Speaker: Luke Draper
Location: Kagawa University, Global Café
Date & time: July 14th 14:00-16:00
Abstract: Literature is often used in ESL classrooms not only as a rich resource for language, but also as a means of allowing students to explore the culture and sociohistory of the textual setting. However, “authentic” prose fiction is often avoided by language educators due to its perceived linguistic inaccessibility. This talk will begin by identifying motives for introducing prose fiction into English language education as well as strategies for selecting suitable texts. It will then narrow the focus to the benefits of Japanese Literature in Translation (JLIT) as effective teaching material that responds to the learners’ culture and activates schemata (Giovanelli & Mason, 2018) toward holistic learning experiences. It will argue that JLIT facilitates meaningful discourse and learner agency. Specific examples of translated prose fiction used in a university EAP program will be examined, as well as authentic and reliable assessment. The talk will then break off into a workshop where participants can analyse texts for potential classroom suitability in their teaching environments.
Bio: Luke Draper currently teaches EAP and literature-focused classes at Kwansei Gakuin University in Hyogo, Japan. He has an MA in Creative Writing from Chichester University, UK and is the Publicity Officer for the JALT Literature in Language Teaching (LiLT) SIG. His research interests also include writing workshops, pedagogical stylistics and he writes fiction.
