R a (Eds). Literature and language teaching Oxford: OUP, 1987. 5. Collie, J and Slater, S, 1987. Literature in the Language Classroom. Cambridge University Press. 6 7. Coulthard, M. An Introduction to discourse analysis. London: Longman, 2009. 8. Cross, D.A practical handbook of language teaching. G.B.: Prentice Hall, 1992. 9. Cummins, J. Language Power and Pedagogy: Bilingual Children in the Crossfire. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters, 2000. 10 11. Gower, R. Can stylistic analysis help the EFL learner read literature? ELT Journal 40: 125, 1996. 15. McRae, J. Using Drama in the Classroom. Pergamon Press, 2004. 17. Searle, J R. Speech Acts: An essay in the philosophy of language CUP, 1999. 19. Towndrow, P. Logic problems and English language learning. MET, 8/1:34-37, 1999. 20. White, R.V. The ELT Curriculum: Design, Innovation and Management. Oxford: Blackwell, 2003. 21. Vygotsky, LS. Thinking and speech. In Rieber and A Carton (eds). The Collected works of L. Vygotsky. New York: Plenum, 1987. 23. Nagra, D. Daljit Nagra on teaching poetry. New York, 2011 (www.theguardian.com) 24