CURTAIN CLOSING FOR EDU 5277 LITERATURE IN ESL

I enjoyed very much posting my journals in this blog. Now my life is like a blog. This is the third time I am posting my journals. The first time I created my blog is during the drama course. I think this is the course where I first started posting. Now I am a master’s student and I really can’t imagine time is flying like lightning. After 4 years completing my undergraduate bachelors’, now I am in my first semester pursuing my postgraduate. When I came to know that we would be doing blogging, I was really happy and excited because this is the third time I’m doing blogging and it was really nice to refresh back my sweet memories of the past years. But only this time, I was being in introduced to forum which is very new and challenging to me because I get to talk and discuss topics with other friends. Also I get the chance to initiate a topic which to me is a good way of interacting and exchanging ideas. Apart from that, we were also being introduced to a mini research project where we have to key in data and do some analyzation. Also the installation of the SPSS 16 which I feel is a very easy way to key in data. In fact, in this course, I have been introduced to quite a number of new things and as usual, thank you Dr. Ed for bringing such great awareness to us. I have also learnt something new from this course where we get to read young adult literature texts. It was indeed a new experience for me because I seldom read young adult literature which I have this perception that it is only for school students and teens, but after several meetings for Dr. Ed, I realized that it is not only for teens, but anyone can read it. I felt like a ‘culture shock’ and I begin to think what I have been doing these years and not picking up a single YAL book. Only after the ‘Twilight’ book and movie being released, I managed to catch hold of the book and read it. In fact, it was a nice experience reading YAL book as it brings us back to school days as well teenage issues. Besides it has also helped me to learn how to think, understand and do judgement. As with the saying goes, do not judge a book by its cover, my own saying would be, do not judge a book by its category until you read it. Overall, I enjoyed this course a lot which has developed me to become a good reader as well a good teacher. Also I have learnt a lot in this course as well as meeting new friends. So Dr. Edwin, thank you very much for the knowledge which you poured on to us as well as encouraged me to pursue my masters. I will be doing my Ph.D after that and I hope you will guide and encourage me more to pursue my studies. May God bless you. Take care.

MEN'S STUDIES ...

Today, we learnt something new and interesting and guess what ! Men’s Studies. This is a very interesting study to study about and since I am the only guy or let me be more classic, the only thorn among the roses, I was very excited because I can say what I want as well as bring out some issues regarding men. Now all the girls will be wondering what is going to happen next. In fact, I always knew something new will come up and thank you Dr.Edwin so much for introducing this study. Especially for men, this study is something important to consider about and being a guy, we should know what our students (boys) needs. Same goes to girls. Only a girl can understand another girl’s needs. But if we see nowadays, it would be best to know and understand what a boy and a girl needs and sometimes we still need to go and reinvestigate those issues. I believe that only teachers can understand this because they know what their students really need. In this study, we read 4 extracts and it was very nice. I got to know what is really behind those extracts and it was like a discovery learning for me. I should say that is something fresh and good.

MY REFLECTION ON 'IF YOU COME SOFTLY BY JACQUELINE WOODSON

The novel ‘If you come softly’ by Jacqueline Woodson is a great novel for young adult readers. It has influenced me in a sense that there are lots of issues which can be discussed. Issues such as love, friendship and many more can be used to generate students ideas. This would serve them in understanding the text. As a result, they will learn the moral values and know themselves better.

MY REFLECTION ON 'HERO' BY S.L.ROTTMAN

‘The Hero’ by S.L.Rottman is a very inspiring story as well as motivational. It would be a great book for middle school and reluctant high-school readers. It has very strong themes and most of all readability. This book could be used in many ways in terms of designing activities and tasks. For example, it could be used as a pre-reading strategty such as discussions, making predictions, brainstorming, generating questions and many more. In this book, students could predict what Sean will say in his essay or how the story will end. Students could also compare this book to another which they have read and explain why they prefer one over the other. This can bridge the gap of what they know and what they don’t know. Apart from that, students can also do research from this book whereby further research can be conducted on topics such as physical abuse and then present the information to the class. In this way, interaction will be generated and discussion will take place. This will also improve their thinking skills. Besides, they will appreciate the book and know what is the story about. Further classroom activities can also be conducted by asking the students to do a research on a hero. Questions like if the hero is dead, is he or she still admired ?, what made the hero to be successful ? and so on can be posed. This will make them to think and generate ideas. On the other hand, if students are having a hard time deciding which hero to study, the teacher can suggest some of the famous persons’ to look at like Neil Armstrong, Mother Teresa, Princess Diana and so on. Besides that, activities like what is responsibility ? and asking the class to name and discuss the different kinds of responsibility like personal, family, friends, society can be done. Questions like how do our responsibility change ? and many more can be posed. This will make them to get to know themselves better and appreciate their learning.

