Asked to describe a memorable or particularly successful incident characteristic of my concept of foreign language teaching, I gave the following reply:
A memorable incident, which I would count as a major success, was when a student was so deeply touched by a piece of poetry she produced in class (with the help of two partners) that she was unable to hold back her tears. Whenever such works of art or literature of either aesthetic or therapeutic value are produced within the framework of a lesson, language becomes the medium of in-depth communication, whereby a profound bond between emotion, thought and linguistic structure is forged.The same is true for other instances of activities and forms of interaction that were experienced as inspiring and valuable in themselves.
The poems rendered below were produced during a session with Upper Intermediate/Advanced learners of English.
The session commenced with a short excerpt from a novel related to education, which was followed by analytical questions, reading comprehension tasks and a brainstorming of scholl-related images, notions, memories and their emotional content. This was then deepened by watching an excerpt from a film based on the novel. Here, too, listening comprehension questions would assure the students' grasp of dialogues and specific context and set the stage for an in-depth discussion centered on the role of education, role models and social factors in the formation of personal identity. In the course of the discussion, expectations, experiences, reflections would be expressed, conclusions drawn and recommendations made.
In the next stage, Regis Auffray's "Hermit" would be presented to the class, individually read and commented on. What makes the poem recommendable is its clear and comprehensible language combined, as it is, with easily relatable philosophical questions. With reference to these, the following questions were presented for reflection and individual comment:
1) Which of these sentiments do you share?
2) Do you agree that "good" seems to be an illusion?
3) "The fool on the hill" or "the wise man of the hill" - which is your take?
4) Who do you believe "the lovely one" is? Do you think she is real or imaginary?
5) How would you describe yourself? As a hermit? A lover of life? A people's person? Or someone who appreciates solitude?
6) Are you happy with your life? Or are there things you would like to change?
The students were then asked to write a few lines (preferably in blank verse so as to avoid distortion and artificiality which tends to be encouraged by the use of rhymes) characterising themselves or their attitude towards life.
These are the poems that emerged from the session:
Literature and Poetry Session
Free Production Task (following reading and discussion of Regis Auffray's "Hermit"):
Write a short poem that expresses the essence of your personality, including your take on life and your view of the world.
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Gliding over the water
caressing the skin of the sea
joining the blue body underneath
but always surfacing towards bright air
living & gliding over the waves
Philippe Useille
(France)
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Morning alarm, breakfast, school, job
Family evenings or staying along
All days of the week almost the same
But various feelings among
Love, fun or anger, depression
Your routine reflects each variation
Finally Friday of quiet acceptance
Plans for the future, friends at the entrance
On weekends relaxing and getting around
The unmissible sea, my essential safe ground
Day, night, wind, sun, fog, rain
Nothing exists but the reflection which your own eyes will gain
Maria Khodorkova
(Russia)
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I live
Sometimes I suffer
because of
loneliness
Sometimes I love it
There are few choices
Our life is a race for money
I feel uncertain
Uncertainty is my way, so
I stay alert, totally curious
I hate liars,
False people
They're the thing I run away
from
If
you're able to rely on
anybody, rely
on yourself
That's the only way not to
fail
Albert Tyszkiewicz
(Poland)
All my life I have stayed away from dictionaries. My entire vocabulary and ability to spell as men from reading literature, both fiction and nonfiction and gathering meaning, spelling and other nuances from the context. I'm still learning and still making mistakes.
Ron