Flying High Through Lord of the Flies - by Helena Miklavčič
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IATEFL Slovenia Magazine, Winter issue 2020, no. 78 Flying High Through Lord of the Flies by Helena Miklavčič The Importance of Lesson Closure by Theresa Taylor A Teacher Mentor Who I Have Never Met by Petra Klobasa Petrač Fostering Critical Thinking Through IT Tools by Tajana Bundara To stay up-to-date with what is going on, visit our website: www.iatefl.si 1
Critical thinking at a glance (6)
Case Study: The context and individual
Nada Đukić
When a person feels somehow misplaced and they know in their
heart of hearts that there is really nothing wrong with them, maybe
it is time to recall Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Ugly
Duckling. Thus, the positioning of an individual depends very much
upon the setting that is there either imposed upon them or in their When a person feels somehow misplaced and they
know in their heart of hearts that there is really
favour. The intricacies of the context involved start to define the nothing wrong with them, maybe it is time to recall
Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Ugly
entity in question and the only way to be positioned anew is to
Duckling. Thus, the positioning of an individual
depends very much upon the setting that is there
either imposed upon them or in their favour.
enter a different context. By the same token, the context can be The intricacies of the context involved start
to define the entity in question and the only
re-defined and re-structured by the entrance of a new entity either way to be positioned anew is to enter a different
context. By the same token, the context can be
re-defined and re-structured by the entrance of
positively or negatively. a new entity either positively or negatively.
4 Flying High Through
Lord of the Flies
18 IMAGLEE Fantastic Cards
– your joker with numbers
33 A Teacher Mentor
Who I Have Never Met
Helena Miklavčič in pictures Petra Klobasa Petrač
10 The Importance
of Lesson Closure
26 Is Teaching Standard English
Prizing Accuracy at
36 10th Tuzla English Language
Teaching Seminar,
Theresa Taylor the Expense of Fluency? June 25–27, 2019
Sandra Kozorog-Košuta Jožica Nuč
14 Cultural Perspectives
and Awareness 28 Fostering Critical Thinking 38 My Soul Experience
in English Teaching Through IT Tools in Sremski Karlovci
Marina Siskos Tajana Bundara Romi Češčut
16 The Death or
Regeneration
31 The Importance of Body
Language and Movement
40 Why bother?
Sandra Vida
of Textbooks With Young Language
Eak Prasad Duwadi Learners
Maja Belej 41 IATEFL Slovenia Events
2 To stay up-to-date with what is going on, visit our website: www.iatefl.si
Editorial
IATEFL Slovenia Magazine
Vol. 16, No 78,
Winter issue 2020 As the new year begins it’s natural for would have evolved to the point that
people to look back on the previous having a dissenting opinion of the gov-
Published by: year and do a sort of mental tally of ernment should not lead to sackings
IATEFL Slovenia, what the year brought, how the world and imprisonment.
p. p. 1677, 1001 Ljubljana is changing, what events were impor-
tant for them, and then have a look to No, because you only need to open the
Email: info@iatefl.si, the future, to see what lies in store. daily newspaper to see signs that the
www.iatefl.si importance of educational systems is
Many of us also take the time to muse being diminished.
IATEFL Slovenia President: on what it was that first brought us into
Janja Čolić education, what goals and ideals we Some might think that I’m being overly
had in mind then, and perhaps reassess dramatic. Surely a less than stellar opin-
IN editor: Lea Koler our visions and strategies. ion for education does not mean that
scholars and teachers will become re-
Public relations: Sandra Vida I believe a lot of us went into education pressed. To this I would just gently invite
because we firmly believe that a solid you to look at examples from history
Primary school coordinator: education helps make the world a better when education, books, and academics
Metka Lovrin place for everyone. An educated popu- have first been given less respect, then
lation will be stronger, less likely to be contempt. Soon after, the burnings
Secondary school coordinator: left at the whims of a country’s leaders, started. We do not need to look far to
Nataša Meh and better equipped for dealing with the see that we are heading the same way.
hardships of life.
Seminars: Maša Kolenko Still, as long as the educators remain
So it was with some dismay that I read brave there is hope for the world and
Printed by: Design Studio, d.o.o. in Nature magazine that attacks on hope for civilisation. Helena Miklavčič
Graphic design: Petra Turk scholars and students are on the rise discusses conch-breaking and other
around the world and that the trend themes in her thoughtful article on this
Articles, letters and shows no signs of abating (Abbot, 2019). year’s Matura reading, The Lord of the
other contributions should Flies. How fitting for our time of rising
be addressed to IATEFL, It seems that the scholars and students populism to review these issues again
p. p. 1677, 1001 Ljubljana of today will need more than just intellec- and again. In this issue you can also find
tual bravery. Out of 324 reported attacks comfort in reading about teacher men-
Email: lea.koler@iatefl.si from August 1st 2018 to September 30th tors from other countries and how they
2019, 97 of them were killings, disap- enrich our experiences in Petra Kloba-
IATEFL Slovenia Board Members: pearances, and other violence. Since sa’s article, or reinforce your good prac-
Janja Čolić, President, responsible Scholars at Risk, the organisation that tice with the help of research carried out
for sponsors, tenders published the results, tracks only the inci- by Theresa Taylor on the importance of
Sandra Vida, Public relations dents that are reported to them by volun- lesson closure.
Metka Lovrin, Primary school teers, the real numbers are not known.
Nataša Meh, Secondary school The countries that the report covers I hope the varied themes of this issue
Maša Kolenko, Seminars include some that are very close to us – will make your endeavours for a better
Lea Koler, IN editor Serbia and Hungary among them. tomorrow easier.
Photo: www.freepik.com
Cover-page, page 2, 12, 14, 16, 33, 34, 42 Surprising?
Yes and no. Source:
Abbot, A. (2019, November 21). Attacks on
ISSN 1855-6833 scholars worldwide raise concern. Nature.