MY REFLECTION ON 'THE CHOCOLATE WAR' BY ROBERT CORMIER

My reading of young adult literature texts as part of teacher development has influenced me a lot. For this course, we were required to read 3 young adult literature texts that is ‘The Chocolate War’ by Robert Cormier, ‘Hero’ by S.L.Rottman and ‘If you come softly’ by Jacqueline Woodson. Each of these novels has its unique characteristics and I will reflect it one by one. Starting with ‘The Chocolate War’ by Robert Cormier, this book is extremely an amazing story. Although it has been banned in some schools in the States due to its harsh violence, but it is not that very serious whereby the students can learn from it. This book would also be a good choice for boys since there are a lot of things which a boy does and they can associate easily. This is not to say it is not appropriate for girls. Girls and even other age groups can read it. In terms of designing activities, this book has a lot of things that can be discussed. For example, the teacher can do some theme openers like telling the students what is the book is about and then can ask them to jot down in their notebooks ideas about their own school community. Topics such as peer pressure, violence and drugs, discipline and other issues can be integrated. They also can do some brainstorming activity and have discussions like explaining to the students on a quotation on a poster in the protagonist’s locker which reads, “Do I dare disturb the universe ?”. Students can then interpret this question through different ways. As a result students will get different answers and this would be a good starting point for further discussion. This will encourage them to ‘think out of the box’ and manage their own learning and discussion.

DR. EDWIN'S BIBLIOTHERAPY WORKSHOP

Today we did some workshop on bibliotherapy. In fact it was a nice learning experience for me since it involves group work and collaboration with other members. Our book was ‘If you come softly’ by Jacqueline Woodson. We had a lot of discussions and we can’t wait to present. WOW!

CHAP.11: MORE STRATEGIES FOR USING YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE

The characteristics of young adult literature is that it has characters and issues young readers can identify with; those issues and characters are treated in a way that does not invalidate, minimize, or evaluate them, framed in language that young readers can understand, emphasizes plot above everything else and written for an audience of young adults.

The similarities and differences with more traditional works is for similarities, the theme would be more or less the same, it can be read by anyone and has values. In terms of differences, it basically caters for young adults since during their time, they will face issues such as bullying, social problems, dislocation and many more. This would make them to associate easily with the characters in the book. Also the usage of words is not very high, which in return makes the reading more easy and pleasureable compare to traditional works where the choice of words is unlimited. In other words, sexism words are avoided.

CHAP.10: IMPROVING CLASSROOM INTERACTION: MAKING DISCUSSION AND WRITING REAL

Discussion can help me understand my feelings and clarify my thinking about a selection I am reading by exchanging questions and thoughts. By doing this, I not only get to know what the other person is discussing but also I get to voice out my views. By doing this, we can develop higher-level thinking skills. Also I get to correct myself if something is unright, and this will in return improve my understanding towards the text. We also can talk about the characters like when I was reading, I thought about … and this will encourage more interaction. Besides, by discussing we get to develop a “grand communication” about books. There are lots of things that can be discussed and we get to know other things which is not in the book. For example, the perception of my reading will not be the same as others where other people may have different perceptions. By looking at this, we get to improve ourselves.

Writing can also help me understand and clarify my thinking by responding to a journal. For example, I can jot down my initial impressions and expectations or engage in making predictions before reading a selection. This will some sort give me an understanding of the book that I am going to work on. This can be further improved by asking someone else to read and react to it. By doing this, we get to know the other person’s ideas and at the same time develop our thinking.

