H S –ENGLISH –DRG-PALAKKAD-TRAINING MODULE
27 ,November, 2008
PURPOSE
The purpose of the DRG is to strengthen the capacity of a team of trainers by applying
principles of constructivist learning, and develop a variety of training
Methodologies and facilitation skills; developing learning objectives and designing performance oriented lesson
Plans. The DRG Training is based on the principle that everyone has something to share, and by including the active input of
participants, interest and efficacy is increased.
Overview
This session provides an alternative to the prevailing approach to teach poetry. Students engage in drawing and mapping as a means to comprehend figurative language. The marked difference is the focus. Instead of teaching poetry, this session teaches skills by means of poetry. This way, students use familiar skills to construct new knowledge, which is paramount to the Constructivist view of learning—a strategy employed by this session design. This outlook makes way for Problem Based, Inquiry Based, Discovery, and Visual Learning, as well as Metacognition, Drawing, and Mapping. There is a strategic purpose for each. They all contribute to increasing reading comprehension.
Training of Trainers- COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. Share experiences of performance based activities focused in the previous cluster-5.
2. Develop participants’ capacity to plan, organize, and conduct training to assess the linguistic competence of the learners based on their Products/constructs/performance.
3. Empower the participants to plan and transact a poem in tune with constructive paradigm.
4. Equip participants with knowledge of effective training methods and develop
skills to use them.
5. Identify effective ways to monitor and evaluate training sessions and their thrust areas.
6. Help participants develop training plans for unit 6 in class VIII/IX/X.
METHODOLOGY
This session employs Jerome Bruner’s Constructivist philosophy, which holds that “we construct our own understanding of the world we live in” (Constructivism). While one source indicates that Constructivists consider learning to be “a search for meaning” (Constructivism), another source adds that, “Constructivists view learning as the result of mental construction” (What is Constructivism?). Such building, which is also referred to as “knowledge construction,” is considered the cornerstone of this theory, and it “emphasizes the central role learners play in developing their own understanding”. In this sense, “students learn by fitting new information together with what they already know” (What is Constructivism?). Such learning is provided as an alternative to having students “memorize the ‘right’ answers and regurgitate someone else’s meaning” (Constructivism). This method is founded on the basis that people learn best
When they are active participants in the learning process (What is Constructivism?). This approach entails various teaching strategies, which requires the teacher to “think of learning as a process, consider how the student learns, nurture leaner curiosity, encourage and accept learner inquiry, autonomy, and initiative, and provide learners the opportunity to construct new knowledge and understanding from authentic experiences” (What is Constructivsm?).
The training approach is based on principles of constructivist pedagogy with a focus on peer
review during all the steps of planning, organizing, and conducting a training/learning
event. The course models a variety of effective training methodologies, including
simulation, practice, discussion, brain-storming, buzz groups, case studies, , visualization in participatory programming (VIPP), and presentation.
Students will benefit from this strategy because it provides such enduring skills as critical thinking and problem solving that can be applied to other academic disciplines and real-life experiences. In short, the skills learned are both adaptable and transferable. This will enable students to manipulate the unfamiliar by applying familiar concepts. Interpreting poetry teaches students to apply these skills and demonstrate higher-level thinking. Too often students are taught what to think. This session places an emphasis on two important traits of education: why to think and how to think. It follows the principle “give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” This session sets out to teach students to fish. It is not enough to merely endow students with information. The success of teaching relies upon equipping students with the skills needed to survive, such as being able to think independently. Doing so requires teachers to present relevant information that students realize the benefits of outside the classroom. Furthermore, analyzing poetry teaches students to think abstractly. This is necessary because, in life, things are not always blatant, tangible, or observable. For instance, a person’s thoughts, ideas, and emotions, and such forms of language manipulation as puns, innuendo, and connotation are either intangible or initially imperceptible. Analyzing poetry requires one to think beyond and to think deeply. For it, one must probe their minds, as well as others. In result, abstract thinkers develop theories and philosophies, make uninhibited decisions, create art forms, extract meaning, and construct new meaning.
STRUCTURE: sessions from
MATERIALS AND TOOLS:
Work sheets/reading materials to internalize the craft of poems.
Course book of class VIII.IX,and X.
Teaching manual of a poem and skit.
Training manual.
TIME: 9.30 am to 4.30 pm.
SCHEDULE.
9.30 am Registration
10 am session I
Ø Share the experience of performance based activities conducted in class after cluster 5
11am The strategies to transact a poem in constructive line.
1.45 pm Planning of unit 6 of classes VIII,IX,X.
4.Pm Review of the cluster.
INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN
Training method/Process
Materials used.
Session I Shares the experience of the performance based activities of the last cluster
Ø Facilitator ask the participants to share the strategies adopted to transact unit 5 of class-VIII,IX, and X.