Yes, because one would be forgiven for Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/
thinking that in the 21st century society articles/d41586-019-03582-5
To stay up-to-date with what is going on, visit our website: www.iatefl.si 3
Flying High Through
The Long Read
Lord of the Flies
by Helena Miklavčič, Gimnazija Koper
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies (from now on LotF), the Robinson Crusoe of
the post Second World War era, enjoys an eminent place in the Western literary
canon. Two feature films have been made, as well as theatrical adaptations and
even musicals. Its title has been frequently referred to in newspaper stories and
headlines when there have been killings of children by other children (e. g. the
Columbine High School shooting) and lately it has been alluded to by journalists
when speaking about the loss of democratic principles in the political arena, la-
belling Trump and Theresa May as “conch-smashers”. Surf the internet and you
will find the work discussed, analysed, over-praised and over-faulted endlessly.
It is one of the most internationally taught twentieth-century novels, which might
be one of the reasons why it has made our Matura reading list.
It is always a daunting task to find a way to analyse, discuss and make sense of
a new literary work on our Matura list. All the literary works that Slovenian teachers
preparing students for the English Matura have had to deal with so far have been and expounds a particular philosophical
classics (with the possible exception of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the perspective on the world. Other fitting
Night-Time by Haddon). We could speak about the so-called literature with a genres are: survival story, adventure story,
capital “L”. Hence, volumes of books, numerous essays and doctoral dissertations Robinsonade or castaway novel, coming-
have been written about them and there will be many resources already available of-age story/Bildungsroman (with the
to help you guide your students through them. Consequently, the ideas presented loss of innocence and growth experi-
below are not entirely mine. They are taken or adapted from a number of sources enced particularly by its protagonist
which were used as I tried to find an approach that would help my students under- Ralph, who in the closing scene in the
stand this literary masterpiece. After classifying the novel in the possible genres, novel “weeps for the end of innocence,
I am going to present some possible tasks and areas of study. the darkness of man’s heart and the fall
through the air of the true, wise friend
called Piggy” (LotF, p. 248), and dystopi-
an novel.
CLASSIFICATION OF THE NOVEL in the novel personifying the different
aspects of the human psyche as de- Last but not least, it has been referred
If we examine LotF in terms of its genre, scribed by Sigmund Freud – the id, the to as a fable with a cautionary message
we can come up with a variety of labels, ego and the super-ego. Another psycho- about man’s evil nature and the need
all seeming to be suitable. Firstly, and logical view could be to explain the sav- to control it with strict rules and a firm
most obviously, it can be seen as an age side of the boys represented by the governing hand. Golding himself and
allegorical novel – be it social, political, Beast as the Jungian Shadow Archetype some critics have preferred the term
religious or psychological. The island – a tumultuous sub-world of the psyche modern literary myth, which would al-
is a microcosmos that represents the where you store the most primitive part low for its complexities and ambiguities
macrocosmos (the real world) including of yourself. This would fit very well with better than the usually narrower scaf-
societal and governmental hierarchy, the original title of the novel “Strangers folding of a fable with its typically card-
power struggles, etc. As a political alle- from Within”, which was dismissed as board characters and an explicit moral.
gory, it represents the conflicts among too puzzling by the editor, but is, in my
countries during WWII and in the Cold opinion, quite to the point, as it refers
War years after the war. From a religious to the evil within the boys that makes ACTIVITIES
perspective, the island can be understood “things break”, as Ralph would say.
as the Garden of Eden, Simon being a • 11 Things You Might Not Know
Christ-like creature and the evil deeds As a novel of ideas or philosophical novel, about Lord of the Flies
enacted by the humans sin. From a psy- it belongs to an elite genre together with http://bit.ly/30NhhBs
chological perspective, the novel repre- Animal Farm, The Handmaid’s Tale, and
sents the human struggle with our inher- The Sorrows of Young Werther, to name Considering the importance of this novel,
ent evil desire, with different characters just a few; a novel whose story explores it is interesting to discover how it came
4 To stay up-to-date with what is going on, visit our website: www.iatefl.si
to be written and published. The story • Quotes from the novel – teaching Any boys would mess up the island
The Long Read
behind this wonderful story can be one the culture (colonial and post-colo- experiment, as the first quote suggests.
way of whetting your students’ appetite nial literature): http://bit.ly/2GnkBty This is to be remembered when Jack
for reading LotF. 11 Things You Might says that:
Not Know about Lord of the Flies is an Where did Golding get the idea for this
online text which presents some LotF incredible novel of ideas? You should “We’ve got to have rules and obey
trivia. One of the trivia facts about this definitely have your students watch the them. After all, we’re not savages.
masterpiece is that before being pub- short video in which he explains how the We’re English, and the English are
lished in 1954 it had been rejected multi- seeds for this novel were sown. best at everything.” (Golding, p. 55).
ple times and even at Faber and Faber, Supposedly, the process of conceiving
the publishing house that eventually did the novel was sparked one evening in Ironically, the person who speaks in
publish the novel, it first ended up in the 1953, while Golding was sitting by the favour of the rules and Englishness is
“rejected pile” described as “absurd, unin- fireplace and he remarked to his wife: the one who is the first to break them
teresting, rubbish and dull” by Polly Per- “Wouldn’t it be a nice idea to write a book and show his savage side by becoming
kins, about whom very little seems to be about real boys on an island and how obsessed with hunting, painting his
remembered apart from her big mistake they’d really behave, being boys and not face, establishing a tribe and using tribal
(to be matched only by Dick Rowe of saints, what a mess they’d make?” Gold- chanting and dances by the fire – all of
Decca, who rejected the Beatles saying ing’s novel is, in fact, a post-colonial allu- which would probably be deemed most
that guitar music was on the way out, sion to Ballantyne’s The Coral Island (the “un-English”. In the closing scene of the
becoming synonymous with catastroph- names of the main characters Ralph and novel, upon seeing the mess the boys
ic commercial misjudgements). Other Jack are the same). Of course, The Coral have made on the island, the British
interesting facts that the students will Island is idealised, showing British colo- naval officer that saves Ralph from
learn include a mention of its censorship, nial superiority. The only danger that the being killed by Jack’s tribe, remarks in
the controversy about the all-male novel, boys in that novel face doesn’t come a state of astonishment:
the fact that Stephen King claims it is his from within, but from the local savages.
