Incorporating Poetry in EFL Classes: Enhancing Language Skills with Creativity

1. English is to be understood not loved, right? -incorporating poetry in EFL classes By: Tim Denton New College Group

2. English is to be understood not loved, right? Introduction Why use poetry? Figurative language – is it duller than watching paint dry? Poetry Translation – Learning to hate both languages Loose aims sink lessons The value of the spoken word Conclusion and Questions

3. I will give you two minutes – please turn to the person next to you and talk about any experience you may have of using poetry in the ELT classroom. • Was it successful? • Was it a complete and total disaster? • Was it somewhere in between?

4. Students’ Opinions “How is this going to help me at University?” - Teenager, female, Kuwait “Poetry has cultural significance, it can teach us about history.” - Adult, female, Saudi Arabia “I don’t even like it in my own language.” - Adult, male, Spain “Poetry isn’t natural – no-one talks or writes like that anymore.” - Adult, female, Thailand “I wouldn’t pay to learn poetry.” - Adult, female, Portugal “We use songs, why is poetry so different?” -Teenager, female, Kuwait

5. Common Misconceptions • Old • Uses irregular and incorrect structures which can hinder rather than help • Memorisation and recitation • Diversion from the more important things (like grammar) • No linguistic function

6. Teacher’s opinions • Poetry’s spoken structure is useful for a wide variety of speaking focused classes focusing not only on pronunciation but rhythm • Poetry can provide great examples of figurative language and encourages greater appreciation, understanding and utilisation of lexis. • Poetry can encourage a greater incentive for students to “read between the lines” so to speak. • Structured poetry based exercises can provide students with tools to make their language use appear to be more complex to achieve those coveted “higher levels”.

7. Is poetry a one size fits all methodology? • BackgroundDo they value creativity?Is critical thinking encouraged? • Reasons for learning EnglishWhat is their intended outcome for their English classes? Is it functional or do they require a greater degree of nuance? • AimsWhat is your lesson aim, why have you chosen poetry for this lesson?

8. Figurative Language Is it duller than watching paint dry? • In my experience, figurative language serves very well as an introduction to the linguistic use of poetry. • Lay it out as you would any other grammar exercise. • Provide definitions. • Students match examples to the type of figurative language. • Students create their own.

9. Metaphor and Simile • How to present it? • Free association

10. Onomatopoeia

11. Personification

12. Poetry Translation www.poetrytranslation.org • Have a very clear and specific aim and ensure that this is communicated. • Provide the students with the poem in their native language. • Encourage a rudimentary translation first. • Next we have a few different ways to approach the second part: Put the students into pairs/groups, choose a translation and work to ‘improve’ it together. Keep the students working alone and exchange their translations to be ‘improved’. Allow the students to continue working on their own translations.

13. Loose aims sink lessons

14. Loose aims sink lessons • What is your aim? • Students will identify uses of hyperbole in their own language and work to translate it effectively into English. • Students will work to improve a literal translation into more thoughtful and appropriate English – heavily focusing on verb-noun collocation. • Students will identify poetic structure and rearrange it into a more standard syntax.

15. The value of the spoken word Limericks Excellent for addressing the idea of connected speech and producing a natural rhythm. Haiku The structure lends itself perfectly to a writing/pronunciation exercise with a heavy focus on syllabic analysis. • Poetry can have vast advantages even for lower level classes. Rhyme Rhyme is an enjoyable way of approaching pronunciation but also to identify the spellings used to produce different sounds.

16. Conclusion • Poetry can be a vital and creative tool in the classroom provided it is well thought-out and has clear aims. • One size definitely does not fit all and it’s up to you as a teacher to gauge whether it would be useful for your particular classroom. • Poetry can be employed as a highly technical linguistic device if harnessed correctly and should not be looked down upon by it’s less creative sister resources. • Students will complete an activity provided it is structured and has a clear endpoint to measure themselves against.

17. Questions? Thanks for listening and if you would like to access a copy of this presentation for your records please visit: www.newcollegegroup.com/IATEFL You can also email me directly at timothy.james.denton@gmail.com

18. Hyperbole What do we want to exaggerate? Why do we want to exaggerate it?