Highlighted • Room 101 • 16:00
Harry Potter and the Muggle Motivation
Developing Student Skills (Vocab, Grammar, Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking)
There are many avenues for learning a language and expressing an idea. Traditionally, language learning has been based on text, but more and more studies show that the use of art allows students to access concepts, build their lexicon, and to express their ideas. Couple this with material that students enjoy, such as the Harry Potter series, and they are deeply motivated to learn.
Socially, students all over the world are using the Harry Potter series to spark their imagination, expressing themselves through social media, fan fiction and fan art. There are “classes” set up, and students are self-selecting to learn more about the world of The Boy Who Lived. By harnessing that interest, we’ve created an English Through Harry Potter course that allows students to practice English whilst enjoying the topic. The student body are eager to interact in English about a topic they love, excited about learning the plays on words and puns that JK Rowling used in her novels, and ready to use their knowledge to create projects that they enjoy – all while following academic rigeur.
For this paper, we will be discussing the theory and research to support our methods as well as ways to add art to regular writing, reading, and speaking assignments. We will make available a self-assessment tool to support other teachers in finding ways to add more art to their classrooms as well as rubrics and projects.
About Pamila
Pamila J. Florea, MA, M.Ed. is an Assistant Professor at Sungshin Women's University. She received her MA in Psychology at LaSalle University, USA and her M.Ed. through Framingham State University, USA. Her main research interests are in spontaneous production skills, the use of creativity, and the juncture where learning and joy meet.
