Language Arts

“My mind is bigger.” ~ student from Chalco, Mexico

The Literature Out Loud (LOL) Workshop is designed after the Paper Picker Press (PPP), developed by Cultural Agents Initiative at Harvard University (www.culturalagents.org). It aims to infuse educators with new, creative strategies for teaching the English language through high quality literature, in order inspire students’ love of reading, interpretive skills, and ability to connect literature with their own life experiences and the world around them.

Through this workshop, teachers learn LOL teaching strategies by experiencing the curriculum for themselves, from the student point of view. In addition, as part of the teacher workshops, facilitators collaborate with teachers to explore ways in which the LOL curriculum can be integrated into their own teaching. Teachers learn how to teach reading and writing as two parts of the same process, and to give students the opportunity to speak and “publish” their own writings in the classroom for their classmates to view and discuss.

Learning Objectives

• Explore teaching English literature through multiple art forms
• Foster one’s self-motivation and love of teaching English language and literature through play
• Read, re-write, respond and interpret literary texts in new and collaborative ways
• Illuminate English language structures, grammar and vocabulary
• Enhance one’s pedagogical resources and creativity as a teacher

Activities

• Book-making
• Reading aloud
• Questioning and interpreting text
• Re-writing and re-thinking stories
• Writing musical scores
• Drawing character portraits
• Group art and idea exchanges
• Forum Theatre

Learning Outcomes

• Greater knowledge of various art forms and their uses in teaching English language and literature
• Increased enjoyment of teaching English language texts
• Strengthened imagination for creatively teaching literature
• Capacity to teach students to understand the relevancy of literature in their own life experiences
• Enhanced English speaking fluency and increased vocabulary

What Teachers Get

• Set of creative and dynamic strategies for teaching language through the arts, as well as ideas for integrating LOL pedagogy into local curriculum
• Teacher’s Manual, as developed by Cultural Agents at Harvard University (printed or electronic copy)
• Literature Out Loud (LOL) activities, guidelines and materials list
• Sample one-week lesson plan and one-day teacher training guide
• List of example texts and relevant works of literature
• Concepts, Approach and Background for PPP (LOL in Hong Kong/China)
• Connection to other teachers using this curriculum around the world through Cultural Agents Initiative
• Certificate
• Assessment Kit

Workshop Details