CHAP.9: CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT FOR YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE

When I either work in pairs or small groups, my understanding appreciation of literature can be enhanced by sharing experiences with the members of the groups. This can be achieved if each one of us read a book and discuss the story or the important aspects with the other members in the group. By doing this, not only me but also my other members will get what they did not get in their book. It will definitely improve my understanding towards the book as well as the other members in the group. We can also discuss other things like issues, what can be improved, characters and many more. In other words, we will not only stick within the book but go beyond that.

Same goes to working in pairs. In pairs, we can either discuss both books or different books. But I prefer both books are the best since it is just only the two of us and we can exchange our thoughts and opinions easily. In pairs, we do activities such as dialogue journals, recommending books and many more. We can also create a blog and we can put whatever thoughts or writing in there. Most of all, we get to gain trust and cooperate well. Since in pairs we have mutual responsibilities and mutual needs, therefore the level of commitment and involvement is usually high. This will establish a strong relationship not only in pairs but also in books.

CHAP.8: SELECTING YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE

Basically, I have read 3 young adult literature books. They are Jacqueline Woodson’s , if you come softly, Robert Cormier’s, the chocolate war and S.L.Rottman’s, hero. These 3 books has really influenced me of what young adult literature is about. It is like an introduction to these young adult literature books. When I read these 3 books, I noticed that it deals a lot with issues such as love, bullying, being who you are and many more. For me I perceive it as a motivational book since there are lots of examples and good values. This would be great for students to read. Lately, I got hold of the ‘twilight’ book and I am looking forward to read it. What made me to get this book is firstly, it is the best selling books among young adult literature. Secondly, the story is told from a different perspective and not like the usual vampire story. Thirdly, it has been sold like hot cakes and that made me to get curious what made this book to be a huge success. Fourthly, it has been made into a movie and that itself interests me a lot since I love movies especially those that are adapted. Fifthly, the colour of the book which is black which again suggests that darkness and mystery correlated together and finally the front cover of the book where a picture of two hands holding an apple. When I looked at this picture, the first thing striked my mind was it is very symbolic. I am sure there will be different interpretations, but for me it suggests that the hands belong to the girl and the apple refers to the vampire’s object which is waiting to be eaten. In other words, the apple here may also refer to the sweetness of the girl or the lips of the girl. It can also refer to as romantic and the sign of love. It can also even suggests the freshness of the blood. These are some of the factors that will inform me to read a book.

I have also read another young adult literature book which is ‘The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen written by Mitali Perkins. Basically, the author is a Bengali (one form of Indian ethnic groups) who talks about immigrant children who faces challenges, dislocation in a new country and many more. Her books mainly centers on immigrant children facing the above issues.

CHAP. 7: TEACHER ROLES FOR TEACHING YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE

My favourite K-12 teacher of literature is a lady who was very devoted to teaching literature. She really taught us with full love and enthusiasm. Basically, she uses her own materials when teaching literature and I really loved that. This method which she used is very much user friendly. For example, she does activities like reading aloud, getting ourselves to move around and many more to name. Her literature lesson is usually accompanied by soft music which she feels will relax our minds. Now I realized that she used ‘Suggestopedia’ method and it works. Since our literature subject is after recess and she knows that we will fall asleep, she brings music to the class. This is accompanied either by reciting a poem or reading a short story.

Furthermore, the learning environment established in the classroom is very friendly. There will be motivational posters, pictures and drawings in our classroom. It really doesn’t look like a classroom but like an exhibition hall. It is really beautiful and we all feel very comfortable to learn. We also have different types of tasks to do like pair work, group work and many more. This has made us to participate more in the class. The teacher is also not very strict but very humorous and good. I do not know whether she still teaches or not but I know that she has done a good job and I must go and visit her one day.

