A classroom-based study
of Korean university students' attitudes toward
poetry writing assignments
in English academic writing classes
Rodney E. Tyson
American
University of Sharjah, UAE
A paper presented at:
8th
Annual TESOL Arabia International Conference
Abu Dhabi, UAE - March 20-22, 2002.
TESOL
2002: The 36th Annual International Convention and Exposition
Salt Lake City, UT - April 9-13,
2002.
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Although poetry is often taught in
English classes around the world, EFL students are seldom asked to write
English poems. Writing English poetry is often considered too difficult,
not relevant to students' needs, or simply inappropriate for students whose
native language is not English. In addition, many EFL teachers consider
themselves unqualified to teach poetry writing, while many students, who
may never have written a poem even in their native language, sometimes
consider it to be impossible. My experience, however, indicates that writing
English poems can be useful and motivating for EFL students in many ways.
Short poems, for example, provide a manageable format for students to experiment
with new forms of expression while focusing on specific details and ideas
that, when shared with classmates, can have a strong and immediate impact
on a real audience. I have found that, despite some initial reservations,
students in various levels of EFL classes enjoy writing poems as well as
reading other students' poems, and the results are often very impressive
and memorable. In this presentation, I will begin by describing very briefly
the results of a recent classroom-based study of students' attitudes toward
various types of poetry writing assignments in two university-level EFL
composition classes. Next, I will describe several poetry writing activities
which can be used in a number of ways, such as practicing various grammar
points or encouraging students to develop more detailed descriptions. (Note:
This study was completed in the spring of 2001 while I was teaching at
Daejin
University in Korea.)
I Remember... Poem
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Grammar Poem
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Five-line Poem
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Click & Drag
Poem
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Books
Contact the presenter: rtyson@aus.ac.ae
Online since: March 15, 2002
Last modified: April 6, 2002