Año
21, N.º 44: julio - diciembre 2022
Literature and Didactic Resources and Materials for
Promoting English: Case Study Developed in 2018
Priscilla Carranza-Marchena *
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0742-7328
*
Magíster en Educación con Énfasis en
Aprendizaje del Inglés y Magíster en Educación con Énfasis en Docencia Universitaria,
Universidad Nacional (UNA), de Costa Rica. Académica para la División de Educología (DE) y para la Escuela de Literatura y Ciencias
del Lenguaje (ELCL) de la UNA). Correo: priscilla.carranza.marchena@una.ac.cr
Isabel Badilla-Zamora **
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6211-0470
**
Máster en Educación en General, Framingham State College, reconocido por la Universidad de Costa Rica.
Académica para la División de Educación Básica (DEB) del Centro de
Investigación en Docencia y Educación (CIDE) de la Universidad Nacional (UNA), de
Costa Rica, correo: isabel.badilla.zamora@una.ac.cr
Recibido:12 de octubre de
2021
Aprobado: 11 de febrero de 2022
Abstract
This
article details the pedagogical praxis developed for promoting English as
literature and didactic resources and materials were implemented alongside. In
fact, it describes the experiences and perceptions of the research participants
in terms of their thoughts and reflections towards the process and its effect
in terms of their academic development. This was qualitative research,
specifically, a case study, which was developed in two courses: Children’s
Literature and Didactic Resources and Materials, where the linguistic and
pedagogical fields were integrated to foster the learning of English. These courses
belong to the Bachelor’s Degree of Teaching English for elementary school, from
Universidad Nacional (UNA), Costa Rica. The results of this study show that the
students’ considered the implementation of literary texts in the English class
as well as the use of varied didactic resources and materials valuable since
they were helpful for developing dynamic, engaging, and interesting lessons,
which may be a source of motivation for their future language learners.
Keywords: Curriculum,
education, language, pedagogy, school children, teaching.
La
littérature et les matériels
didactiques pour le renforcement de l’apprentissage
de l’anglais: étude de cas développée en 2018
Résumé
Cet article décrit la praxis éducative développée pour promouvoir la langue anglaise moyennant la mise en
place des œuvres littéraires,
des ressources et des matériels
didactiques. Également, l’article décrit les expériences et les perceptions
des personnes participantes en rapport
avec leurs pensées et leurs réflexions sur le processus et
son effet dans leur développement académique. Cette recherche qualitative a été menée dans
deux cours: Ressources et matériels didactiques et Littérature d’enfance dans lesquels les domaines linguistique et pédagogique ont été intégrés
afin de renforcer l’apprentissage de l’anglais. Ces
cours font partie de la filière d’Enseignement de l’Anglais pour les cycles I et II (école primaire) de l’Université Nationale du Costa
Rica (UNA). Les résultats de cette
recherche ont mis en évidence que les étudiants ont considéré très
précieux la mise en place des textes
littéraires en anglais ainsi que l’utilisation de ressources et matériels didactiques car cela a permis de développer des leçons dynamiques, attirantes et intéressantes, lesquelles peuvent être une source de motivation pour leurs futurs
apprenants.
Mots-clés:
curriculum, éducation, langue, pédagogie,
apprenants, enseignement.
Introduction
During
the second cycle in 2018 (July to November), an experience of curricular
integration was developed between the courses of Children’s Literature and
Didactic Resources and Materials; both courses belong to the Bachelor’s Degree
in English Teaching for elementary school, from Universidad Nacional (UNA). This
joint work aimed to promote English throughout the implementation of literature
along with the use of didactic resources and materials; this process
intertwined varied literary texts and addressed them with different didactic
resources and materials, so English was encouraged and fostered in a creative
and engaging way.
