When parallels cross: Analytical Reading and Creative Writing skills

go in line?

Ms Victoria Goncharova, PhD in PedagogyMoscow City Pedagogical University

“Show me, and I will see;Tell me, and I will remember;

Make me do, and I will understand.”

(Конфуций)

Simple hypothesis:

We can be good readers if we’ve tried our hand in writing.

We can think of penning a text if we understand

what we need as readers.

Plan:

1. Readers and Writers: on opposite sides of the fence?

2. Teaching AR: parallel or perpendicular to CW?

3. CW as a toolkit for AR: potential activities

4. AR as a toolkit for CW: potential activities

5. Parallels cross and go in circle: conclusion

1. Readers and Writers: on opposite sides of the fence?

surface level (words=text)

text interpretation (plot structure, main characters,

style)

bottom level (idea= philosophy)

READER

WRITER

1. Readers and Writers: on opposite sides of the fence?

ANALYTICAL reading

(decoding of idea)

CREATIVE writing

(encoding of idea)

ONE PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION

Reader

Writer

2. Teaching AR (ART): parallel or perpendicular to CW?2.1 Objectives of ART within FLT

Subject

Meta-subject

Personal results

Teaching a foreign language: goal setting memo

Federal State Curriculum (secondary complete education) requires learners to achieve

PERSONAL goals as ability and willingness to head self-development and personal self-identification, as ability to be aware of one’s own national identity in a multicultural world, the outlook based on cultural dialogue principles, tolerance in behaviour, as ability to dialogue to bridge the gaps of (intercultural and personal) misunderstanding, as ability to manifest a partnership approach, as awareness of universal cultural values, etc.

Teaching a foreign language: goal setting memo

META-SUBJECT goals as ability to manifest SELF-realization, SELF-cognition, SELF-planning, SELF-discipline, SELF-educating strategies applied to further education and particularly to critical (reflective) thinking

SUBJECT goals as particular abilities and knowledge in a subject sphere.

2. Teaching AR (ART): parallel or perpendicular to CW?2.1 Objectives of ART within FLT

communicative goals: to develop learners’ intensive reading skills in line with speaking skills; to develop a toolkit for improving lexical and grammar skills;

specific cognitive (literary) goals – to form ability to understand and utilize the code and principles of literary analysis (decoding of information);

2. Teaching AR (ART): parallel or perpendicular to CW?2.1 Objectives of ART within FLT

meta-cognitive perspective goals: to develop analytical skills, critical and contextual thinking, get able to generalize, reflect, structure, categorize, imagine, associate, thus making one’s mind agile enough to be creative;

2. Teaching AR (ART): parallel or perpendicular to CW?2.1 Objectives of ART within FLT

personal development goals: to expand one’s personal worldview horizon (including social culture in the (inter)national perspective); one’s personal system of moral values and aesthetic (ethic) norms.

2.1 Objectives of ART within FLT

(ANALYTICAL) READING

to improve FL and speech potential to get aware of how a text is built and what

effect it may bring to develop critical and creative skills to contribute to one’s understanding of the world

(CREATIVE) WRITING

intersection point?

2.2 Interaction between AR and CW teaching strategies

autonomous areastages

mediated area

autonomous area

ANALYTICAL READING skills CREATIVE WRITING skills

Pre-Reading activities

Goal-setting Orientation basis

Story Mapping

Reading Activities: Comprehen-sion-Check, Summary

Surface level Interpretation

Analytical

Story Making

After-Reading Activities: Semantic Analysis

In-Depth / Bottom Level Interpretation

Story Telling

Analysis writing

Synthetical Story Writing

Nota bene: MISSIONS of the stages

ORIENTATION BASIS

AR: to raise awareness of the structure and logics of analysis, of its constituent

parts and their meaning

CW: to encourage the learners to form their writer’s intention, to structure

their story, to map the plot

To swim or not?

And how?

Nota bene: MISSIONS of the stages

ANALYTICAL STAGE: Story Contents Interpretation

AR: to ensure comprehension of the contents side of the text, get able to differentiate between the main facts

and details so as to understand the Plot and relate verbally the pivotal facts of the story

CW: to ensure careful planning of the story, making the list of the key words

Swimming on the

surface… how nice!

