I observed the Secondary Three Literature class once and taught the next three lessons. The Sec Threes are currently doing prose, along with an introduction to The Chrysalids. As far as I can see with my guys, along with observations of the Secondary Four class, Literature is taught in a very explicit way as the boys have not read the text, and are in need of a lot of hand-holding to help them understand the concepts.
We try to help the class along by using examples and simulations into our lessons, so that the students can relate to the lesson with their current schema. The teacher I observed got the students (and she prepared them) to act out an extract of The Chrysalids and had the students observe the demeanour and behaviour of the actors involved (in accordance to the text), to make the text authentic to the students.
The school has agreed to a more LangLit approach, giving the lower secondary students poetry slam programmes and drama clinics conducted by the graduating drama club boys. The upper secondary boys get to go for a drama class that involves them getting into groups, writing their own scripts, rehearsing and then performing for their peers at the Arts House.
"The upper secondary boys get to go for a drama class that involves them getting into groups, writing their own scripts, rehearsing and then performing for their peers at the Arts House." - how does this prepare students for O level? What is being done abt the students not reading the text?
ReplyDeleteat least the boys get to experience the fun of Literature. hopefully some will be brave enough to take Lit when they go to JC.
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