favourite novel and that it has inspired The book is directly referenced in the “I should have thought that a pack
songs by several musicians, including second chapter of the novel by Golding, of British boys . . . would have been
The Offspring, Iron Maiden and U2. when the boys predict they are going to able to put up a better show than
have a great time on the island while that . . .” (Golding, p. 248). The reader
Perhaps the most significant for the waiting to be rescued, “like in books”, can sense his disbelief is based on
students’ understanding of the text is mentioning a few titles including The a cultural bias promoted in colonial
that one of the trivia pieces mentions the Coral Island. While Ballantyne presents a literature. His words: “Jolly good show.
first draft of the novel having a different romantic vision of how the boys would Like the Coral Island” (Golding, p. 248),
beginning, which was later cut. It con- behave, Golding paints a very pessimis- obviously have a sarcastic undertone.
tained a description of an air battle over tic picture based on beliefs spawned by
the Pacific and the release of the pas- the horrors of WWII, which Golding expe- Understanding how Golding uses the
senger tube onto the island. The plane rienced first-hand as a naval officer. colonial literary tradition and twists it by
crash, the war and evacuation that have Some Golding quotes that the teacher transforming the “civilised” English pub-
led to it are also very well presented in can use in class to prepare the students lic schoolboys into savages is essential
the initial minutes of the 1963 film adap- for the atmosphere of doom and gloom as it adds another dimension to the
tation by Peter Brooke, while only hinted that pervades the novel are listed below: novel, which can thus be seen as a dark
at in fragments of conversation in the satire of colonial fiction.
novel. Thus, showing your students the “My thesis, I believe, would be this,
background of the story presented in the that you could have taken any bunch • Questionnaires:
“prologue” part of the film after they have of boys from any country and stuck http://meganpersons.weebly.com/
gathered the bits of information from the them on an island and you would lord-of-the-flies.html
dialogues among the boys in the first two have ended up with mayhem.”
chapters might lead to a better under- (Heneghan, p. 217) Questionnaires that address some of
standing of the plot. Another trivia fact the main themes dealt with in the novel
that I find important is that Simon was “Man is a fallen being. He is gripped can trigger interesting debates. One of
even more evidently a Christ figure in the by original sin. His nature is sinful and my favourites is the Anticipation Guide
original draft before the edits. Though his state perilous.” (Golding, p. 253) from the website suggested above. It
the Christ-like characteristics remain, really gets you thinking about the most
they were toned down so much that our “I must say that anyone that moved important dilemmas and issues pre-
students might benefit from being through those years (WWII) without sented in the novel with statements like:
nudged to explore that aspect of Simon. understanding that man produces
evil as a bee produces honey, must Children are born innocent, but soci-
• Golding’s introduction have been blind or wrong in the head. ety corrupts them.
to Lord of the Flies – video: (Golding, p. 252)
http://bit.ly/37owTxU People should not be held accounta-
• Golding’s quotes as prompts for It is important to point out that Golding ble for their actions during survival
discussion: http://bit.ly/38zabTW satirises the British “superiority complex”. situations.
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The students are asked to indicate their Matura texts are a source of inspiration to reconsider initial assumptions, ignor-
The Long Read
(dis)agreement with five such statements for their followers and whether the feel- ing the ethical consequences of deci-
on a scale from 1 to 10 and provide ing of safety is something they try to sions, etc. Knowing what groupthink is,
arguments. instil in them. Discussion prompts creat- the students can try to spot bad deci-
ed by the teacher can be later used in the sions due to groupthink and its negative
In the second task they are asked to while-reading stage to make them atten- impacts in both Matura texts and, possi-
choose among three statements about tive to certain issues: What are the quali- bly, in their lives.
humans being inherently evil, good or ties on the basis of which Ralph is initial-
neutral and the need of governments ly chosen as the leader? Why is Piggy In a similar vein, individualism and the
and societies to control our instincts or not “leader material” in spite of having struggle of the individual to keep from
our individual responsibility to control most of the constructive ideas? Why do being overwhelmed by the tribe, as ex-
them. After opting for one of the state- boys eventually opt for Jack as their emplified by Simon and Ralph, can be
ments, they have to provide a rationale. leader? The students can be asked to analysed. As Rudyard Kipling, a Nobel
It will be interesting to observe how their compare the leadership styles adopted Prize winner (like Golding) said:
views might differ and how they compare by Ralph and later Jack with those
with Golding’s. This kind of discussion in adopted by the pigs in Animal Farm and “To be your own man is a hard busi-
the pre-reading stage will make the stu- by real or fictional political leaders. ness. If you try it, you’ll be lonely often,
dents more attentive to the themes and and sometimes frightened. But no
issues as they emerge during the read- Groupthink vs. individualism – price is too high to pay for the privi-
ing stage. cross-curricular connections lege of owning yourself.” (Orel, p. 386)
(while-reading)
The same website provides a PowerPoint Individualism vs collectivism I see this as another interesting research
presentation about the background to Social psychology emerged following topic, which can be connected with both
the novel, chapter by chapter questions WWII as the scientific study of how peo- works; the fear of being ostracised be-
that can be assigned as homework or ple’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours cause of our individualism does indeed
used in class in the while-reading stage, are influenced by the actual, imagined or rule our behaviour – sometimes we can
station exploration assignments after implied presence of others. An example act so differently that we become un-
every four chapters, which provide great that illustrates its premise is Roger recognisable just to be accepted. The
extension activities and give students a throwing the stones aiming not to hit the boys’ behaviour will perhaps be judged
chance to exchange ideas and enhance “Littleun” playing in the sand because less harshly once the implications of
their understanding of the novel in group of the implied presence of an adult that ostracism are discussed. Naturally, the
discussions, and much more. All in all, might sanction this kind of behaviour students can be encouraged to spot ex-
the website offers a good framework and another the final scene in which the amples of social ostracism in their lives.
for a comprehensive study of the novel. savage tribe of hunters chasing Ralph
Most of the activities are sensible, use- reverts to snivelling “boys with sticks” Psychology – Freud’s personality
ful and can be easily adopted and/or in front of the “deus ex machina” naval theory and the psychic apparatus
adapted by the teacher. officer. Being aware of the implications Taking a psychological approach based
of social psychology makes it easier to on Freud’s id-ego-superego structural
• Topics for students’ presentations understand the dynamics of the relation- model of the human psyche when ex-
or discussion lessons ships and the events on the island. amining the novel and looking at the
(pre-reading/while-reading) characters is another interesting option.