CHAP. 6: IMPLEMENTING THE YOUNG ADULT READER INVOLVEMENT MODEL

Recognizing the range and diversity of readers in a classroom, young adult literature can help the teacher to meet their needs by getting to know their students first. It is very important for a teacher to look at their students and get to know them slowly. One of the ways which they can do this is to get the students to introduce themselves and ask them who are their favourite authors or books and then learn from them slowly. By getting to know the students, the teacher will know what books they like to read and giving them a choice to choose books that they love to read. It is best if the teacher does this since, there is a range and diversity among students. Getting the students to choose their favourite book will make them to read more and most of all appreciate it. This will provide them some enthusiasm and interest. If we look from a different perspective where the teacher provides the book, some students will feel that the teacher is forcing them to read the book and not based by their own interest. Although some will agree with the teacher’s selection, but overall students would like to prefer something which they have a good background knowledge and the interest to read. Therefore, it is always best if the teacher can give them some opportunity to choose books which they love to read.

Besides that, giving them a list of the bestseller books and a summary of it will give them more happiness to select books which they love to read. As all of us know, students love something new and if the teacher can provide a list like this, the students can choose books that they like to read. But, the teacher also needs to be careful and know what books the students are choosing. This is to make sure that they are not brought to sensitive issues but towards developing good values.

For students with discipline problems and who are reluctant to read, the teacher here can choose books that depicts their characters. For example, if that student is very naughty, the teacher can choose books that depicts the characters which are naughty. In other words, students will be indirectly related to it. When these type of students read these books, they will be able to associate themselves with the character and later begin to improve themselves. This will in return reduce the teacher’s burden when dealing with these type of students.

CHAP. 5, BENEFITS OF SHARING AND DIFFERENT WAYS AND REASONS

There are lots of benefits which I receive when I share something which I am reading with others like can improve my understanding on a certain book. By having a discussion on the differences between the book which my friend is reading and the one which I am reading is that I can share what is not in that book with others. For example if I am reading a book on mystery whereas the other person is reading a book on love, I get to share with him or her what is so mysterious about this book and vice versa. This will in return give me a clear picture of what is there and not there in a book. Also when it comes to sharing, we can have a small book club discussion by posting questions like what I like in this book ?, what are the advantages or disadvantages ?, what makes this book become a bestseller or why it didn’t reach the bestseller lists and many more. By posting questions like these, I get to know the secret behind the books. This will in return make me to appreciate the author’s works.

Furthermore, there are lots of ways to share a book like borrowing, discussing through emails, skyping, chatting and many more. Among the different ways of sharing, the one I most enjoy sharing is to have a book club discussion. By having a book club discussion, I would not only get to know what other people’s view on that book, but also I can voice out my opinions and views. In other words, to get to know what other person’s view as well as mine. There are lots of things that can be discussed like characters, author’s works and many more. Most of all, it is very informal and I can have a cup of coffee while discussing it.

INTRO TO YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE, WOW !

Today we learnt on young adult literature. We did some brainstorming activity of words that are associated with young adult literature. We got a whole lot of words and now I got a clear picture of what is young adult literature and who does it cater for. I always had this perception that young adult literature is for teenagers. But, it actually caters for everybody if we look at as a whole. since teenage life is full of issues and problems, young adult literature would be very much suitable for this group. Even within 2 hours, I managed to absorb the information on young adult literature. It was a wonderful learning experience for me and good job Dr.Edwin for introducing us on young adult literature.

I am looking forward to learn more on this literature

TEXT SELECTION CRITERIA

Today, we learnt on text selection criteria. We learnt on the different ways to select a text. It was a good thing for teachers to know some criteria when selecting a text so that the students will understand better and read enthusiastically. It is very important for teachers to do this selection in order to get to know our students better and provide a friendly environment for literature to take place.

INTRO TO SPSS

Today we had an introduction on how to use the SPSS. I have not heard this name and I do not know what is this ‘SPSS’ thing is about. After having a good introduction by Dr.Edwin’s research assistants, I know now what is SPSS. The version which we have to use is only version 16 and I immediately when the next day to look for it. I went to Mines Shopping Complex and luckily I managed to find it. I was so desperate to get it. I immediately installed and guess what it was corrupted. I was so upset and quickly went the next day to return exchange it. This time I got a new one and it worked !. I was so happy and I feel like I am above the clouds. I still can’t forget the day I ran and exchanged it afraid that they would not give me a new one. The SPSS requires a lot of work, but it is a new learning experience for me and I know it would be very useful when I’m doing my Ph.D later on.

