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Educational Value of Fairy Tales in EFL Classroom: Case Study in Oman

This study explores the educational value of utilizing fairy tales in the English language classroom in Oman. It examines how fairy tales can supplement core textbooks, support learning, and enhance linguistic and socio-cultural understanding. The study also discusses the limitations of using fairy tales in the EFL classroom in Oman and highlights the need for more widespread use of these materials.

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Educational Value of Fairy Tales in EFL Classroom: Case Study in Oman

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  1. Educational Value of Fairy Tales in EFL Classroom: Case Study in Oman Victoria Tuzlukova, Christine Eltayeb Sultan Qaboos University Oman

  2. Introduction • Current significance of English as a language of world communication and demand of its meaningful teaching • Importance of classroom materials in achieving excellence in foreign language pedagogy and practice • Educational values of fairy tales in English language classroom

  3. Introduction • Supplement to core textbooks • Learning support • Source of more linguistic and socio-cultural models to overcome difficulties related to students’ background knowledge and meaning construction (Smith, 1988) • Source of local and target culture interactions • Students’ progress aid

  4. Literatures in foreign language classroom • Source of linguistic, content, cultural and formal knowledge (Day, 1994; Al-Brashdi, 2002; Al-Ajmi, 2006; Al-Mahrooqi, 2007) • Tool for aiding students with their progress and creating meaningful learning environment (Smith, 1988) • Tool for bridging the language with the context in which it is used (Byram, 1988)

  5. Literatures in foreign language classroom • Instrument for personalizing the educational process (Kay and Jones, 2000) and giving students additional opportunities to deal with a foreign language • Instrument for exposing students to new vocabulary, style, structures and experiences, and relating them to their own cultural and social context

  6. Literatures in foreign language classroom • Tool for effectively engaging students in new contexts and practices • Sufficient support for the students who have a limited language learning experience and have little opportunity to practice their English language skills outside the classroom

  7. Literatures in foreign language classroom: Limitations in EFL classroom in Oman • Not widely used as a supplement to core text-books • Limited use as a learning support for many social, cultural, linguistic and even logistic reasons: • Traditional language teaching and learning practices • Students’ interests and motivations • Teachers’ own language learning experiences and perceived images, aims and objectives of the courses they teach • Local culture and traditions

  8. The Sultanate of Oman • Population: about 3 million • Nationality: Omani • Ethnic groups: Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi), African • Languages: Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects, Swahili

  9. Sultan Qaboos University • Opened its doors in 1986 • Comprises 9 colleges and a number of centres • Number of students enrolled is about 15,000

  10. College of Arts and Social Sciences • Medium of Education: Arabic • Academic Staff: multicultural and multilingual • Both Arabic and English are used outside the classroom

  11. Materials’ Selection and Adjustment: Search Principles • Content “suitability” • Personal, academic and professional interest on the part of the student (Day, 1994) • Contributing to language learners’ experience and effective involvement in real life practices • Relating to the course objectives and structure

  12. Materials’ Selection and Adjustment: Search Principles • Sensitivity to integrated skills teaching paradigm and individual learning styles • Matching with educational environment • Social and cultural sensitivity (Tuzlukova, V., Eltayeb C., 2007) • Promotion of local culture and cultural heritage and getting acquainted with other world cultures

  13. Fairy Tales: Universal Truths and Local Contexts The Emperor’s New Suit By Hans Christian Anderson 1805-1875 Many years ago lived an emperor, who thought all the time about new clothes and spent all his money in order to obtain them; his only ambition was to be always well dressed. He did not care for his soldiers, and the theatre did not amuse him; the only thing, in fact, he thought anything of was to drive out and show a new suit of clothes. He had a coat for every hour of the day; and as one would say of a king “He is in his cabinet,” so one could say of him, “The emperor is in his dressing-room.” HCA.Gilead.org.il

  14. Fairy Tales Project Aims • To motivate the students, most of whom are struggling with English • To arouse students’ interest and enthusiasm by the themes of the stories, which can be appreciated by all readers whatever their age and level of English • To appeal to the students' intellect

  15. Fairy Tales Project Procedure • Lesson 1 • Arrange the students into groups of four, five or six according to the class size. • Introduce the students to the story by telling them they are going to read and listen to a story about an emperor who always liked to wear new clothes. • Show students real objects that illustrate some of the items in the story: patterned cloth, plain cloth, scissors, needles, thread, picture of weaver. Write these words on board along with sew, weave, swindler.

  16. Fairy Tales Project Procedure • Indicate the theme by writing the words hypocrite, hypocrisy, hypocritical on the board. Ask the students if they know what any of these words mean. • Allow the students 10 minutes to skim the story and ask any questions. • Play the tape with the story and allow the students to listen and read.

