Though an abundance of academic literature supports the inclusion of aesthetic activities in university and K-12 L2 learning contexts, less attention has been focused on aesthetic approaches in community-based adult ESL contexts. Inspired by a pedagogy of multiliteracies/Design (New London Group, 1996), this paper explores creative meaning making…

This essay attempts to explore the links between politics, poetry, and collective, embodied readings and discussion in the classroom. When my Year 12 class were asked 'What is Poetry?', their answers suggested something in the Romantic tradition -- of poetry as expressive, individual and emotional. My experience studying poetry with my Year 9…

Existing literature predominantly emphasizes policy frameworks and technological solutions, neglecting the transformative potential of creative writing in facilitating purpose-driven learning. In the context of advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this study addresses the underexplored role of creative writing as a catalyst for societal…

The song 'La ballata dell'amore cieco (o della vanità)' (1966), by Italian singer-songwriter Fabrizio De André (1940-1999), offers students opportunities to practise their language skills, stimulate their cultural appreciation, and expand their knowledge of a musical and poetic form (the ballad), while reflecting on the close connection between…

This essay questions the place that conversations about 'race' hold in the English classroom. I hope to reveal the problems that may come with easily dismissing tense and racially charged dialogues about language and identity. I also explore the way classroom talk opens up an opportunity for students to create and contest different meanings and…

School examinations of student responses to literature often present poetry blind or "unseen", inviting decontextualised close reading consistent with the orientation-to-text associated with Practical Criticism (originating in the UK) and New Criticism (originating in the USA). The approach survives in the UK after curricular reforms and…

The activity described in this paper was developed in response to the experience of teaching a large lecture introduction course to freshman and sophomore undergraduates called "The Rhetorical Tradition." This course covers, roughly, the last 2500 years of rhetoric. One of the issues faced in this course is that students struggle to…

Claiming that poetry is essentially an oral art and thus eminently suitable as discourse for language teaching and learning, the author guides readers through step-by-step strategies in how to make the pictures of poetry visible and the sounds of poetry audible for language-learning students. Using the poem "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe…

"Talking Points: Discussion Activities in the Primary Classroom" encourages and supports classroom discussion on a range of topics, enabling children to develop the important life-skill of effective group communication. Children who can explain their own ideas and take account of the points of view and reasons of others are in the process of…

The qualitative study reported in this article analyzes how novice learners develop the interpretive mode (as outlined in Standard 1.2 of the "Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century," 1996, 1999 ) in a classroom setting when reading a literary text in a foreign language (FL). Using unmotivated looking through conversation…

Assuming that readers' emotional responses can enhance readers' metacognitive experiences and inform literary analysis, this study of 11th-grade poetry readers features instruction that models both cognitive and affective reading processes. The author: (1) Presents a case for more explicit attention to emotion in language arts classrooms; (2)…

Why are many teachers around the world moving toward task-based learning (TBL)? This shift is based on the strong belief that TBL facilitates second language acquisition and makes second language learning and teaching more principled and effective. Based on insights gained from using tasks as research tools, this volume shows how teachers can use…

Creating poetry with your students is fun for everyone - class excitement is high and rewards are many. (Editor)

Analyzes the level of comprehension which can be achieved by students in a teacher-less group discussion. (RB)

Because Robert Lowell's poem "Hawthorne" focuses on Puritan New England, both as a setting and a subject, and shows the dark side of human nature, and Hawthorne as the alienated artist with a definite place in American literature, it is a most appropriate conclusion for a teaching unit on Hawthorne.