As
this curricular integration process was developed, literature and distinct
tasks were integrated so that the students’ learning process was boosted and
enriched from a theoretical and practical view. The course of Children’s
Literature aimed to analyze and work on literary texts as a resource for
teaching English in a communicative, creative, dynamic, and engaging way. On
the other hand, the course of Didactic Resources and Materials for the major of
English Teaching for elementary level aimed students to learn about the
elaboration of various didactic resources and materials based on the
integration of the four macro-linguistic skills: listening, speaking, reading,
and writing. As a result and based on the fact that literature is commonly
overlooked in foreign language classes given its complexity and time constraints,
in this course, scenic, plastic, and musical skills were also intertwined to
provide learners with the opportunity to create and generate resources and
materials to help their future students gain insights in regards to literature
and by having these materials as a source of information to rely on. This study
presents a critical and deep analysis of the work carried out and the students’
perceptions in terms of their own experiences while taking both courses
simultaneously, over the same school cycle.
Theoretical framework
What was the pedagogical foundation?
When
dealing with language learning, pedagogy certainly sets the foundations for
conceptualizing, reshaping, and executing the mediation process. As a result,
it is always recommended to study and review this approach to teaching not only
to keep in mind its theoretical principles, but also, to analyze the practices
that can be changed, improved, and/or modified to provide learners the most
appropriate educational environment and class context. Additionally, pedagogy,
undoubtedly, shapes the instructors’ actions and leads their praxis throughout
time; however, as it is known, education is an ever-changing phenomenon that
closely reflects cultural, political, and social contexts and that is highly
influenced by policies related to the prior settings.
From
this perspective, this article aims to describe how the pedagogical praxis of
the courses Children’s Literature and Didactic Resources and Materials was developed;
both aimed to explore the importance of working with diverse literary texts
along with resources and materials for fostering English as the students’
target language, and how this process contributed for the research participants
in terms of their experiences and self-perception. In fact, learners were able
to choose their preferred literary text and to select the material or didactic resource
they desired to create, so pedagogy was conceived from a critical viewpoint
from where learners were «free»1 and encouraged to «think by themselves»[1].
Moreover,
when instructors believe and work under the principles of critical pedagogy,
they welcome the opportunity of addressing the class by considering equality, gender,
human rights, among other aspects that pertain to any human being. Brown (2000)[2]
affirms that when working with critical pedagogy, the following principles and
examples are useful for fully respecting students’ beliefs and values:
a)
Allow students to express themselves
openly (be sensitive to power relationships, encourage candid expression).
b)
Genuinely respect students’ points
of view (seek to understand their cherished beliefs and traditions).
c)
Encourage both/many sides of an
issue (welcome all seriously offered statements, opinions, and beliefs).
d)
Don’t force students to think just like
you (delay or withhold your own opinion).
For the development of both courses, critical pedagogy was
the foundation for the pedagogical praxis carried out, and it was essential for:
promoting active participation, expressing varied points of view, encouraging
discussion, and working around the students’ interests, beliefs, and values in
terms of literature and their creativity for designing different didactic
resources and materials. The professors of both courses worked as facilitators,
who guided learners during lessons, but who firmly believed input was necessary
for students to take action once they had made enough connections between their
previous knowledge and the new one.
How was the curriculum integrated?
Curriculum
integration, according to Wall and Leckie[3],
«advocates for curriculum that is exploratory, relevant, integrative, and
meaningful to learners»; in the case of the students, who were registered in
the Bachelor’s for English Teaching for elementary school, it is essential to
work on different activities to find sense in their performance, relationships
between courses, objectives, and contents, in order to make the most out of the
educational act. Even so, the meaning of curriculum integration varies; it is
essential to point out that it «involves meaningful learning organized around
issues important to teachers and students»[4].
In this specific case, the competences expected from pre-service teachers to
achieve, and the organization of the courses become an opportunity to explore a
wide range of possibilities for the use of literature and didactic materials
and resources created around the themes developed in the literary texts
selected; allowing essential components to emerge such as the creativity,
leisure, and recreation while learning English as a foreign language (EFL).
Why should literature be implemented in the language
class?
In
Costa Rica, English is taught as a Foreign Language (EFL) in all school levels,
from preschool up to high school; this takes place in the public as well as in
most private systems[5].