Two concepts that the students should In this case, Freud’s personality theory
Leadership research and discuss are groupthink and needs to be explored by the students
Since the first thing that the boys have to individualism. Groupthink is a psycholog- and presented in class in the while-read-
do on the island is to choose their leader ical phenomenon that occurs in a group ing stage. It can be observed that Jack
and leadership is one of the main themes of people when the desire for harmony represents the id (the most primitive
in LotF (and also in Animal Farm), the or conformity in the group results in an and instinctive component of personali-
topic of leadership is worth exploring irrational or dysfunctional decision-mak- ty – driven by his desires/pleasure in
before or while reading the novel. How ing outcome. The greatest danger of satisfying them; Eros and Thanatos).
do we choose our leaders? What are the groupthink is putting the consensus of Ralph is the ego, which finds realistic
different leadership styles? Information the group above your own judgement ways to satisfy desires and controls the
can be gained through web-quests and and some symptoms pointing to it are: id, ignoring satisfaction to avoid nega-
in group discussions. Understanding direct pressure on anyone who express- tive consequences. He observes norms,
leadership is essential knowledge for life, es doubts about the group’s shared rules, etiquette and maintains a rational,
regardless of whether our students are views, mind guards (protect the group realistic, orientation towards solving
bound to become leaders or followers. and the leader from the information that problems. Thus, Ralph does not suc-
The above-mentioned “meganpersons” may threaten the group’s cohesiveness), cumb to the lure of hunting and having
website recommends Ted Talk videos illusion of unanimity, stereotypes of the fun and remains focused on building
about leaders by Simon Sinek, in which enemies (scapegoats), self-censorship shelters and rescue. Piggy represents
he claims that good leaders inspire you (keeping quiet to avoid deviating from the superego, which involves values and
and make you feel safe. Students can the group consensus), discounting warn- morals and controls both the id and the
then explore whether the leaders in both ings and negative feedback, not wanting ego. The superego consists of the con-
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science and the ideal. The conscience According to Hobbes, human nature is about by discussing questionnaires and
The Long Read
can punish the ego by causing feelings self-interested. The only effective influ- exploring relevant topics, you could give
of guilt. Piggy causes Ralph to have ences on our behaviour are the incentives them a list of themes to track while read-
feelings of guilt when Ralph reveals his of pleasure and pain (Jack offers the ex- ing. You can find the main themes in
nickname in spite of being asked not to citement of hunting and the pleasure of many online resources (Spark Notes,
do so and when the boy with the mul- eating meat and threatens physical pun- E-Notes, Shmoop, etc), some of them
berry mark dies. Piggy’s ideas are al- ishment, including death). Political com- being: good and evil (man’s inherent evil),
ways struck down by Jack – the over- munities are based on a social contract, civilisation and savagery, innocence and
powering id. by which individuals surrender their pow- corruption (loss of innocence), order and
er to a sovereign authority in exchange disorder, leadership, power, wisdom, fear,
Researching Freud’s personality theory for protection to prevent the state of na- individualism vs. community, dangers of
and using it to understand better the ture – a war of all against all. There is the mob mentality (groupthink), war, etc.
characters will enable us to introduce need for a strong central authority to Having a list of themes can make their
elements of cross-curricular instruction, avoid the evil of discord and civil war. reading more focused. They can have
which will not only enhance their grasp Thus, the democratic approach taken by different colours of highlighters to mark
of the novel, but also make learning Ralph is doomed to fail. Hobbes’ pessi- the sections that add to the development
more meaningful through integrating mistic view is evident in his belief that of a particular theme and thus keep track
knowledge. “every human being is capable of killing from chapter to chapter.
another, to threaten another’s life” and
Philosophy: Locke/Rousseau vs. this is, in fact, what transpires on the • cards/posters
Hobbes http://bit.ly/2sPd7wm boys’ island. In Hobbes’ opinion, the gov- To avoid repetitive questionnaires, stu-
http://bit.ly/3aAH4RY ernment’s role is to protect us from our- dents are asked to prepare posters or
selves and the state of nature, in which cards of chapter summaries following
Since this is a philosophical novel, the every person has the licence to do what- strictly defined rules (using the principle
philosophical foundation upon which it ever they want. of less is more). Such rules actually make
rests deserves our attention. Students the task more difficult and require quite
can study and discuss the conflicting If Hobbes was a supporter of philosoph- a thorough reading and careful selec-
theories about: ical absolutism, Locke, the “Father of tion of the information that is to be pre-
• man/child being inherently good Liberalism” believes in philosophical sented. A chapter card could include:
and only corrupted by society constitutionalism. Locke questions how • CHAPTER NUMBER/TITLE
(Locke/Rousseau) vs. far political authority can extend, how is • FIVE MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS
• man being inherently evil, thus it justified? Locke’s philosophy is reflect- • ONE SYMBOL (the object that is the
needing laws and society to control ed in the United States Declaration of most important, what happens with
his evil impulses/nature (Hobbes). Independence. it and its picture/drawing)
• THEMES (a maximum of three
Lord of the Flies is based on the philoso- The students can research the philoso- themes that are the most obvious
phy of Thomas Hobbes, an English phi- phy of Hobbes and Locke or watch the in this chapter)
losopher of the 17th century who is con- video whose link is supplied above. It The cards can be set as a homework
sidered to be the father of modern can serve as a listening comprehension assignment to complement the reading
political philosophy, writing during a tur- task, as they can fill in the graphic or- of the assigned chapter(s). In class they
bulent period of Civil War in England. His ganiser (the link is also given above). can be compared and discussed in
work, Leviathan, expounds the social Discussion to establish the relevance to groups. When the cards are different,
contract theory, the need for an absolute the literary work follows. the students have to re-consider their
sovereign to “save us from ourselves” and choices and negotiate the best version,
describes the natural state of humankind • Anticipation and/or revision – using which will eventually be presented to the
(before organised societies, laws and the chapter titles entire class. Only one group presents
governments) in the quote below: Since the chapters have titles (added by the card/poster (as they will most prob-
Golding at the insistence of the editor), ably be quite similar) and the others
In such condition, there is no place for we can use them to predict the story, listen. At the end they comment and
industry; because the fruit thereof is the main dilemmas, its mood, symbols, make suggestions if their card is signifi-
uncertain: and consequently no culture etc. The titles can also be used to revise cantly different.
