Children’s Literature in Language Education

posted by Jürgen Kurtz, Karlsruhe University of Education, Karlsruhe

An international conference on “Children’s Literature in Language Education – from Picture Books to Young Adult Fiction” will be held at Hildesheim University, Germany from February 25-27, 2010.

Plenary speakers:
Stephen Krashen, Eva Burwitz-Melzer, Alan Maley & Andrew Wright

Strand 1: EFL extensive reading – reading for pleasure; teacher training with
non-canonical literature;
Strand 2: Pre-teens and teens: young adult novels, graded readers, non-fiction,
poems and graphic novels;
Strand 3: Young learners: picture books, poems and nursery rhymes; language acquisition with literary texts;
Strand 4: Storytelling and workshops

For further information, see the conference website (click here).

TEFLSPEAK-G and the Idea of Encouraging Improvised Speech in the EFL Classroom (5)

posted by Jürgen Kurtz, Karlsruhe University of Education, Germany

Improvisation is a vague concept that is not defined clearly. With regard to speaking a foreign language, it refers to

• situated target language performance, and to learning by / while doing,
• accessing one’s target language / intercultural resources under communicative pressure, especially in informal communicative contexts which are usually less scripted and predictable,
• employing (compensatory) communicative strategies spontaneously, and furthermore to
• making use of whatever the totality of the communicative context has to offer,
• being flexible and creative in a variety of linguistic and non-linguistic ways,
• being prepared to take risks in the process of negotiating / co-constructing meaning.

How does this relate to current research and theory construction? In a recent issue of Applied Linguistics, Joann Swann & Janet Maybin (2007: 491) emphasize the importance of creativity for language learning. They point out that “creativity may be identified broadly as a property of all language users in that language users do not simply reproduce but recreate, refashion, and recontextualize linguistic and cultural resources in the act of communication.” They go on to say that “playfulness and humour is a potential characteristic of creativity” (2007: 492). It is evident that improvisation is a similar concept, which focuses on spontaneous, unprepared language use in the first place; more generally: on the predictability-unpredictability dimension of oral exchanges. 

The theory of foreign language improvisation is grounded in classroom-based empirical research spanning more than a decade (see, for instance, Kurtz 1997). Here is one more transcript illustrating what improvised speech is all about in actual classroom practice, how it affects oral production and how it contributes to target language communicative flexibility. Again, the format of interaction is Bus Stop (as described in part three of the TEFLSPEAK-G series). The improvisers are two 11-year-old German 5th grade students (after about nine months of learning English in a comprehensive school in Germany) (L = learner; T = teacher; … = pause; ? = intonation suggesting a question):

[...] 
T:  All right … who is next? 
L₁: Can I please? Herr Schneider .. can I?
T:  O.K. Simon … and who is your partner? … Murat? … no? what about Marc? … fine .. Simon and .. eh .. Marc .. you are at .. em .. the bus stop. … let’s count! … [whole class] … THREE, TWO, ONE, ACTION
L₂: Yes … em .. hello. 
L₁: Hello, my name is .. Simon. 
L₂: Pleased to meet you, .. em .. I’m Marc. 
L₁: Are you waiting for the bus? 
L₂: Yes .. how about some sweets? 
L₁: Thank you .. [cue:]  … em .. your shirt .. eh … is really beautiful .. [begin impro:] .. is it new?
L₂: Yes.
L₁: Look, … es [German word] … ähm … it [self correction] is dirty. Can you see .. it?
L₂: No .. your shirt is dirty … look 
L₁: What? .. that’s not .. er .. dirty … that’s modern  /mo’de:rn/ [end impro] [outburst of laughter in class]
L₂: Oh, mmh .. here comes my bus. I have to go. Nice talking to you. Bye.
L₁: Bye
[applause]

Still more to come. Stay tuned.

Swann, Joanne & Maybin, Janet (2007), “Introduction: Language Creativity in Everyday Contexts.” Applied Linguistics, 28, 491-496.

Kurtz, Jürgen (1997a). Improvisation als Übung zum freien Sprechen. (Improvisation as Free Speaking Practice). Englisch, 3, 87-97. 

TEFLSPEAK-G and the Idea of Encouraging Improvised Speech in the EFL Classroom (3)

posted by Jürgen Kurtz, Karlsruhe University of Education, Germany 

The Improvisation ‘Bus Stop’ 

Inspired by the central theme of the movie ‘Forrest Gump’, i.e. life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get, the improvisation ‘Bus Stop’ offers EFL learners a flexible communicative framework which consists of a brief introductory sequence, an incentive to talk spontaneously (improvising a dialogue based on different cues), and, in contrast to traditional role-plays, a so-called communicative emergency exit (ending the conversation without losing face).

 

This is the basic format or procedural infrastructure of interaction (in this case for beginning learners of English, towards the end of their first year; L = learner):

L₁ : Hello.
L₂ : Hello, I’m [name].
L₁ : Pleased to meet you, [name]. I’m [name].
L₂: Are you waiting for the bus?
L₁: Yes. How about some sweets?
L₂: Thank you.

L₂ accepts the offer and draws a piece of paper from the chocolate box. He/she finds one of the following exemplary cues to continue with (idea: “you never know what you’re going to get” / motto: use what you know, learn what you can, make up the rest as you go along):

• I’m on the way to school, you know. I’m in the 5th grade. …
• I’m on the way to the supermarket, you know. I’d like to buy…
• Hey! Look at that boy over there. What is he doing?
• Listen! Can you hear that? It’s coming from that old bag over there. What’s in it?
• Excuse me, is this [...] yours? …
• Excuse me, why are you smiling?
• I’m on the way to the pet shop. This is my cat “Fluffy”. It …
• I’m on the way to the disco. My hobby is dancing. What’s your hobby?

Communicative emergency exit:
L_1/2: Oh, here comes my bus. I have to go. Nice talking to you. Bye.
L_1/2: Good bye.

More to come next week.