Saturday Seminar Series 2021/2022 (Sem I) - Cohort 2

People create meaning not only through language, but also through bodily movement and imagination. Drama can take advantage of students’ natural tendency to use movement and imagination to build a context for the use of language. An experience of drama can make the use of language more meaningful and thus more memorable.

In its combination of words and images, the graphic novel offers depth of plot, character development and theme. As multimodal texts, graphic novels also present opportunities for visual literacy. Relevant, engaging and easy to read, they increase student motivation, promoting a positive association to reading, even amongst reluctant readers. While it may seem counterintuitive to use visual and sometimes even wordless texts in the English language classroom, graphic novels do in fact provide a wide range of opportunities for English language learning. Some of these strategies will be introduced in this session.

By using pedagogical materials designed by established writers across cultures for Writing-Plus (a project funded by Faculty Teaching Development Grant at EdUHK), this session will introduce ways to "read" poetry critically and invite participants to collectively think of ways to engage their own students with creative writing.

Participants will be guided to explore the benefits of storytelling and different ways to tell stories to young learners in ESL/EFL classrooms. Quality picture books suitable for KS1 will be read aloud and introduced. Participants will also be able to experience two literature circles with selected chapter books for KS2 from pupils’ point of view.

Despite research evidence on the benefits of reading and writing for pleasure on students’ educational and personal development, nurturing interest and appreciation for reading and writing is a tall order in many English classrooms of Hong Kong. In this seminar, teacher participants will be introduced to key principles and recommended practices with respect to reading and writing for pleasure and be encouraged to consider different starting points from which reading and writing for pleasure could be promoted in their own classrooms.