Readings On Creativity And Imagination In Literature And Language

In the last two decades, the field of language and literature teaching has experienced considerable growth as a result of the wide array of new methodological avenues that have arisen from different angles. This paradigm shift has paved the way for the integration of newly conceived didactic resources such as the mediation of social networks for learning language or the interdisciplinarity of culturally mediated language education. It is crucial to understand this shift in order to ensure students receive the best education possible. New Approaches to the Investigation of Language Teaching and Literature presents an overview of the ongoing methodological tools, practices, research designs, and strategies used in language and literature teaching and provides education researchers and practitioners with empirically sustained evidence of teaching strategies that may be implemented in language education. Covering key topics such as language skills, adult learners, digital literacy, and learning aids, this reference work is ideal for researchers, scholars, academicians, practitioners, educators, and students.

Creativity and Innovation in Organizational Teams stemmed from a conference held at the Kellogg School of Management in June 2003 covering creativity and innovation in groups and organizations. Each chapter of the book is written by an expert and covers original theory about creative processes in organizations. The organization of the text reflects a longstanding notion that creativity in the world of work is a joint outcome of three interdependent forces--individual thinking, group processes, and organizational environment. Part I explores basic cognitive mechanisms that underlie creative thinking, and includes chapters that discuss cognitive foundations of creativity, a cognitive network model of creativity that explains how and why creative solutions form in the human mind, and imports a ground-breaking concept of "creativity templates" to the study of creative idea generation in negotiation context. The second part is devoted to understanding how groups and teams in organizational settings produce creative ideas and implement innovations. Finally, Part III contains three chapters that discuss the role of social, organizational context in which creative endeavors take place. The book has a strong international mix of scholarship and includes clear business implications based on scientific research. It weds the disciplines of psychology, cognition, and business theory into one text.

What should children and students read? This volume explores challenging picturebooks as learning materials in early childhood education, primary and secondary school, and even universities. It addresses a wide range of thematic, cognitive, and aesthetic challenges and educational affordances of picturebooks in various languages and from different countries. Written by leading and emerging scholars in the field of picturebook studies and literacy research, the book discusses the impact of challenging picturebooks in a comprehensive manner and combines theoretical considerations, picturebook analyses, and empirical studies with children and students. It introduces stimulating picturebooks from all continents and how they are used or may be used in educational settings and contexts. The chapters touch on subjects like reading promotion, second-language acquisition, art education, interdisciplinary learning, empathy development, minority issues, and intercultural competence. Moreover, they consider relevant aspects of the educational environments, such as the inclusion of picturebooks in the curriculum, the significance of school libraries, and the impact of publishers. Exploring Challenging Picturebooks in Education sheds new light on the multiple dimensions relevant to investigating the impact of picturebooks on learning processes and the development of multimodal literacy competencies. It thus makes a significant contribution to the growing area of picturebook research and will be key reading for educators, researchers, and post-graduate students in the field of literacy studies, children’s literature, and education research.

This book brings together a range of scholars from 10 different countries to address the contemporary state of play in national standard language education – i.e. the L1 subjects. It seeks to understand the field from within a comparative-historical and transnational frame. Four thematic threads are woven through the volume: educationalisation; globalisation; pluriculturalism; and technologization. The chapters range over various aspects of L1 as a school subject: literature, language and literacy; reading and writing; media and digital technology; the dialogue between curriculum inquiry and Didaktik studies; the continuing relevance of Bildung; the significance of history and nation; and new challenges of culture and environment in the face of climate change. The book concludes with a reflection on the prospects for L1 education today and tomorrow, in a now thoroughly globalised context and, accordingly, deeply implicated in a necessary new project of nation re-building.

Includes special issues.

This book offers middle and high school teachers useful suggestions and strategies for cultivating literacy in their classrooms, focusing primarily on the key skills of reading and writing. It discusses the nature of standards-based education and emphasizes the power and importance of good literature in the ELA curriculum. Included are detailed approaches to reading and writing with simple strategies for teaching close reading of complex text, as well as textual evidence and elaboration. A variety of sample performance tasks are included for commonly taught works of American and world literature as well as a variety of strategies to strengthen students reading and writing skills needed for success in college and the workplace. This book is a practical handbook for teachers, who can easily find appropriate strategies to use in their classrooms and begin implementing them right away. It is a useful collection of tips with suggestions and instructions for implementing effective and engaging literacy strategies and performance tasks.

This book provides essential support and advice on using literature in the A level modern languages classroom, addressing key concerns such as ways to approach this task and how to maximise the benefit to students. There are strategies for understanding works of different genres as well as ways to analyse plot, characterisation, themes and style, all presented in a logical way that allows existing teaching methods to be built upon. Including a step-by-step approach to all aspects of planning, resourcing and teaching literature in modern languages at advanced levels, this book covers essential topics such as: Why teaching and studying literature is important How to choose the text Preparing and introducing the literary text Understanding the characters, themes, style and structure Writing examination essays Ways to spark creative language use before and beyond the set text Based on the latest A level modern languages syllabus, this practical book will help both new and experienced teachers approach teaching literature with more confidence, which will enrich their students' language learning and inspire their creativity beyond examination requirements.

This edited collection brings together papers by eminent scholars who attempt to demonstrate how challenges can most successfully be ameliorated with an eye to enhancing the effectiveness of the processes of language teaching and learning. In Part One, emphasis is placed on challenges that second language education has to face, both those more general, dealing with language policy issues, and those more specific, concerned with instructional options in the language classroom. Part Two focuses on challenges involved in researching the processes of teaching and learning in the second and foreign languages classroom, both with respect to research methodology and efforts to tap some variables impinging upon the effects of instruction. Finally, Part Three is devoted to challenges involved in second and foreign language teacher education, the quality of which to a large extent determines the outcomes of second language education in any educational context.

This comprehensive account of bilingualism examines the importance of using students’ native languages as a tool for supporting higher levels of learning. The authors highlight the social, linguistic, neuro-cognitive, and academic advantages of bilingualism, as well as the challenges faced by English language learners and their teachers in schools across the United States. They describe effective strategies for using native languages, even when the teacher lacks proficiency in a language. This resource addresses both the latest research and theory on native language instruction, along with its practical application (the what, why, and how) in K–8 classrooms. Key features include: Examples of programs that address the needs of learners from diverse language backgrounds, including Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Bengali, and Russian. Teaching strategies, activities, and student tasks geared toward current academic standards. The role of primary language in ESL, dual language, special education, and general education programs. “At last, a book that focuses on the development of students’ bilingualism from the point of view of their home languages and not simply English! Rodríguez, Carrasquillo, and Lee lead teachers in uncovering the treasure of the home language in bilingual learning.” —Ofelia García, professor, The Graduate Center, City University of New York “I highly recommend The Bilingual Advantage . . . an essential tool to achieve equity and social justice as these evidence-based practices promote the high achievement and success of English learners within our schools.” —Jose Luis Alvarado, associate dean, College of Education, San Diego State University “This book brings together the latest research on the advantages of children learning in two languages and two cultures.” —From the Foreword by Margarita Calderón, professor emerita, Johns Hopkins University