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Teaching
literature in the multicultural classroom
Two year project, 2007-2008
Associate Professor Terry Locke, The University of Waikato’s
School of Education
Project
aims
- The overall
aim of the project is to find effective ways of teaching literature
in multicultural and multilingual classrooms at primary and
secondary level. In doing so, the aim is to develop a range
of effective classroom approaches and practices for the teaching
of literature in such settings.
- A secondary
aim is to link the research associated with this project with
research being done in relation to other L1 curriculums.
- An additional
secondary aim is the production of at least one teachers’
resource on the subject of teaching literature in the multicultural
classroom.
Project plan
In order to
achieve these aims, University of Waikato (UoW) researchers, in
conjunction with teacher-researchers will:
- review
a range of approaches to the reading and composition of literary
texts in primary and secondary classrooms
- review
a range of pedagogical (including questioning) strategies aimed
at motivating students and enhancing the teaching and learning
of literature in primary and secondary classrooms
- develop,
trial and evaluate a range of strategies/interventions for achieving
cultural and linguistic inclusiveness in the teaching and learning
of literature.
In order to
achieve these objectives, the following research questions will
guide the project:
- What discourses
currently shape teacher understandings of “literature
teaching” and “cultural and linguistic inclusiveness”?
How do these discourses relate to each other and to the larger
context of the national policy environment?
- What features
characterise the successful classroom practices/processes of
a sample of teachers engaging students in activities aimed at
fostering their ability to engage in the reading and composition
of literary texts?
- In particular,
what aspects of pedagogy have been successful in developing
a culturally and linguistically inclusive classroom for the
teaching and learning of literature? (These aspects may include
programme design, resourcing, activity design and formative
assessment.)
- In what
ways can ICTs be integrated productively in a culturally and
linguistically inclusive classroom for the teaching and learning
of literature?
The proposed
project can be broken down into the following phases:
- Collaborative
literature review and mapping of the territory
- Initial
baseline data collection, including student attitudes, some
achievement data, profiling current practices
- Collaborative
analysis and evaluation of baseline data.
- Development
and trial of interventions. Collection of intervention-related
data. (Given the spiral nature of action research methodology,
these interventions may have more than one phase.)
- Analysis
of intervention data and evaluation of interventions.
- Reporting
and dissemination of project findings and conclusions.
Methods include
case study, ethnography, critical discourse analysis, action research
and self-study.
Partnerships
involved
This two-year
project involves a project team based at Waikato University’s
School of Education working with teachers at primary and secondary
level with an interest in the teaching and learning of literature
in multicultural and multilingual classrooms. Teachers involved
are from schools with a high degree of cultural and linguistic
diversity.
These schools
from South and West Auckland are:
- Henderson
Intermediate School
- Wymondley
School
- Somerville
Intermediate School
- Tangaroa
College
- Tuakau
College
- Macleans
College.
Expected
outcomes
In terms
of this project, we would view the teaching and learning of literature
in the multi-cultural classroom as characterised by:
- Respect
for and utilisation of the languages of the students who comprise
a particular classroom
- Where
practicable, some provision being made for one or more of study,
instruction and assessment to occur in more than one language
in a particular classroom
And lead to
such outcomes as:
- An appreciation
of the different meanings social groups bring to the idea of
literature
- An understanding
of some of the patterns of production, consumption and dissemination
characterising literature in society.
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us or contact us at: PO Box 3237, Wellington, New Zealand.
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