HOW YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE CAN PROMOTE THE 3 ASPECTS ? BRING YOUR EYES DOWN

Reading YAL can promote the 3 aspects that is self-knowledge, knowledge of others and knowledge of a world view. For self-knowledge, as Sandy Asher (1992) said, “ [Books] give you the words to explain yourself to yourself, words you can use to create your own life, to recognize your options and to make your choices, to separate as an individual and to reconnect as a member of the human race”. Through this, students will learn to react with the characters as well as develop an understanding of themselves.

For knowledge of others, it helps young people to broaden their perspectives and to move out of an egocentric way of thinking to consider other perspectives and values. By applying this, readers know that they are not alone. They will find situations and character with whom they can identify. This will make the reader and the text a strong connection.

For knowledge of a world view, it allows readers to have various experiences that heighten their understanding of the human condition. Through this, they will see a different perspective of the world and treat it as a source of information. This will make the reader to gain better insights from the world point of view.

READING YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE CAN HELP ADOLESCENTS ?

Reading YAL can help adolescents to understand themselves and their interactions with others by learning what the characters achieve or did in the book. For example a student might be facing a social problem such as bullying and he or she has the problem as the character in the book. When the student reads the book, he or she will begin to understand the character more and in return learn what the characters has achieved from the book. By learning from the character from the book, he or she will take the lesson as a challenge from not getting bullied in school. In other words, they will associate themselves as in the character in the book. As a result, it will help them to become a better person.

MY EXPERIENCES IN HIGH SCHOOL AS A READER AND THE TWO BOOKS WHICH GAVE A STRONG IMPACT ON ME. WANT TO MORE. JUST SCROLL DOWN

When I was in high school, I always read a lot. I enjoy reading and whenever I go anywhere, I will always have a book with me. I remember having this 2 particular books entitled The Hardy Boys series and The Secret Seven. The Hardy Boys is a series of juvenile criminal detection books, chronicling the fictional adventures of teenage brothers Frank and Joe Hardy whereas The Secret Seven is a fictional group of child detectives created by Enid Blyton. I really love both books and it has mystery as well. I still remember those books till now. I would say that is an unforgettable book. Both books had a very strong impact on me and it has influenced me in many ways. One of the ways is to be strong, brave and accept challenges. It also has strong themes such as survival, confidence and many more. I even went to the extent of wanted to be like the character in the story where they go on a mission finding a secret cave, hiking and many more. It is basically an adventure story and a bit of thriller. There is also a movie being made from The Hardy Boys and it is exteremely beautiful the way the characters being portrayed. I always prefer to read the book and then watch the movie. It will sort of give me some suspense and meaning.

YOUNG ADULT BOOKS WHICH I LOVE TO READ

Young adult books and authors that I want to read.

a) Stephenie Meyer
* Twilight
* New Moon
* Eclipse
* Breaking Dawn

b) Mitali Perkins
* Secret Keeper
* First Daughter: White House Rules
* First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover
* Rickshaw Girl
* Monsoon Summer
* The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen


c) Jacqueline Woodson ( If you come softly )

d) S.L. Rottman ( Hero )

e) Robert Cormier ( The Chocolate War )

f) Katherine Applegate ( Home of the Brave )

g) Judy Blundell ( What I Saw and How I Lied )

TYPES OF LITERATURE WHICH I ENJOY THE MOST IS .....

There are many types of literature which I enjoy reading and my all time favourites are realistic fiction, poetry, short stories and drama. Among these favourites, the one I enjoy the most is realistic fiction. For me realistic fiction is like a life for me. I get to sympathize or empathize with the character and want to know what is going to happen next. Most of all I get to see how the character is being portrayed. As in characters, there are different shades and each of these shades has its own uniqueness. This is what makes the story more real and vivid to me.

DEFINITION OF YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE

For someone who is unaware of YAL, I would define YAL as books written specifically for youths. It also caters for adolescent audience about the lives, experiences, aspirations and problems of young people. Furthermore, YAL are always searching for something and through YAL, they will begin to understand themselves much better. It has strong themes like identity, cultural values, diaspora, social issues, school life and teenage problems. When students look at these aspects, they will know that it is an everyday thing which they face in life.