of the earth; no navigation, nor use of the the main events, symbols and turning
commodities that may be imported by sea; points in the novel. • “Zooming in”
no commodious building; no instruments Once the main facts about the chapter
of moving, and removing, such things as • Tracking the themes are established by using posters/cards,
require much force; no knowledge of the Especially for the higher-level Matura each group can work on one of the five
face of the earth; no account of time; no students, it is important to understand events, which were agreed on in the ac-
arts; no letters; no society; and which is not only the plot, but also the themes tivity presented above, and “zoom in” by
worst of all, continual fear, and danger of that are presented. If you like to prepare finding significant quotes and the themes
violent death; and the life of man, soli- your students with a thorough pre-read- that they are connected with, adding to
tary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. ing stage and they have already got a the character portrayal and tracking the
(From: Oregon State University, 2002) glimpse of what the novel is going to be main characters and pointing out some
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literary devices used by the author. This I think that in the while-reading stage Each group should then analyse and
The Long Read
kind of detailed analysis after “seeing the we should pay some attention to the prepare to present 5–7 examples from
big picture” is aimed at preparing them to literary devices used by Golding. the list of quotes that you provided iden-
write a good literary essay as it will ena- tifying the literary device that is used
ble them to quote, paraphrase and pro- “Literary devices are techniques that and the effect the author achieves. They
vide detailed illustrations to support the writers use to create a special and could find and analyse some more for
arguments they make. pointed effect in their writing, to convey homework. If you do this with the first
information, or to help readers under- chapter, you can ask them to pay atten-
• Chapter questionnaires, character stand their writing on a deeper level. tion to the literary devices employed by
grids, graphic organisers Golding in each chapter and to list at
http://bit.ly/30ZRE0F Often, literary devices are used in least five per chapter.
http://bit.ly/2RJC5Wp writing for emphasis or clarity. Au-
thors will also use literary devices to • Prequels, sequels and
Of course, there really are a lot of chap- get readers to connect more strongly sidequels and journals
ter questionnaires available online (I have with either a story as a whole or spe- At suitable stages the students guess
already mentioned the meganpersons cific characters or themes.” and write or speak about what happened
website above under the heading Ques- From: Muniz, 2018 before or after an event or re-write a
tionnaires), which is why I did not create certain event from a specific character’s
my own, but I am definitely going to use Why should we teach our students at point of view. For example, in the first
them for some chapters or recommend least some literary devices? For one, chapter, before the background events
them to my students. knowing them will help them understand that have led to the boys being stranded
Golding’s motivation behind the choices on the island are revealed, the students
Characters can also be analysed and he made when crafting the work. Sec- can invent them. Similarly, it would be
understood better by having character ondly, it will make the novel’s overall interesting to imagine the sequel after
grids into which students add informa- meaning or purpose clearer to them. the rescue by the naval officer who is to
tion from chapter to chapter with the take them back to a ravaged world in
number of the page where they got it. Finally, literary devices are important which an atomic war is being fought.
Character evolution can be presented to know because they make texts more Finally, instead of the third-person om-
by finding five defining moments and interesting and more fun to read. If they niscient narrator’s voice telling us about
five important quotes for each of the were to read a novel without knowing the events, we could be told about them
main characters. any literary devices, the chances are from the point of view of a Littleun or
that they wouldn’t be able to detect Roger, possibly in the form of a journal.
You could prepare activities in which (and thus appreciate) any of the layers The extract below recounts Jack’s feel-
they match objects, quotes, personality of depth and meaning interwoven into ings during the assembly in the chapter
adjectives and actions with the charac- the story via different devices. (Adapted Beast from Water as described in a jour-
ters and, once they are familiar with this from: Muniz, 2018) nal written by a student. If the students
kind of exercise, you could ask them to are asked to provide textual evidence
prepare a riddle for their classmates: Having discussed the importance of and quotes, as they were in this case, the
who says/does/wears/feels something? being familiar with different literary de- task becomes not only creative but also
vices with your students, you can use a seriously analytical.
• Literary devices worksheet on which you present the
Our task is not only to make our stu- main literary devices used in the novel Ralph called an assembly and spoke
dents understand LotF, but also to make to be matched with the definitions and things that he thought were impor-
them appreciative, sensitive readers, so provide quotes from the first chapter. tant. When he called the meeting, I
thought he would scold me again on
the fire issue, but he didn’t. The talk
was long and boring. I tried to inter-
rupt, but Ralph said, “I’ve got the
conch” (p. 89). I feel angry when
someone says they have the conch,
so they could talk. One day I will break
that into pieces. . . . Before deciding to
leave Piggy tried to find fault in me
and said, “What are we? Humans? Or
animals? Or savages? What’s grown-
ups going to think? Going–off–hunt-
ing pigs–letting fires out–and now!”
(p. 99). I asked him to shut up but
Ralph supported him by saying he
has got the conch. Conch! Conch!
Conch! I hate it. Ralph and Piggy think
that by having rules they could control
8 To stay up-to-date with what is going on, visit our website: www.iatefl.si
everyone. But not me… (“Lord of the References files/resources/lesson-docs/30867Charac-
The Long Read
Flies Journal Entries”, n.d.) terEvolution.pdf
• Carey, J. 2009, 2010. William Golding The
• Pre and post reading activity pack. (2004,
Man Who Wrote The Lord of the Flies. Faber
February 9). Retrieved December 13, 2019,
• Using images, films, songs, poetry and Faber Limited.
from https://www.teachitenglish.co.uk/
• http://bit.ly/2sSL5jD • Golding, W. 2012. Lord of the Flies Education- resources/ks4/lord-of-the-flies-by-william-
• http://bit.ly/2Gjj4F5 al Edition with revised and updated study golding/prose/pre-and-post-reading-activity-
• http://bit.ly/37nUYF5 notes. Faber and Faber. pack/3156.