After a research developed by the Costa Rican Ministry of Public Education
(MEP), the English program changed radically, complementing the Communicative
Language Teaching (CLT) approach used previously with the Action-Oriented (AO)
approach, so, in 2016, MEP started implementing the new program gradually. This
program demands English teachers to be certificated with a B2 or C1 in their language
proficiency, according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), but
it also requires the development of certain abilities that will allow students
to demonstrate their English language abilities through tasks. A task varies in
nature, but it mediates learning, and its accomplishment involves: …the strategic activation of specific linguistic competences
(linguistic, pragmatic, and socio-linguistic) along with a range of
socio-cognitive competences in order to carry out a set of purposeful actions
in a particular domain (interpersonal, transactional, academic and professional)
with a clearly defined goal and a specific outcome[6].
Based on the previous quotation and on
what the Action-Oriented approach (AO) demands from students and even teachers,
in terms of task performance, the development of the reading and speaking skill
is the means to achieve the proposed goals. From this standpoint, the courses
of Children’s Literature and Didactic Resources and Materials aimed to promote
curricular integration by addressing English through literature and distinct resources.
This process was carried out by emphasizing on the importance of using the
target language where different macro-skills were addressed through an implicit
approach. As a result, learners’ work was focused on the content rather than on
specific linguistic aspects, as it was years before; from 2005 up to 2016, when
MEP’s syllabus was changed.
Indeed,
in Costa Rica, in the public system, specifically, classes are usually focused
on the linguistic aspects of the language, and instruction, most of the times,
is carried out through an explicit approach, which, in some occasions,
overlooks the value of implicit pedagogical practices, which may also benefit
students through a more creative and meaningful way of learning, as it is the
case of literature use along with didactic resources and materials for
promoting the learning of English. Teaching literature in the language class is
unquestionably not an easy task; nevertheless, it may be an exceptional ally
for helping students become acquainted with a wide variety of grammatical
structures, idioms, conventions, types of register, vocabulary, and even
cultural aspects of the target language.
In
this regard, Chambers and Gregory[7]
state that when teaching literature, instructors should make sure they provide learners
with opportunities to:
a)
learn to read a range of primary
texts genres appropriately –in breadth and depth– engaging in associated
processes of textual analysis, interpretation and evaluation;
b)
engage with the concepts and
networks of ideas that characterize literary discourse, and learn to think in
terms of them;
c)
grasp the assumptions and purposes
that underlie debates (theoretical-critical) within the discipline along with
the beliefs and values that inform them;
d)
understand the way argument is conducted
within literary discourse, what counts as evidence and how it is used;
e)
learn to speak and write within the
conventions that apply;
f)
take an independent, critical stance
to study.
From
this stance, literature should be promoted from early stages in the English
class, so students become acquainted with the target language and go beyond the
class’ contents by having the possibility of exploring different literary
texts, materials, and resources and by gaining insights related to grammar,
culture, vocabulary, etc. implicitly. Moreover, literature also enables
learners to broaden their knowledge in terms of varied topics and promotes the
ability of exchanging ideas and opinions based on different subjects.
Literature is a vast field of language, which, sometimes, turns out to be
challenging for language educators; however, if used effectively in the
classroom, teachers as well as students can enjoy its magic. Besides that,
literature not only fulfills and integrates the four linguistic macro-skills and
covers several language micro-skills, it also deals with culture and in turn,
with the understanding of social and human ways of living of the target
language. Learning a language certainly involves culture; thus, literature is a
helpful ally for encouraging learners to relate to the target language in a
meaningful, purposeful, and thoughtful way. In addition, Keshavarzi affirms
that «language is associated with culture»[8].
That is, language is the carrier of cultural messages. As such, literature is
very significant when employed in teaching a language. Literature is culture»8.
In this regard, literature deals with culture and this demands learning how
people communicate and understand others in the target language.
Why are didactic resources and materials relevant?
Didactic
resources and materials can be defined as any physical or digital source of
information used for educational purposes; they can be self-created or obtained
in the form of educational-produced materials, textbooks, websites, among others.