WHAT IS THE RATIONALE FOR USING YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE ?

The rationale for using YAL is to help readers in their quest for self as well as to guide them to see themselves in the broader context of their society, culture and world. It helps the students to understand themselves more better as well as to produce a wholesome human being. Through YAL, students will have a broad perspective of the world and their self as well. Most of all, they will gain more insights and improve themselves to become a better person.

EXPERIENCES WITH YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE

So far I have never had any experiences with young adult literature. The most I have had is with adult literature which comprises fiction, non-fiction, memoir, short stories and many more. To be frank, after taking Literature in ESL, it is like an eye opener for me on this young adult literature. Since I did not read much on YAL, I often associated it with children’s literature. I thought that the ‘young’ here meant for children and not for grown ups. But now after being exposed bit by bit to YAL, I know what YAL is all about. There’s a lot of nice books under this category and even after reading Teaching Young Adult Literature by Brown and Stephens, I came to know more about it. Oh my! What I have been doing all this while! Anyway it is not too late and it is time for me to go to Kinokuniya and browse some selections. As my mum and dad always said, ‘It is always better know than nothing to know’ and I know it is very true.

READING AND MORAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE YOUNG ADULT

Today we learnt on the Reading and Moral Development of the Young Adult. The moment I saw this handout, I was very excited because this is the moment which I have been waiting for. Now my dream has come true. The lecture goes like this. Introduction, Q & A and some jokes. Isn’t that something different. When we came to the reading appreciation stage, there is a unique word which is being called as the ‘unconscious delight’. I begin to reflect what this strange word is. Lots of thoughts came to me like is it delicious or something to do with changes. Anyway since Dr. Ed is there, there would be answer to it. When Dr. Ed explained it, then only I came to know that it is what we did in our early life. For example, reciting rhymes like ‘Humpty Dumpty’. I begin to laugh when it came to that because it sounds like some fat person walking unconsciously. Now I know what I have learnt during my early childhood. But I do remember some rhymes like the above. Others I do not know since it is 2009 and it is in a far, faraway galaxy. Or perhaps I have stored it somewhere in my brain. He! He!

3 ARTICLES TO READ

This time we have to read three articles which has been assigned by Dr. Ed to read. The three articles are as follows.

a. Paran, The Role of Literature in Instructed for Language Learning and Teaching. An

Evidence-Based survey.

b. Kramsch & Kramsch. The Avatars of Literature in Language Teaching.

c. Carter. R, Literature and Language Teaching. 1986 – 2006.

WOW! Lot to read.

BOOKS FOR MY COURSE

Today, I went to Syarikat Perniagaan Sri Serdang to collect the books for our literature class. When I looked at the amount of books and articles to be read, my head begin to spin. Now I know what is like to be a masters student. But I really love to read and since I love books, I am happy to get something new out of it. As the saying goes ‘Do not judge a book by its cover’, my saying would be ‘Do not judge a book by its thickness and amount until you open it’.

BACK TO BASICS

Today we learnt some basics in literature. Most of the things I have learnt from my undergraduate course and now it is like a flashback for me. To be frank, I have not lost all but some of the teachings from Dr. Ed. It is now high time for me to open my books and go through all the literary terms and notes. I do still remember the referential and the representational language but the most I remember is the ‘plum’ activity. I remember during that time when all of us had lots of fun and laughter after doing this activity. It is in fact a memorable task. Lots of thanks Dr. Ed for bringing our attention to the ‘plum’ task.

HI, I'M BACK!

Hi everyone! It has been since a long time did blogging and in this year of the ox, I am going to create a special blog for my masters programme. This year, I will be meeting new friends and I am looking forward to share and discuss anything in literature. So guys I hope you will enjoy a good time learning and interacting with our literature lecturer, Dr. Edwin. I have came back to my second home (UPM) and I am very excited and glad to have you as our lecturer. I am looking forward to this course and I can’t wait to see what young adult literature has to offer for me.

Cheers!