• Heneghan, L. 2018. Beasts at Bedtime Re- • Richey, T. (2013, Nov. 8). Thomas Hobbes
LotF was undoubtedly the inspiration vealing the Environmental Wisdom in Chil- and John Locke: Two Philosophers Com-
dren’s Literature. Chicago University Press. pared. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://
for the Iron Maiden single with the same www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2LVcu01QEU
title. Listening to the song and identify- • Olsen, K. 2000. Lord of the Flies A
Student Casebook to Issues, Sources and • Richey, T. (n.d.) Graphic Organizer 3.1: Com-
ing the elements of the novel and its Historical Documents. Greenwood Press. paring Hobbes and Locke. [PDF file]. Re-
mood captured in the lyrics and music trieved from https://www.tomrichey.net/
• Orel, H. 1983. Kipling Interviews and Recol- uploads/3/2/1/0/32100773/graphic_organ-
is a good post-reading task. Students lections Volume 2. The Macmillian Press Ltd. izer_-_thomas_hobbes_vs_john_locke.pdf
can write their own songs or poems as
• Tiger, V. 2003. William Golding The Unmoved • Presley, N. (2017, February 13). Dystopia, Lord
a condensed personal version of the Target. Marion Boyars of the Flies, and Politics. Retrieved December
novel. They can also find poems written Publishers Ltd. 13, 2019, from https://www.william-golding.
about LotF by other students online. By • 11 Things You Might Not Know About Lord co.uk/dystopia-flies-politics.
the same token, they create or find of the Flies. (2017, August 31). Retrieved • Hickey, G. (2017, February 14). The 105 Best
paintings and drawings inspired by the December 13, 2019, from http://mentalfloss. Philosophical Novels. Retrieved December
com/article/62962/11-things-you-might-not- 13, 2019, from https://www.greghickey-
novel (two links are supplied above) or know-about-lord-flies. writes.com/best-philosophical-novels/.
study different versions of covers and
• AbecedariusRex (2010, May 22) Golding’s • Cherry, K. (2019, September 26). The Psy-
choose their favourite one or create Introduction to Lord of the Flies. [Video file]. chology Behind Why We Strive for Consen-
their own. Two film adaptations have Retrieved from www.youtube.com/ sus. Retrieved December 13, 2019, from
been made and should, of course, be watch?v=vYnfSV27vLY. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-
used in class. I recommend watching • Lord of the Flies. (n.d.). Retrieved December groupthink-2795213.
relevant carefully selected parts to 13, 2019, from http://meganpersons.weebly. • McLeod, S. (2019). Id, Ego and Superego.
com/lord-of-the-flies.html.
prompt discussion rather than viewing Retrieved December 13, 2019, from https://
• William Golding. (2019, December 10). www.simplypsychology.org/psyche.html.
the entire film at once. Watching the
Retrieved December 13, 2019, from https:// • Williams, G. (n.d.). Thomas Hobbes: Moral
Simpsons 14th episode of the ninth sea- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Golding. and Political Philosophy. Retrieved Decem-
son, Das Bus, (a parody of LotF) is also ber 13, 2019, from https://www.iep.utm.edu/
• Iron Maiden (2009, Feb. 28). Iron Maiden
a possible extension activity as is view- - Lord Of The Flies (Official Video). [Video file]. hobmoral/.
ing and discussing excerpts of the reali- Retrieved from www.youtube.com/ • Oregon State University. (2002). Thomas
ty TV show Survivor, which places a watch?v=iS7qykdXX8Q. Hobbes: human condition. Retrieved Decem-
group of strangers in an isolated loca- • AchiLLeS. (2016, May 28). Iron Maiden - Lord ber 13, 2019, from https://oregonstate.edu/
Of The Flies (Single 1996). Retrieved Decem- instruct/phl201/modules/Philosophers/
tion (usually an island in a tropical cli-
ber 13, 2019, from https://riddleofsteel-metal- Hobbes/hobbes_human_nature.html.
mate), where they must provide food, blog.blogspot.com/2016/05/iron-maiden- • Shmoop Editorial Team. (2008, November
fire, and shelter for themselves. lord-of-flies-single-1996.html?m=1. 11). Lord of the Flies. Retrieved December 13,
• Iron Maiden - Lord Of The Flies Lyrics. (n.d.). 2019, from https://www.shmoop.com/
Retrieved from https://www.metrolyrics. lord-of-the-flies/
CONCLUSION com/lord-of-the-flies-lyrics-iron-maiden.html. • SparkNotes Editors. (2007). SparkNote on
• Lord of the Flies Journal Entries. (n.d.). Re- Lord of the Flies. Retrieved December 13, 2019,
Studying and analysing LotF is a jour- trieved December 13, 2019, from https:// from http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/flies/
theconch.wordpress.com/category/lord-of-
ney that should be enriching and enjoy- the-flies-journal-entries/.
• Kelly, M. (n.d.) CliffsNotes on Lord of the
able in spite of the novel’s grim mood. Flies. Retrieved December 13, 2019, from
• Weber, S. (n.d.). Lord of The Flies. https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/l/
Its multi-layered meaning, artful use of Retrieved December 13, 2019, from http:// lord-of-the-flies/lord-of-the-flies-at-a-
language and symbols and complex sampaints.com/2009/10/02/lord-of-the- glance?lcitation=true
cultural references demand a careful flies/.
preparation by the teacher. The dilem- • Blazon, C. (2014, September 27). Lord of the
mas and issues presented in the novel Flies Drawings. Retrieved December 13, Pictures:
2019, from http://courtneyblazon.blogspot.