In fact, for the purpose of developing a well-designed pedagogical praxis,
language educators must make informed decisions about the materials and
resources they select for their lessons since they must be age and language-level
appropriate. In addition, they must be contextualized and as closely related to
the learners’ reality as possible. In this regard, Richards stated that
teaching
materials are a key component in most language programs. Whether the teacher
uses a textbook, institutionally prepared materials, or his or her own
materials, instructional materials generally serve as the basis for much of the
language input learners receive and the language practice that occurs in the
classroom.[9]
As
a result, it is essential that language instructors make sure their pedagogical
praxis is based on the use of didactic resources and materials, which clearly
match their students’ context, learning styles, and needs; their selection
requires critical attention, so educated decisions can be made. For this study’s
purpose, the research participants selected varied literary texts, and they
designed materials and resources with a set purpose in mind, so they worked as
a source of information to rely on while working on a given work of literature.
In fact, Richards affirmed that «for learners materials may provide the major
source of contact they have with the language apart from the teacher»[10],
which, in general, turns out to be true since students not just interact with
their instructor but also with the resources and materials available in class,
and they gain input from those sources too. Finally, Richards[11]
indicated that the advantages of creating materials lies in the fact that they
will probably be directly linked to the target population’s context and needs;
also, they will be flexible in terms of their use and further adaptation, if
needed.
Methodology
Research approach
This
research is based on a qualitative approach, which, according to Creswell is
constructivist
knowledge claims, ethnographic design, and observation of behavior. In this
situation the researcher seeks to establish the meaning of a phenomenon from
the views of participants. This means identifying a culture-sharing group and
studying how it developed shared patterns of behaviour over time (i.e.,
ethnography). One of the key elements of collecting data is to observe
participants’ behaviors by participating in their activities.[12]
In
fact, this study is based on the research participants’ experiences and perceptions
while taking part in two courses, which main objective was to foster English as
the target language through the use of literature and the implementation of
varied didactic resources and materials. As a result, during the pedagogical
mediation of the Children’s Literature and Didactic Resources and Materials
courses, the linguistic as well as the pedagogical fields were joined to
promote a dynamic and participatory experience for the students of this
research. For this purpose, theoretical as well as practical foundations were essential
for the mediation process.
In
addition, in the course Children's Literature, various concepts, methods, and
techniques were put into practice for the introduction, development, and use of
children's literature in the target language, which was one of the courses’
main objectives since they aimed to foster the learning of English as a foreign
language through literary texts. According to the syllabus for English Teaching
for elementary school, the Children's literature’s course stated that
Literary
text is visualized as a creative use of language, which can stimulate the
acquisition / learning of structures and vocabulary, as well as the development
of communication skills, creativity and imagination of the child. The application
of various techniques for the use of literary texts in the classroom, as well
as the adaptation of literary texts will be the practical dimension of
literature.[13]
In
fact, in the course of Children’s Literature the following thematic areas were addressed:
a)
The role of literature in learning a
foreign language; use of imagination in the acquisition process.
b)
Children's literature: definition,
genres, terminology, their role in child development, and their role in the
foreign language classroom.
c)
Techniques for the introduction of
texts in the classroom; motivation and encouragement for reading; the reading
process: pre-reading, reading, and post-reading.
d)
Story
telling.
The
previous themes were the ones specifically addressed in the curricular integration
process; they were selected by the researchers in order to organize and develop
the different pedagogical actions developed during the cycle.
Type
of study
This
study is based on the students’ experience taking part in the curricular
integration process of the courses Children’s Literature and Didactic Resources
and Materials, which main purpose was to develop meaningful experiences in
regard to the development of literature along with the use of didactic resources
and materials. The participants’ experiences and perceptions were gathered, so
their views worked as the primary source for analyzing the data collected and
for developing the triangulation process. In addition, this was a case study;
Creswell’s[14]
defines it as a qualitative approach in which the investigator explores a
real-life, contemporary bounded system (a case) or multiple bounded systems
(cases) over time, through detailed, in depth data collection involving
multiples sources of information (e.g., observations, interviews, audiovisual
material, and documents and reports), and reports a case description and case
themes.
