Speaker
Description
This presentation explores the use of contemporary picturebooks as a lens to examine social issues in an EMI (English Medium Instruction) context with Japanese and foreign university students. Moving beyond traditional language-focused uses of picturebooks, it introduces a four-stage pedagogy that integrates deep reading, discussion, investigation and creative or practical response. By engaging cognitively and affectively with texts depicting socioeconomic realities, students can critically reflect on social justice issues and even be moved to action.
References
Bland, J. (2023). Compelling Stories for English Language Learners – Creativity, Interculturality and Critical Literacy. Bloomsbury.
Ellis, G., & Gruenbaum, T. (2023). Picturebook lesson series: Exploring social issues. British Council. https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/publications/resource-books/picturebook-lesson-series-exploring-social-issues
Ghosn, I. K. (2002). Four good reasons to use literature in the primary school ELT. ELT Journal, 56(2), 172–179. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/56.2.172
Short summary
This presentation explores the use of contemporary picturebooks as a lens to examine social issues in an EMI (English Medium Instruction) context with Japanese and foreign university students. Moving beyond traditional language-focused uses of picturebooks, it introduces a four-stage pedagogy that integrates deep reading, discussion, investigation and creative or practical response. By engaging cognitively and affectively with texts depicting socioeconomic realities, students can critically reflect on social justice issues and even be moved to action.
Abstract
Literature, including children’s literature, deepens our understanding of ourselves and the world around us, providing mirrors and windows. Traditionally, picturebooks have been used for native language acquisition and the transmission of morals through folktales. In EFL contexts, young learner teachers have used picturebooks, such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar (1969) by Eric Carle, to support language development, or Madeline (1939) by Ludwig Bemelmans to present another country's culture. However, contemporary picturebooks for native speakers, such as It’s a No-Money Day (2019) by Kate Milner, increasingly address social issues like poverty, food insecurity, homelessness, bullying, and crime, aiming to foster social justice awareness in readers.
For Japanese university students, rather than relying solely on conventional methods such as video interviews, news reports, or nonfiction texts, analyzing and discussing picturebooks that depict diverse socioeconomic realities provides an alternative approach to deepening understanding of these issues on both cognitive and affective levels, while encouraging self-reflection on personal values and beliefs.
This presentation introduces a four-stage pedagogy—Explore, Investigate, Discuss, and Respond. It draws on Ellis and Gruenbaum’s (2023) model for exploring social issues, Ghosn’s (2002) advocacy for literature as a “change agent,” and Bland’s (2023) Deep Reading Framework. Spanning four weeks, this multimodal project requires participants to collaboratively analyse, compare, and respond to literary texts, reflect on and discuss social issues in groups, and present autonomous research on support available for those experiencing poverty, food insecurity, or homelessness. Finally, participants share original creative or practical responses with their group.
Keywords
Picturebooks, Social Issues, Deep Reading, EMI Pedagogy
| Scheduling preference | Anytime on Saturday |
|---|---|
| Title | Reading for Change: Contemporary Picturebooks as Social Justice Texts |