如何以任務導向與讀者反應教學法在ESL課程教授兒童文學

Using Task-based and Reader-response Approaches in Teaching Children's Literature in the ESL Classroom

本研究以任務導向與讀者反應教學法，檢驗在 ESL 課程中教授兒童文學是否能激發學生的學習動機。研究對象為 50 位非英語主修的大二學生，教材為《北極特快車》的小說與電影，而其他的任務導向與讀者反應活動，包括學習單、小組討論以及論述題寫作活動也將在課程中呈現。首先，學生五人一組分為數個組別，每組分派一個章節且被要求準備該章節的單字表及摘要，學生們也被指派在家裡或在學校的視聽自學教室，先行觀賞以該小說改編的電影做為功課。此外，老師必須鼓勵學生對故事或影片做多元的詮釋，藉以培養他們的批判思考能力，進而要求他們在課堂討論時多發表意見。在這方面，論述題的寫作活動也能看出他們的反應與回饋。稍後這些論述寫作紙本將會被收集起來，作為本研究的結果，使教學老師得以更瞭解學生對《北極特快車》的小說與電影的詮釋和回饋，同時也能評估使用電影改編與其原著的可行性，以及在教授兒童文學時一些重要的教學策略。這種以任務導向學習兒童文學的方法十分契合讀者反應的範疇，因為兩者皆強調讀者能夠親自與作者及其文本接近而產生閱讀意義的重要性。本研究的老師們視個別學生讀者的情況為依據，經由他們自身對文本的回應，引導他們進入文本、瞭解文本。要做到如此，就必須包涵所有學生最初對書名或影片名稱的回應，以及他們認為在故事中發生了什麼事的回應，即便天真、無知或是被誤導了，老師也必須包容，這是因為經由他們和文本的互動，讀者創造了他們自己的『詩』（羅森佈雷特的術語）的結果。本研究結果顯示，藉由鼓勵學生對兒童文學產生多元的詮釋和回應，激發他們在學習英語時同時發展批判性思考能力，並不是件難事。在語言教學上應用兒童文學可以是另一項教材選擇，這樣的教材不僅強化學習者的語言習得，培養他們的讀寫能力，也能幫助他們釋放想像力，導向更積極的學習效果與回應。

This study uses task-based and reader response approaches to examine how the instruction works to booster students' motivation when teaching children's literature in an ESL classroom. The subjects of the study were fifty non-English major sophomores. The focal materials were the novel The Polar Express: Trip to the North Pole, and the film adaption. Tasked-based and response-centered activities, including learning sheets, group discussion, and essay-question writing activities, were also adopted in the lesson. To begin with, students were divided into groups, with five members in each group. Each group was assigned one chapter and asked to prepare a vocabulary list and a summary. The students were assigned to watch the movie in the school's media center and then produce feedback about it. They were encouraged to produce multiple interpretations to cultivate critical thinking skills and asked to participate in classroom discussions. Their responses and reflections were captured in the essay-question writing activities. Finally, these response journals were collected as the results of the study, enabling the teacher to better understand students' interpretations of and reflections on The Polar Express: Trip to the North Pole, and also evaluate the feasibility of using a movie adaption alongside a novel and the important teaching strategies in the lesson designed to teach children's literature. This kind of response-centered learning of children's literature thus fits in the category of a reader response approach, since they both emphasize the significance of a reader who can work with the author/text to generate meaning. The teacher may start with the situation of readers and guide them into an understanding of the text through their own responses to it. This includes all initial responses to the title, to what the students believe is happening, to possibly naïve, or ignorant, or misguided responses. This is because the reader creates their own 'poem' (a term taken from Louise Rosenblatt) through their interaction with the text. The results of the study showed that, by encouraging students to generate multiple interpretations and reflections of children's literature, it is not too difficult for them to develop their critical thinking skills when learning in English. The use of children's literature as an alternative teaching material not only enhanced the learners' language acquisition and cultivated their literacy competence, but also helped free their imaginations, leading to more positive effects and responses.