Exploring Ways of Teaching Language and Literature

Hear what fellow teachers and educators have to say about the inaugural LangScape conference.

The inaugural LangScape conference was held on 27 and 28 April this year. Organised by the English Language and Literature Academic Group at NIE, with the support of the Singapore Teachers Union, this conference sought to address the interests and concerns of teachers of English language and literature.

LangScape showcased both teacher practitioners’ and academic researchers’ investigations into the English language and literature classroom. While international keynote speakers lent depth to the discussion of broad issues such as curriculum and pedagogy, our own teachers showed how classroom practice can be remade in the light of new research developments.

“It’s a very refreshing departure from MOE courses,” said Eddie Koh of Pioneer Junior College. “There’s a great effort made to translate what is being taught into classroom practice. And these are all leading practitioners in their own field, so we appreciate the diversity and the commitment shown by these practitioners.”

Associate Prof Anneliese Kramer-Dahl, Chair of the conference organising committee, was especially pleased with the quality of the workshops. “We intended it to be particularly teachers whom we know are doing interesting work in the schools to give presentations, rather than the workshops being run by academics.”

Indeed, the teacher participants we spoke to particularly enjoyed them. “I thought the workshops were quite useful,” noted Mdm Rubiah Ahmad of Ping Yi Secondary School. “It’s quite relevant, and I can apply it to my teaching.” She was particularly keen to try using film to teach literature (see Suzanne Choo’s article in this issue).

Several LangScape presentations have been featured in this issue of SingTeach. Check out the links below and see what conference participants have been talking about!

> A Tale of Two Children
> Reading Beyond the Classroom
> Incorporating Film in the Literature Curriculum