are timeless and its relevance to the
com/2014/09/lord-of-flies-drawings.html. • https://www.mhpbooks.com/notes-on-de-
contemporary situation and the stu- sign-lord-of-the-flies-2/ http://bit.ly/2RL7JTx
• Muniz, H. (2018, June 21). The 31 Literary
dents’ lives needs to be established. Devices You Must Know. Retrieved Decem-
(LotF – first edition cover, 1990 edition)
Each educator will choose their own ber 13, 2019, from https://blog.prepscholar. • https://www.deviantart.com/kracatorr/art/
path which has to suit their personal com/list-of-literary-devices-techniques. Lord-of-the-Flies-Island-137156058
teaching style. It is by no means my http://bit.ly/2NUAcVQ (image of the island)
• Hicks, S. (2014, March 20). Kipling on the
intention to provide a recipe for LotF individual and the tribe. Retrieved December • http://sampaints.com/2009/10/02/lord-of-
13, 2019, from https://www.stephenhicks. the-flies/ http://bit.ly/2Gjj4F5 (Beast from
English Matura lessons. I do hope, how-
org/2014/03/20/kipling-on-the-individual- Air, The Shattered Conch, Painted Faces and
ever, that some of the ideas presented and-the-tribe/. Long Hair)
in this article will be found helpful in
• ReadWriteThink. (2012). Organizer: Character • https://www.criterion.com/films/563-lord-
creating that feeling of a classroom Evolution in Lord of the Flies [PDF file]. Re- of-the-flies http://bit.ly/2sRKoaf
abuzz with activity that we all strive for. trieved from http://www.readwritethink.org/ (movie scenes - Peter Brooks)
To stay up-to-date with what is going on, visit our website: www.iatefl.si 9
The Importance
of Lesson Closure
by Theresa Taylor
Theresa is from the west coast of THE IMPORTANCE databases such as Jstor or ERIC, par-
Canada. She trained at the University OF LESSON CLOSURE ticularly found in articles about lesson
of British Columbia with a Bachelor’s Area of Study and Significance planning. However, actual experimenta-
degree in History. Theresa knew she tion, research, and examples of imple-
wanted to be a teacher from kinder- There are a variety of effective pedagog- mentation of lesson closure are not
garten onward, so upon completion ical approaches which lead to academic found in abundance (Ganske, 2017, p.
of her BA, she went back to university achievement (UNESCO, 2019). With all 99). From the Gestalt psychological
and obtained a degree in Education. pedagogical approaches, effective les- framework, it is stated that closure is
She is incredibly passionate about son planning and implementation of needed to make sense of information or
teaching and learning! She is currently lesson stages are imperative for suc- incidents in the mind (Bloomquist, 2010,
the Academic Coordinator at the ALC cessful teaching and learning. Whilst p. 5). Although there is agreement in the
Rabat, and the National Coordinator of planning lessons, teachers must be literature that lesson closure is an im-
the ETII —a non-profit teacher training aware of the basic stages, and no mat- portant aspect of each lesson, actually
programme for pre-service Moroccan ter how simple or complex a plan, effec- measuring the effectiveness of closure
English teachers. Theresa has had tive lessons contain an introduction or is quite challenging due to the many var-
a wide range of teaching experience, hook, lesson development including iables found in each classroom ranging
from teaching nursery school in Tanza- presentation and practice, and finally from the instructional ability of the
nia and Uganda and teaching primary lesson closure (Ganske, 2017, p. 99). teacher to the natural cognitive ability of
school in the Emirates to teaching Lesson closure is defined by Wolf and each student (Bloomquist, 2010, p.7).
Academic English and thesis writing Supon (1994, p. 2) as “that time at the For this reason, questions surrounding
to engineers and nurses at universities. end of a lesson when a teacher wants to closure effectiveness are ideal for
To celebrate ten years of teaching, create an environment in which students small-scale action research projects,
she is currently working on her Mas- can analyze what they have learned and where educators can make changes in
ter’s degree in Education at Cardiff be given the opportunity to explore their their own teaching practice and observe
Metropolitan/SIST University. learning in greater depth.” the results in their own classrooms.
In my role as an academic coordinator The findings of this study are significant
and teacher trainer, while working with for trainers and teachers in EFL, as well
pre-service and new EFL teachers in as managers and owners of schools or
Morocco, I observed that lesson closure language centres. Findings are also
was often weak, rushed, or omitted applicable to trainers and teachers in
entirely. After feedback sessions, sug- fields of study other than EFL, as high
gestions, lesson plan review, and further retention of concepts is a goal in all
observations, I was pleased to see classrooms. This study adds breadth
teachers implementing closure in each and depth to the existing literature sur-
lesson. I stressed the importance of rounding the closure stage, exploring
lesson closure, but I had not personally the idea that lesson closure positively
done much research or reflection on the effects student retention of lesson con-
actual impacts of lesson closure in a cepts and their perceptions of their own
classroom or institution. This led me learning. Further research in the future
to question what positive effects con- could look at implementing a school-
sistent lesson closure would have on wide closure policy as a way to improve
students’ learning. teacher effectiveness, student learning,
and student (client) satisfaction. Further
Literature surrounding the importance research could also include measuring
of closure as a lesson stage is relatively student levels and actual achievement
easy to find when searching educational on assessments in classes with and
10 To stay up-to-date with what is going on, visit our website: www.iatefl.siwithout closure, as this study did not They would be considered A1 level ac- approximately 30–45 seconds of hesi-
focus on achievement or test scores. cording to the Common European tation or thinking time. Students were
Framework of Reference for Languag- then able to recall parts of the lesson
Research Questions and es. This class was a young learner class that had an impact upon them; for ex-
Methodology Employed with 17 students, ages ranging from ample, one student mentioned a vocab-
This research aims to answer the 12 to 15; there were 11 females and ulary game where we raced and
following questions: 6 males. The class met daily for two slapped the board. Another student
• Does lesson closure positively hours each day. recalled the warm-up conversation min-
effect students’ retention of lesson gle. However, students did not recall
concepts? Implementation of Exploration very specific information such as new
• Does lesson closure positively effect and Experimentation vocabulary words. I saw similar results
students’ perceptions of their learning? For each of the two groups, I would plan at the start of class on sessions three,
the first four days without proper lesson four and five. Students were able to
Action research is an effective method closure at the end of each session. At recall specific grammar concepts that
for teachers interested in improving the start of each session, I would ques- were taught to them – for example,
their pedagogical approaches (Bell, tion students about what they had modals of speculation about the past;
2010, p. 6). Implementing small changes learned the previous day or in the however, this generally came after sev-
in teaching and planning methods and course thus far, and record their an- eral minutes of brainstorming.
charting the outcomes can contribute swers and general response attitudes.
to discovering best practices and teach- For the consequent four days of class- Class 1 Day 4 Student Reflection
er mastery. For this study, I employed es, I would prepare lessons that includ- Day four marked the halfway point of
the use of action research, and my ed proper lesson closure at the end of my experiment with this group of stu-
methods of obtaining data were qua- each session. At the start of each ses- dents. I had students move their desks
si-experimental and exploratory. The sion, I would once again question stu- into groups of 3–4 and posed the fol-
data I collected was qualitative in na- dents about their learning and record lowing questions:
ture, and mainly based on my own an- responses and attitudes. At day four • What have you learned so far in this
ecdotal notes taken in class. I was una- and day nine, I would also have students course?
ble to quantify the effects of lesson get into groups to discuss their percep- • Create sentences using examples of
closure, as I did not focus on levels, tions of the course, their learning, and vocabulary words and grammatical
numerical scores or assessments. their retention of the concepts taught. structures we have learned within
I would monitor the groups and record your group.