Nota bene: MISSIONS of the stages

ANALYTICAL STAGE: Semantic (+Stylistic)

Interpretation

AR: to arrive at understanding and personal interpretation of the general philosophy of the story

(main idea) through analyzing all the implications set by all the structural parts of the analysis

CW: to reproduce the intended story orally, undertaking checking and self-

correction work

Let’s DIVE!!

Nota bene: MISSIONS of the stages

SYNTHETICAL STAGE

AR: to encourage comprising and generalization of all the analytical

implications made in a personalized integrity in the written form

CW: to complete the final version of the story in the written form, with the style

shaped

Up to the surface… I’ve seen

the bottom of the sea!

3. CW as a toolkit for AR: potential activities (MEDIATED AREA)

1. Orientation basis: “Reader-Writer” “Complete the Story” (team-work:

brainstorm the piece – draft the story - debating)

“Unravel the title” (team-work: brainstorm the title – exchange Vocabulary maps)

3. CW as a toolkit for AR: potential activities (MEDIATED AREA)

2. Analytical Stage:2.1 Story Contents Interpretation Scenario Reconstruction Exercise (team-

work: brainstorm a ready-made plan of the same story – draft the story – debate the plans)

3. CW as a toolkit for AR: potential activities (MEDIATED AREA)

Scenario Reconstruction ExercisePlan 1. Traditional Problems. Light at the

end of the tunnel. Uh, what a luck! Not in time! Search for happiness. Who could have doubted!

Plan 2. Pots and kettles. Dresses to make. Meeting. The clock. Meeting 2. everybody’s happy.

Plan 3. she does all the work. She goes to dance. She falls in love. She has lost it. They try to find her. They found her.

3. CW as a toolkit for AR: potential activities (MEDIATED AREA)

2. Analytical Stage:2.2 Semantic and Stylistic

Interpretation “Re-write the Climax” (choose the Plot

Structure component to re-write – present – explain how the change effects the Plot)

3. CW as a toolkit for AR: potential activities (MEDIATED AREA)

2. Analytical Stage:2.2 Semantic and Stylistic

Interpretation “Imagine the Imagery” (write a piece of

text in a certain genre following the given theme (“Alone in the jungles”), stuffing it with SD; OR re-write a piece of the story using the author’s SD but in different genre context so as to change the type and effect of the SD)

“Imagine the Imagery”

“The effulgent morning was radiant with newly-born smiles. It seemed as if whole nature were awakening in one gleeful sunrise, its inexpressible language charming the heart. The crystal dew-drops were sparkling, scattered around, and it felt like you inhaled the aroma of life… evergreen and neverending…” (LYRICAL)

“Imagine the Imagery”

“The effulgent morning was radiant with traffic jams and surely newly-born smiles. It seemed as if the whole city were out to celebrate the sun, hand in hand, cheek to cheek, nose to nose, all awakening in one gleeful crowd, its inexpressible language charming the heart. The tear-drops of tenderness were sparkling like the crystal dew-drops, scattered around, and it felt like you inhaled the aroma of life… neverending…alas…” (IRONICAL)

3. AR as a toolkit for CW: potential activities

1. Orientation basis: Story MappingProcedure: 1) suggest alternative

interpretation of the story (focus on another problem) and draw it;

2) The drawings are distributed among the groups to be interpreted; everybody chooses the idea one likes the best;

3) Individually (or in groups) draft the plot for their story (in a triangle shape).

3. AR as a toolkit for CW: potential activities

2. Analytical stage: Story MakingProcedure: draft a detailed plan for their

story using the key words; decide on the title.

3. AR as a toolkit for CW: potential activities

2. Analytical stage: Story TellingProcedure: 1) tell their stories using the plans,

before they start they may ask some analytical question to their story;

those who listen fix some images, impressions they get while listening (verbally or in pictures);

2) Listeners (readers) and speakers (writers) debate the impressions from the stories and what motivated them to see if the writer’s effect is not lost upon the reader.

3. AR as a toolkit for CW: potential activities

3. Synthetical stage: Story WritingProcedure: the product stories are

completed in the written form and finalized.

3. AR as a toolkit for CW: potential activities

4. Framed Structure: Analytical Reading

Procedure: 1) the written stories are distributed at random to be analyzed;

2) the reader’s interpretation of the main idea is compared to the original picture of the idea the authors have; the authors grade and assess the analysis;

3) choose the best story to dramatize;4) The stories may be collected and even

published.

4. Parallels cross and go in circle: conclusion

AR

CRITICAL THINKER

CW

THANK YOU FOR ATTENTION!