  17. Fairy Tales Project Procedure • After listening once the students do the True/False questions in their groups. • Check the answers to the True /False questions. Discuss reasons for answers. Discuss any ambiguities or anything they disagree on. • Allow students to listen and read again to reassure them of the answers. • Homework: Comprehension Questions B and Vocabulary C

  18. Fairy Tales Project Procedure • Lesson 2 • Check homework • Students do D (Vocabulary in sentences) and F (Did you understand the story?) in class.

  19. Fairy Tales Project Procedure If you have time, put the sentences from the story in order, e.g. • The emperor realizes how stupid they have all been. • A child says he cannot see anything. • The emperor sends his ministers to check on the work. They report favorably to the emperor. • Everybody says how nice the clothes are. •  The emperor gets ready for a procession and puts on the new clothes. • The swindlers pretend to weave gold and silk into cloth.

  20. Fairy Tales Project Procedure • Students do E (More than one meaning) and G (Find out about the author, Hans Christian Andersen) for homework. • Students are advised to use the following websites:  • http://en.wikipedia.org • http://google.com

  21. Fairy Tales Project Procedure • Lesson 3 • Check homework • Students complete the summary chart.

  22. The Emperor's New SuitSummary Chart • TITLE • AUTHOR • DATE • STORY TYPE • STORY ABOUT • SETTING • TIME • CHARACTERS • EVENTS • MORAL • 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10

  23. Fairy Tales Project Procedure • Students can do the first eight tasks on the chart individually and then check with the teacher. • In groups students arrange the sentences on pieces of paper in the correct order according to the order the events happened in the story. • Students can then complete the events section of the chart. • They write what they think is the moral of the story. • This can be discussed first as their answers might be different.

  24. Fairy Tales Project Procedure • Using their completed chart the students write a summary of the story. • Students can add any other details to the events that they think are needed. The summary should include all the items on the chart.

  25. Fairy Tales Project: What do our students think? • A set of questions in English to find out students’ views on reading stories in English • Some students answered in English and some in Arabic • Some students were interviewed in English with Arabic if needed • Likert Scale not used. Students encouraged to describe their feelings/opinions/thoughts

  26. Fairy Tales Project: What do our students think? Q: Do you like reading stories in English? • Yes, it makes me able to structure sentences • Yes, it helps me to broaden my knowledge • No, there is difficulty in some words which hinders me in reading • Yes, there is acquisition of information related to the curriculum which might benefit us in exams • I like reading difficult things because it challenges me • It is motivating to read because I love to read

  27. Fairy Tales Project: What do our students think? Q: Do you like reading stories from other cultures in English? • Yes. English nowadays is the global language • Yes. It helps me understand and know about other cultures • No I don’t because my English is bad Q: Do you like reading stories from your culture in English? • Yes I do because I use from that many vocabularies

  28. Fairy Tales Project: What do our students think? • No, because I know all the Omani stories and I want to see another stories • Yes, because I want to try to know some words in English Q: Does it help to read a story from your culture in English before you read stories from other cultures in English? • Yes, because it opens the mind • Another culture first because I learn new words and more difficult words

  29. Fairy Tales Project: What do our students think? • Understand my culture and learn about new and difficult words • First my culture because the vocabulary is easy • Another culture first because there are more stories about other cultures in English Q: What do you think are the benefits of reading stories in English in general? • To development your culture • It gets me used to reading • To understand how people get along with one another

  30. Fairy Tales Project: What do our students think? • To translate some words from English to Arabic to improve knowledge of English • I learn new words and can practise spelling and writing the new words. Pictures are also important. They help me to understand • For speaking and I can study another culture • It gives me new words and I learn a moral • To change your personality in English

  31. Fairy Tales Project: What do our students think? Q: What do you think are the benefits of reading stories from your culture in English? • To keep the stories alive and let them spread to other people from different cultures. They help me to read and write English Q: What do you think are the benefits of reading stories from other cultures in English? • To get to know the differences and similarities between cultures

  32. Fairy Tales Project: What do our students think? Q: Do you like to listen to the story first before you read it? • Yes, I like it because it is good to try to read like the person who read before • No, because I want to understand the stories myself and after that listen to it • Yes, because the listening helps me for understand the story • Listening will encourage me to read the story • Yes, to be strong in listening and speaking

  33. Fairy Tales Project: What do our students think? • No, I prefer to listen and read or read then listen, because you have more time to understand when you read • Read first to check what I know, then listen • Listen first because many words are difficult to pronounce • Listen first because we can understand the story before reading • Read first so you quickly understand • Listen and read to understand the words

  34. Fairy Tales Project: What do our students think?

  35. Conclusion If we want to achieve excellence in English language teaching, we should utilize the educational value of fairy tales which can be a learning support for our students as well as a source of linguistic, cultural and social models and also a source of local and target culture interaction.

  36. QUESTIONS???

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