This
research aimed to explore deeply a particular bounded system, case, in which
specific data from the participants was collected to analyze in detail their
experiences and perceptions towards the implementation of literature along with
the use of varied didactic resources and materials. For this purpose, students
worked with distinct literary texts and materials for the design and creation
of the corresponding pedagogical resources.
Context and participants
This
study took place in Universidad Nacional (UNA), Costa Rica, specifically, in
the bachelor’s degree of Teaching English for elementary school, in the courses
of Children’s Literature and Didactic Resources and Materials. At the moment of
this study, the participants were taking both courses simultaneously, but in
different schedules, over the same II cycle, in 2018, and they were active
participants throughout the whole process. This student population was taking
their second year of the major and their ages ranged from 19 to 30 years old.
These learners were able to communicate in the target language accurately and
fluently, according to their level. At this moment, students had already taken
fourteen courses from the linguistic area, in which they learned how to communicate
in the target language and eight courses from the pedagogical component, which
were mostly taught in English too.
It
is also relevant to mention that students took both courses, Children’s
Literature and Didactic Resources and Materials, in English. Besides that, for
this specific study, gender was not a variable of interest. On the other hand,
the key element about these students was their process of taking both courses over
the same academic cycle and their active participation in class. This process
is defined by Creswell[15]
as «purposeful sampling», which refers to the intentional selection of
individuals and contexts to comprehend a main phenomenon. Additionally,
according to Richards[16],
there are several options available for syllabus design, which, in turn, is
translated into the pedagogical mediation developed. In this case, for the
aforementioned courses, it was task-based since the mediation praxis was «organized
around different tasks and activities that the learners would carry out in
English», so literature and didactic resources and materials were implemented simultaneously.
Instruments
During
the pedagogical mediation of the courses Children’s Literature and Didactic
Resources and Materials, information was gathered through three techniques:
observations, journals, and an open-ended questionnaire. Data was specifically
gathered based on two categories a) literature as the means for promoting
English as a foreign language and b) didactic materials and resources as the
mechanism for addressing literary texts through a creative, dynamic, engaging,
and innovative way.
These
observations were carried out over twelve weeks (one day per week) during class
time; these were useful to collect information related to the implementation of
literary texts for promoting English and the use of varied didactic materials
and resources. According to Creswell[17],
there can be different observational roles in a research; for the purpose of
this study, the role of a participant observer was performed since the professors
of both courses were involved in the activities carried out at the research
setting. This experience offers valuable opportunities for the observer to
gather information about the participants’ views and experiences. Creswell[18]
stated that “a participant observer is an observational role adopted by
researchers when they take part in activities in the setting they observe. As a
participant, you assume the role of an “inside” observer who actually engages
in activities at the study site”.
Moreover,
lessons were particularly designed and planned to promote the implementation of
diverse literary texts through the use of didactic resources and materials, which
were created based on the selected passage. Students learned how to design
physical as well as digital didactic resources and materials with the main
objective of supporting their process while telling a specific fairytale,
legend, story, among other kinds of literary texts. Another way of collecting information
for this research was the journal. Every two weeks each student would write a
journal, where they could share a) some thoughts related to the content covered
in the courses and b) the way they could reflect on how they visualized the
relationship among topics, actions, and so on from both courses. Every two
weeks, students had around 10 minutes during the class to work on their
journals, and during the last session, instead of writing on the journal, some
time was given for learners to go over their own interventions and share their
main findings with the rest of their classmates. The results of the journals
were developed in this way, so students had the freedom to react to the
pedagogical actions taken in the two courses in the way they preferred, without
feeling judged or evaluated by the professors.
Implementation
For
this study, the professors in charge of the courses Children’s Literature and
Didactic Resources and Materials carefully designed and planned both syllabuses
in order to make sure there was a coherent and consistent curricular integration,
so the pedagogical mediation was developed smoothly and by following these
actions:
a)
Allowing students to choose a book
of their preference.
b)
Being part of different sessions of
storytelling.
c)
Participating in class
demonstrations where a story was the base of a lesson plan to develop specific
content.
d)
Participating in two workshops: a)
with a puppeteer who invited the students to experiment with a puppet in front
of the class, and b) in the elaboration of a Kamishibai
(Japanese theater) to tell a story based on images.