The setting for this research is an ex- notes about their thoughts and percep-
tra-curricular English language centre tions. My closure questions involved I circulated the room, monitored the
in the capital city of Rabat, Morocco. discussion and activity with variants groups, and jotted down notes about
Classes are generally once weekly for of the following questions: student discussions. Students were
ten weeks; however, I chose to carry out • What was the main objective able to answer both questions but re-
my action research during summer of today’s class? quired some prompting as I circulated.
intensive classes, where classes meet • What did you learn in class today I also noted that several students had to
for ten consecutive days. Most students that you didn’t know before? page through their textbooks in order to
come with a background in French and • Where do you need more practice? confirm information relating to vocabu-
Arabic, and are from mixed socio-eco- lary and grammar points. Student con-
nomic backgrounds and a wide range Due to the limitations of my experiment, versation was comfortable but there
of age groups. In order to gain thorough it can only be referred to as quasi-exper- were periods of silence and students
answers to the research questions, imental. There was no separate control told me they were “finished” with dis-
I chose two different classes of differ- group, and testing conditions were rela- cussion within three to five minutes
ent levels and age groups in order to tively informal. However, it remains a of starting.
explore my closure research. valuable exercise in action research, as
teachers striving for effectiveness must Class 1 Sessions 5 Through 8
Class 1: Intermediate 5 level, approximate- continually try new means and methods For the following 4 sessions I asked clo-
ly 3.5 years of weekly formal English and explore with teaching and learning sure questions at the end of each lesson.
classes. They would be considered B2 pedagogy in their classes. This was sometimes in the form of pair
level according to the Common European work, individual thought with group feed-
Framework of Reference for Languages. MAIN OUTCOMES back, as a mingle activity,
This class was an adult class with 20 Class 1 Sessions 1 Through 4 or as a written exit ticket. On day 7 in par-
students, ages ranging from 18–35; For the first four sessions, I planned my ticular, I noted that students were able to
there were 14 females and 6 males. The lessons with no lesson closure, and recall lesson concepts more quickly
class met daily for 3 hours each day. then recorded notes regarding student when I asked to review the
responses. On the second session previous day at the start of class. Previ-
Class 2: Junior 4 level, approximately when I asked students what they re- ously I had recorded about 45 seconds
1 year of weekly formal English classes. called from the class before, there was of thinking time with no closure ques-
To stay up-to-date with what is going on, visit our website: www.iatefl.si 11tions, and with closure questions, I noted Class 2 Sessions 1 Through 4 • Think of 2 sentences using the new
that students responded within 10 sec- With my second class, I repeated the tense we learned.
onds of my questions. They were quick same experimentation process as I had
to review the last session’s main points with the first. For the first four days, I observed my students as they discussed
with me, and I found that their answers I prepared lessons with no proper their answers with their partners, and I
extended beyond the memorable games closure at the end. When I asked students found that as soon as they went to an-
and activities we did. In some instances, the following day to recall what we had swer the second and third questions, the
students even recalled specific vocabu- done last day, I noted that they were majority of students had to flip through
lary words such as “apprehended” and slightly faster than my adult group. While their notebooks or go to their textbooks
“sought” and used them in sentences. I had noted 30–45 seconds of hesitation for ideas and support. Four pairs of stu-
At the start of day 8, I saw similar results, with no closure with the adults, with the dents asked for my assistance and were
with quick, accurate responses. Stu- young learners I noted only about 10–20 unsure if they had the correct under-
dents were confident in recalling what seconds of hesitation. However, as with standing of vocabulary words and the
they had learned thus far. the adult group, with no closure, this grammatical structure. I followed up with
class tended to remember games and whole group response about the difficul-
Class 1 Day 9 Student Reflection activities more quickly and easily than ty of the task. Several students explained
As day nine marked the end of the four actual lesson content. For example, on that they felt they still needed more review
days in which I had implemented lesson day three, the first item recalled when and to “revise” more before they would
closure, it was the end of the experi- asked to review the day before was a fill feel that they were “good at Junior 4”.
ment. I once again wrote the same in the gap sing-along song, and the last
questions from day four on the board, thing they recalled was the grammar Class 2 Sessions 5 Through 8
and had my students get into groups of point, present progressive. Following the lessons without closure,
3–4 in order to discuss. I moved around I carefully planned sessions five to eight
the room listening to my students’ re- Class 2 Day 4 Student Reflection to include lesson closure. I varied my
sponses. The necessity to prompt stu- Again, at the mid-way point I wanted to strategy each time, but used one or all
dents was less; I only had one group get some feedback about my students’ of the same three closure questions at
that needed some guidance and a push perceptions of their own learning and the end of each session:
to get started. The other groups were progress. Instead of larger groups as • What was the main objective of
able to get into discussion immediately, with my adults, I had students work in today’s class?
and they recalled what they had learned pairs to discuss several questions I • What did you learn in class today
without consulting their textbooks. I wrote on the board. I modified them that you didn’t know before?
noted an increased level of confidence slightly to be level appropriate. • Where do you need more practice?
in several students, particularly a group • What have you learned in Junior 4?
of four young adult males, who had • Think of 2 sentences using new If we were short on time, my closure
previously been unsure of what to say. vocabulary words. activity was as simple as asking a
12 To stay up-to-date with what is going on, visit our website: www.iatefl.siYou can also read