Ø Facilitator asks the participants, “How effective is mime/skit/debate/group discussion as a pedagogic tool in class room transaction?
Ø After sharing of the experiences by the participants, facilitator concludes that such activities boost the learner’s confidence to use the target language. Therefore reasonable scope for performance based activities must be given in unit planning.
Session 2 –Teaching poetry in constructivist paradigm.
Ø Facilitator introduces the song ‘Running and jumping’….
Ø Participants sing in chorus.
Ø Participants are asked to add a few lines in the same to tune.
Ø Ask the participants to recall a few lines of any poem they remember.
Ø Interaction – why do they remember those lines?
Ø Consolidation-poetic elements/features of poetry,theme,images,rhythm etc.
Ø Simulation of processing a poem in constructivist class-
Ø Initially, the teacher should assess the student’s relationships to poetry by engaging in discussion to know their attitudes. Some invoking questions are: “How is poetry different from prose?” (Which replaces the typical “What is poetry?” by probing for deeper reflection), and “What other forms of expression is poetry similar to?” Asking students, what they think and how they feel is a way of validating their views, and this helps build trust between the learners and the instructor. During this procedure, allow students to voice their opinions and use their responses to construct new questions that probe deeper into their view of poetry. However, this discussion should be brief and focused.
Ø Following discussion, the teacher should set out to gauge student confidence in comprehending poetry. The idea is to present students with a challenging poem that will perplex most of the class. An ideal poem for this aim is ‘Neither out Far nor in Deep’ by Robert Frost because it employs both figurative language and imagery, can be viewed as challenging, and effective for drawing and mapping. Begin by distributing a copy of the poem to each student,
Ø Then allow one or two students to read it aloud to the class while the rest read along. Pose the question: “What is this poem about?” and allow students a few minutes to read back over it independently and contemplate its meaning. (Do not be surprised if some students are able to provide a strong analysis of the poem’s meaning. In this event, do not confirm or deny any student responses. The students will most likely expect teacher feedback and may become frustrated without any, but this tactic prepares students to become free and independent thinkers. For students whose estimations are accurate, their views will be confirmed upon studying the poem using the approach designated for this session. Besides, this unit is about the process as opposed to the result. Students will need to understand and manage how they have reached their conclusions.)
Ø Without settling on any interpretations, have the students identify the problem by asking, “What is the true challenge of this poem?” or “What is the barrier preventing us from fully comprehending the poem’s meaning?” Then, ask the students how they might go about determining meaning (“What strategies could you use to find out what the poem means?”). Again, this places the emphasis on the process and may lead into another brief discussion.
Ø Brainstorm with the class some poetry comprehension strategies by listing them on the board. Students may refer to experiences with poetry or consider new ideas. Some of these ideas can and should be applied to this activity. One necessary strategy that students should be prompted to highlight is determining whether the poem is literal or figurative (though students may state it using different terms). You might sarcastically pose the question: “Is this poem really about people standing on the beach and staring in the sea?”
Ø Once the class decides on the poem’s manner of representation, the students should be geared to focus on converting the figurative language to its literal meaning. Ask the students how this should be done. (The individual teacher can decide when he or she should introduce drawing as a possible strategy—that is, if no one mentions it. Introduce the idea with enthusiasm and an attitude of experimentation that will hopefully prove contagious and carry over to the students).
Ø Ask students how they would initiate the drawing (“What from the poem will they draw and in what order will they draw these elements?”). These answers should be discussed and agreed upon with the class to provide a safety net for the first time. Once students are sure of their directions to draw the most important aspects of the poem’s setting (the land, the people, and the sea), set the students loose to illustrate this image. Stress that while accuracy is essential, artistic ability is not. Allow 10-12 minutes for this procedure. Such short time is necessary for students to understand that this is intended to be a sketch, a step in a set of procedures, and a form of creative expression that does not require critical thinking about the content. Students should not spend this time on trying to understand the poem’s meaning; rather, their main goal is to capture the images. Monitor this process by walking around the classroom and ensuring that students are aware of the directions and guidelines and are using their time appropriately.
Ø Once students have finished their drawings, have the students look at their individual pictures and ask them to think about what elements in the drawing are suggestive. For instance, the people they have drawn may be literal figures in their true representation, but the land and sea can both be viewed as impenetrable.
Ø Students will brainstorm as a class and the instructor should convert their ideas into word webs on the chalkboard. There should be one word web for the land and the sea comprised of mostly adjectives. The guiding questions for these word webs can be: “What does the land/sea represent? What does the land/sea make you think of? How is the land/sea depicted in the poem? What feelings and thoughts are evoked by looking at the ocean?”
Ø Members of the classroom should challenge the student’s ideas if they seem illogical. Some model ideas that may spawn from the “sea” word web are deep, mysterious, constantly in motion, unattainable, intangible, flowing, immense, captivating, intriguing, predictable, unfamiliar, blue, wet, travel, etc. Some ideas for the land are variable, immediate, familiar, dry, life, home, tangible, stable, diverse, people, etc. Some ideas that contradict each other may be paradoxes.