Figure 1. Puppet workshop
Source: Picture taken by Isabel Badilla, 2018.
Besides the aforementioned actions,
as a complementary task, in figure 2, it can be observed that students chose a
story and designed a game box where children could read the book, answer
questions related to the plot, characters, and work on different games planned
for them to assess their comprehension of the literary text.
Figure 2. Kamishibai (Japanese theater)
Source: Picture taken by Priscilla Carranza, 2018.
T1
Results and Discussion
Over
the development of the Children’s Literature course, students learned the role
of literature in terms of language learning and why it is essential for this
process. They analyzed why imagination plays an important role when working
with varied literary texts; they experienced the different literary genres,
their terminology, function, and the children’s development while learning the
target language. During lessons, the professor of the course selected distinct
texts and introduced them to students, so they reflected on the importance of
motivation and stimulation pre, while, and post-reading. Also, elements such as
illustrations in literary texts, the art of narrating, selection of texts,
reading activities (silent and out-loud reading) were addressed. Students
realized that through literary texts and the elaboration of diverse didactic
materials, their future students may be able to learn a foreign language in a more
meaningful way. Students worked on varied class activities such as narrating
fairy tales and stories, performing role-plays (characters), development
and enhancement of linguistic skills, work on
puppets, and study of the different sections of a story; for instance, characters,
setting, plot, point of view, and moral of the story.
At
the end of the process, an open-ended questionnaire was applied to gather
information related to the students’ perceptions in terms of the use of literary
texts for promoting the learning of English as a foreign language. This process
was tightly linked to the use of varied didactic resources and materials particularly
designed for this purpose. All the participants of the study affirmed that
literature is certainly useful for learning and teaching English since they believe
that it is a creative and dynamic way of having their target population, not
only learn about different literary texts, but also to have the opportunity of
learning some other linguistics aspects such as grammar, expressions as well as
idioms, and vocabulary in a contextualized, implicit, and meaningful way. This
finding matches what Keshavarzi stated
Literature
helps in incorporation of linguistic competence into communicative competence by
putting language into use in different social situations. Literary texts,
especially short stories, provide teachers and learners of English with a lot
of pre-reading and post-reading activities, the ones which stimulate the
learners’ imagination and results in their creativity. Even after a long time,
these activities remain with the learners as they try to remember the incidents
of the story and the way they predicted them to happen.[19]
Moreover,
when literature is used in the English class, cultural aspects are taught as a
way of having learners gain insights in terms of the existent connection
between language and culture; from this standpoint, Erdem[20]
affirms that «learning a language means getting familiar with the culture,
geography and socio-economic structure of the targeted language. It is
important to know the history of the people, their traditions, customs and
values for better communication», which, unquestionably, matches this research
study’s purpose.
The
participants of this study also mentioned that the use of didactic resources
and materials; either in physical or digital format, are essential for
promoting literature in the English class since they are practical and useful
for supporting the process and for having students follow the ideas presented in
a dynamic and engaging way. Additionally, as it can be observed in figure 3,
students were also asked about the physical didactic resources and materials
they consider effective and functional for teaching literature; they stated the
following: flashcards, bingo games, board games, word search, theater-stages
and puppets, kamishibai (Japanese technique), big
books, memory games, filling in the blanks worksheets (images have to be
closely observed, so the corresponding word is included in the blank), crosswords,
and role-plays.
Figure 3. Hand-made
puppets
Source: Picture taken by
Priscilla Carranza, 2018.
In
regard to figure 4, the participants indicated that digital materials and
resources such as flashcards and/or images, jeopardy, Kahoot games, memory
games, QR codes, videos, web quests, and «who wants to be a millionaire» games
are valuable and practical for teaching literature since these types of
resources keep the target population engaged, which helps learners be focused on
the literary text and what is discussed over this learning process.
