In this article, Olga Isac explores the profound impact on students' linguistic, emotional, and creative development by embracing poetry in the language classroom
"Poetry is an exquisite expression of exquisite impressions" Philibert Joseph Roux
Teachers benefit greatly nowadays from educational digital educational resources, which, undoubtedly, have a word to say in the modern learning environment. In fact, these learning tools offer a transformative educational experience. Needless to say, technology is well integrated into the 21st-century class. With the appearance of AI, things go even further.
We must accept the fact that education is continuously developing and consequently, we have no choice but to embrace the innovations and challenges. Even though technology leads to increased productivity and efficiency in class, still, the emotional side of our students must not be left out. Poetry is what touches the strings of our souls and brings the human side out. In these circumstances arises a question, is there any room for Poetry in a digitalized education? There must be. Certainly. Reading, learning, analyzing, discussing, and memorizing poetry not only helps students to understand values and appreciate the aesthetic side of the language, but also develops literary awareness. Equally important, trying to understand the meaning of a poem is a thought-provoking activity, which boosts imagination, creativity and makes us see the world differently. Learning poetry in a language class impacts us as humans for the rest of our lives. Who doesn’t remember a poem learned at school in a language or literature class? I believe we all do. If we learn poems by heart in a language class, we might remember them for the years to come, and, as a result, pass them on to future generations. What’s more, teaching poetry involves learning about the poet, which undoubtedly increases the general and cultural knowledge of the students.
In this article, I will explain how I keep interest in poetry alive in my German class and from my perspective, what effects poetry has on our students.
Firstly, it should be noted that poetry has an impact on us at any age. Therefore, language teachers should expose their students to poetry anytime they get the chance. Poetry is part of the language and it should be part of the foreign language-learning process as well. It boosts linguistic skills, such as communication, and critical and abstract thinking, and it without a doubt, enriches vocabulary, improves intonation, and leads to a correct pronunciation of foreign words. Additionally, it may inspire some students to even start writing poetry themselves.
One cannot deny that one of the most challenging parts of learning poetry is to decipher the poet’s message. Students must know that poetry is not just about rhyming stanzas on paper. Discussing the meaning behind words together in class, working in groups, in pairs, and individually on this task develops fundamental linguistic skills.
It is also understandable that poetry is not a top-priority activity in a language class. Andrew Simmons in “The Atlantic” mentions: “Poetry has become an afterthought, a supplement, not something to study on its own.” Notwithstanding that, we should find time and dedicate class time to poetry, because it encourages creative writing and it develops brain abilities. D. Hanauer in his book “Poetry and the Meaning of Life” says: “Poetry also helps develop children’s literacy knowledge because much of it is easy to remember and repeat.”
Due to this, every school year, I organize a Poem Recital with my German learners and offer them a unique experience of reciting poems in public, which undoubtedly develops their public speaking skills. As we all know, this skill is in high demand nowadays, and developing it will definitely help them in their future career. It is recommendable to organize a Poem Recital in the first school semester or at the beginning of the second one, in order to avoid exam times. Learning poetry must be a joy, not a burden. Each student chooses a poem and before learning it by heart, we translate it, discuss its meaning, and work on pronunciation and phonetic peculiarities with each student in particular. During the pandemic, the Poem Recital was organized in an online format, with recorded performances and shared with the school community. On another occasion, I organized a Poem Recital at the school library, where students recited poems in front of their peers and teachers. Performing in front of a larger audience has, definitely, a positive impact on their self-confidence. Last year, the event took place at the National Library in our city. To recite a poem in a foreign language was an emotional moment for the students. I am convinced it will remain in their memory as a beautiful school activity with a huge cultural impact on them and on their perception of the foreign language they learn.
Here are my top 10 advantages of including poetry in a language class:
- Develops linguistic and speaking skills
- Strengthens self-confidence
- Boosts literary awareness
- Enlarges imagination
- Deepens critical thinking and abstract thinking
- Enriches vocabulary
- Improves memorization skills
- Expands cognitive and emotional development
- Encourages creative writing and develops brain abilities
- Helps enjoy and appreciate poetry
Nonetheless, implementing poetry in a foreign language class might be challenging in terms of time and organization, due to the fact that we have a curriculum to follow and poetry has somehow been neglected as part of the foreign language learning process. Still, we, as language teachers should not deprive our students of this linguistic heritage. Andrew Simmons also says: ”Poetry can give students a healthy outlet for surging emotions. Reading original poetry aloud in class can foster trust and empathy in the classroom community.”
Reference:
David Ian Hanauer, “Poetry and the Meaning of Life”, ISBN 0-88751-106-6
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/04/why-teaching-poetry-is-so-important/360346/
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