Ø At this point, students should reflect on both the drawing and the word webs. They should be alerted to notice that the land and sea are set up as opposition; this should be evident in the drawing because they are set on opposing sides from the people and divided by a shoreline. This is further evident in the differences between the word webs. Finally, students will be left to gather the literal meaning of the poem. They will be encouraged to explore their ideas as presented in the illustrations and word webs.
Ø Their goal will be to answer the definitive that launched this means of discovery: “What is this poem about?” Additional questions that can prompt deep thinking are as follows: “If the sea represents these things (indicate the coinciding word web), why are the people staring at it so? If the land represents these things (indicate the word web), then why are the people turning away from the land? What are the people looking for? What are the people turning away from? Have students try to make a connection between the traits of each element and the people’s behavior toward them. Students are now familiar with the process they will use to discover meaning in other poems. For closure, the students should read the poem again and collaborate all the information they established during the process.
Ø Assessment for this lesson will regard participation, as discussion and involvement are in great demand.
Ø Follow-up will be a homework assignment. Students will receive a worksheet on figurative language, which shows a table listing techniques down the left column, their definitions down the middle column, and empty spaces down the right column. The empty spaces are to be filled with examples from the poem that demonstrate the listed techniques. Students will only fill the boxes with examples that are applicable to the Frost poem. They must be told this information in advance. This assignment allows them to interact with a familiar poem and build new knowledge from the class lesson and become familiar with the poetry techniques that will be explored in this unit.
Ø The following day, the class will go over the homework assignment together. They should have identified the uses of metaphor, simile, irony, and symbolism in the poem, thereby leaving two figures of speech boxed empty (personification and hyperbole). This should allow for additional contemplation of Frost’s poem.
Ø Afterward, the teacher should distribute their drawings and give the students time to discover their own interpretation of the poem’s overall meaning. Once they have reached their own discovery, they are to put this explanation into words by writing the moral of the poem on the flip side of their drawings.
Ø Individual/refined group presentations are invited.
Session-3- Planning TM of poem and Planning unit 6 of class-VIII/IX/X- due importance is to be given for dramatization and other performance based activities.
Session- 4-Review and wrap up session.
Questions on a chart.
Frost’s Poem.
List them on a chart.
Blank sheets.
List on chart.
Work sheets.
Appendix-I
Neither Out Far Nor In Deep
The people along the sand All turn and look one way. They turn their back on the land. They look at the sea all day.
As long as it takes to pass A ship keeps raising its hull; The wetter ground like glass Reflects a standing gull.
The land may vary more; But wherever the truth may be--- The water comes ashore, And the people look at the sea.
They cannot look out far. They cannot look in deep. But when was that ever a bar To any watch they keep?
by Robert Frost
Appendix-II
What is poetry?”
“What other forms of expression is poetry similar to?”
Appendix-III
WORKSHEET
Simile
figure of speech involving a comparison between two unlike entities. In the simile, unlike the metaphor, the resemblance is explicitly indicated by the words “like” or “as.” The common heritage of similes in everyday speech usually reflects simple comparisons based on the natural world or familiar domestic objects, as in “He eats like a bird,” “He is as smart as a whip,” or “He is as slow as molasses.” In some cases the original aptness of the comparison is lost, as in the expression “dead as a doornail.”
Metaphor
A metaphor is a phrase comparing two things without using "like" or "as."
Ex. Mimi is a butterfly: free, loose, and beautiful!
The example is saying (without saying "Mimi is like a butterfly") that Mimi is free, loose and beautiful, JUST LIKE A BUTTERFLY.
Irony
Irony is a literary device that presents a conflict between appearance and reality; may be intentional or unintentional on the part of a character, but always intentional on the part of the author.
Romeo and Juliet has a classic example of dramatic irony... The audience knows that Juliet only drank a sleeping potion and is not dead. This knowledge makes Romeo's suicide over the sleeping Juliet all the more bitter.
Symbolism
Symbol - sign representing something that has an independent existence. The most important use of symbols is in language. To say so, however, does not solve the perennial philosophical questions as to the nature of the linguistic sign. Signs are usually iconic, or related to what they signify, whereas linguistic signs are generally arbitrary.
Hyperbole.
Hyperbole is exaggeration. It puts a picture into the "reader" mind. Hyperbole is frequently used in humorous writing.
Example: You could have knocked me over with a feather.
Personification
Figure of speech in which human characteristics are attributed to an abstract quality, animal, or inanimate object. An example is “The Moon doth with delight / Look round her when the heavens are bare” (William Wordsworth, “Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood,” 1807). Another is “Death lays his icy hand on kings” (James Shirley, “The Glories of Our Blood and State,” 1659).
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