Figure 4. Students working on the creation of
digital as well as didactic resources and materials
Source: Picture taken by
Priscilla Carranza, 2018.
During
the different sessions, students started sharing ideas and thoughts related to
the stories read and used for the activities planned and also the way they
could elaborate material for them. By the end of the cycle, students showed
more enthusiasm about the act of reading, so in an indirect way, reading as a
leisure activity was promoted and the stories were looked at as a useful tool for
promoting language learning.
Finally,
it is important to mention that the participants of this study, as part of the
courses’ assignments, had to implement a set of physical and digital didactic
resources in an English context in the second cycle (fourth, fifth or sixth
grade); they were able to choose the level and a public elementary institution.
Over the cycle, students created didactic resources and materials based on specific
literary texts, so they could experience being in a class and implementing
their selected text and designed material and/or resource. From this viewpoint,
Richards and Renandya asserted that
Real
communication, however, implies the engagement of genuine interest and will
depend, in part at least, on the presence of a positive group dynamic in the
classroom. The input from the materials provides linguistic and cultural
preparation before, or in parallel with, the learner-generated language which is
the ultimate goal of the learning process.[21]
As
a result of the process carried out and based on that premise, the research
participants aimed to have an engaging dynamic in which the literary texts were
implemented along with the use of the created didactic resources and materials,
so the population who was part of the class received input in their literature-session and used the target
language to communicate their ideas and opinions in regard to the information
presented and studied. The participants of this study regarded these
experiences as truly beneficial and useful since they gained insights from
their target populations in terms of literature and the materials and resources
designed.
As
shown in figure 5, learners pointed out that the use of physical didactic
resources and materials was more convenient and practical since they were able
to take to class everything they needed for working with the literary text.
They stated that most classrooms lack the minimum conditions for using digital
didactic resources, which delayed the process while they figured out how to
make the Internet connection work or even how to get a computer which was able
to run the program they used for creating and designing a specific resource for
the chosen literary text.
Figure 5. Sample board game (physical didactic
resource) designed for addressing a literary text
Source: Picture taken by
Priscilla Carranza, 2018.
As
seen in figure 6, this process evidenced that students truly felt more confident
when they used physical didactic resources and materials; also, they pointed
out that the process seemed to flow more smoothly and their target population
gave them the impression of enjoying the process of making a circle, sitting on
the floor, listening to the fairy tale or story, and then working with the
created and designed didactic resource and material. This sequence of
micro-practices helped the participants resemble a literature-based class in
which students were learning English dynamically. Learners also mentioned that
their target population showed high interest and motivation towards the literature time class and towards the
use of the didactic resources and materials designed for that purpose.
Figure 6. Final task (physical didactic
resources) designed for addressing varied literary texts
Source: Picture taken by Isabel Badilla, 2018.
Conclusions
Based
on the development of the pedagogical praxis of the courses, it can be
concluded that the participants of this study truly perceived the
implementation of literature along with the use of didactic resources and
materials as effective and helpful for promoting English. They affirmed that
this practice of using literature in the language class kept their target
learners more engaged and interested in the lesson, which was certainly a
source of motivation during the pedagogical mediation. Besides that, students
identified various didactic resources and materials as more effective when
implementing literary texts since they could be easily handed and employed during
the class, which is an essential element to consider given that the English
lesson and/or lessons usually take from 40 to 80 minutes; so every activity has
to be timed properly.
In
addition, awareness in terms of the creation and design of didactic resources
and materials was raised; students considered their target population in order
to elaborate materials and resources that were appropriate in terms of colors,
design, size, texture, and usefulness and relatedness to the selected literary
text or texts. This process was carried out throughout both courses, and deep
and wide analysis and discussion was developed to have students reflect
critically towards the creation and design of didactic resources and materials.
It is relevant to highlight that learners also had to examine cautiously the
selection of the literary text, which, certainly, had to be age and
language-level appropriate.
