13. Signposting a Turnaround for Poetry in the Language Classroom

This is the ninth lecture in the Online lecture series on Language, Literature and Cultural Studies organized by the English Language Teachers’ Interaction Forum delivered on February 27, 2021.
Dr. Sivakumar Sivasubramaniam is Extraordinary Professor, University the Western Cape, South Africa
Dr.Sivakumar on the lecture:
The presentation is intended to help language teachers understand how and why ‘poetry’ can be a valuable resource in the teaching of a foreign/second language. A mechanical focus on grammar/accuracy has resulted in learners being threatened to view language learning as a set of transactions that they need to master in order to complete their course work. Consequently, the learners have been denied of an opportunity to experience an emotional engagement with the target language. This has prevented them from understanding/ appreciating the creative and imaginative dimensions of the target language. In order to help them understand the indivisible link that exists between language use and imagination, this workshop will use a range of activities/ tasks to develop a non-threatening approach to using language creatively through poetry in pleasurable contexts.