Moreover,
students also learned how to identify and analyze the class conditions of their
target population, so they could work on didactic resources and materials that
could be used in their English lessons. The schools where students implemented
literary texts along with the created materials and resources were public, so
the conditions in terms of technological resources were usually limited, which,
in some cases, turned their pedagogical mediation into a challenge since they
had to solve the situation out in situ. Nonetheless, the participants of this
study valued and considered fundamental learning how to design digital and
online didactic resources since these insights and experience will certainly
help them in their future pedagogical praxis. As a result, and based on those
experiences, students came to the conclusion that, as future English teachers,
it is always fundamental to carry out a
meticulous analysis of the class conditions previous to any lesson, so they are
able to plan their language class based on what is available in the educational
context and by addressing their learners’ needs.
Regarding
curriculum integration, the experience opened a whole world of possibilities to
students; the actions developed in class were not just presented, they were
also lived and enjoyed, becoming a meaningful experience that could be replicated
in other educational settings. In terms of literature, students had the
opportunity to be in contact with different literary works that became useful
for fostering the target language learning process, and it also changed their opinion
related to the act of reading; it became an enjoyable activity.
Formato de citación según APA
Carranza-Marchena, P. y Badilla-Zamora, I. (2022). Literature and Didactic Resources
and Materials for Promoting English: Case Study Developed in 2018. Revista Espiga, 21 (44).
Formato de citación según Chicago-Deusto
Carranza-Marchena, Priscilla y Badilla-Zamora, Isabel. «Literature and Didactic Resources
and Materials for Promoting English: Case Study Developed in 2018». Revista Espiga 21, n.º 44 (julio-diciembre, 2022).
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[2] Brown, Teaching..., 444.
[3] Amanda
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[4] Ibíd., 36.
[5] Ministerio
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[6] Ministerio de Educación Pública, Educar
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[7] Ellie Chambers y
Marshall Gregory, Teaching and Learning
English Literature (London: Sage Publications, 2006), https://www.academia.edu/44713707/Teaching_and_Learning_English_Literature
[8] Abdollah Keshavarzi, «Use of literature in teaching English», SciVerse Science Direct 46, (2012): 555, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.05.159
[9] Jack Richards, Curriculum Development in Language Teaching (Cambridge:
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[10] Ibíd.
[11] Ibíd.
[12] John Creswell, Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative,
and Mixed Methods Approaches (London: Sage Publications, 2003), https://ocw.ui.ac.id/pluginfile.php/1110/mod_folder/content/0/creswell_Research%20Mthods_Qual_Quant%20%20Mixed%20Methods%20Approaches.pdf?forcedownload=1
[13] Gustavo Álvarez, Isabel Badilla, Bianchinetta Benavides, Catalina Domián,
Johnny Fallas, Natín Guzmán, Mayra Loaiza, Ingrid
Madrigal, Rocío Miranda, Sonia Rodríguez, Ileana Saborío, Pablo Sisfontes, Nandayure Valenzuela y Éricka
Vásquez,
Plan de Estudios de la Carrera Bachillerato en Enseñanza del Inglés para I y
II Ciclos con salida lateral de profesorado (Rediseño), San José: EUNA,
2015.
[14] John
Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry and
Research Design: Choosing among Five Approaches (United States of America:
Sage Publications, 2013), http://www.ceil-conicet.gov.ar/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/CRESWELLQualitative-Inquary-and-Research-Design-Creswell.pdf
[15] John Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting
and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research (Boston: Pearson,
2012), http://repository.unmas.ac.id/medias/journal/EBK-00121.pdf
[16] Richards, Curriculum Development.
[17] Creswell,
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[18] Ibíd.
[19] Abdollah Keshavarzi, «Use of literature in teaching English», SciVerse Science Direct 46 (2012): 556, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.05.159
[20] Mustafa
Erdem, «Literature in
English Language Teaching», European Journal of Language and Literature
Studies 4, n.° 1 (2016): 158, https://doi.org/10.26417/ejls.v4i1.p157-162
[21] Jack
Richards y Willy Renandya, Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice (Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2002).