Online Literature Circles in Learning Hamlet among Pre-service Teachers

Literature instruction may serve multiple functions. This case study aimed at investigating the perceptions on the use of online literature circles among 62 first year Teaching English as a Second Language pre-service teachers in a literature course at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. The participants were assigned to read and participate in online literature circles about the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Based on cooperative learning, the participants rotated in playing the roles of the Discussion Director, Device Detective, Imaginative Illustrator, Creative Connector, and Passage Picker in each group. Data from a survey were analyzed in descriptive statistics, while data from the role sheets based on the five roles and the online video of 3 literature circle discussions were analyzed thematically. The findings are significant for teacher training institutions and in-service teachers. This study was able to show that online literature circles were perceived as interesting, engaging, challenging, and fun. The participants engaged in different learning processes involving cognitive, affective, and language skills. Though this study identified some challenges, online literature circles have many benefits and are recommended for literature instruction for pre-service teacher training.

Sounds of Silence

This chapter juxtaposes the efforts of the authors to bring an LGBTQ+ text, Love is Love (2017), into their curriculum through a literature circle versus the hostile response of a district's administrators censoring its use in the classroom. The first section of this chapter provides a review of literature to encourage the use of diverse texts in the curriculum in support of this vulnerable population and is followed by a theoretical framework for analyzing and including LGBTQ+ texts in curriculum. The next section describes the events that occurred that led to the censorship of the literature circle and the eventual banning of the LGBTQ+ text. This section ends with a resource list to support teachers who advocate for diverse texts. The final section connects the events at the school with an analysis that demonstrates the efforts to silence the voices of LGBTQ+ students and their advocates. This case provides patterns of oppression in the hopes of naming and ending these practices and offering solidarity to others who may have these experiences.

Online Literature Circles in Learning Hamlet among Pre-service Teachers

Literature instruction may serve multiple functions. This case study aimed at investigating the perceptions on the use of online literature circles among 62 first year Teaching English as a Second Language pre-service teachers in a literature course at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. The participants were assigned to read and participate in online literature circles about the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Based on cooperative learning, the participants rotated in playing the roles of the Discussion Director, Device Detective, Imaginative Illustrator, Creative Connector, and Passage Picker in each group. Data from a survey were analyzed in descriptive statistics, while data from the role sheets based on the five roles and the online video of 3 literature circle discussions were analyzed thematically. The findings are significant for teacher training institutions and in-service teachers. This study was able to show that online literature circles were perceived as interesting, engaging, challenging, and fun. The participants engaged in different learning processes involving cognitive, affective, and language skills. Though this study identified some challenges, online literature circles have many benefits and are recommended for literature instruction for pre-service teacher training.

Literature Circles in a Synchronous Virtual Classroom: Educational Moos to Support Student Online Interaction

This paper explores the features of educational MOOs to create a stimulating, synchronous environment for upper primary (elementary) students working in the virtual world of Learning Communities MOO. It focuses on how the features of MOOs are used by students to support and enrich their literature circle discussions. The data presented indicates that these experiences encourage and support students' interests and understanding of text through social interaction and purposeful dialogue. The results of this research suggest that online literature circle discussions conducted in an Educational MOO can operate successfully and that the MOO environment supports student discussions.

Facebook: A School Librarian’s Tool for Building a Community of Readers

In this paper Facebook is examined as an educational tool that can be used to facilitate the development of literacy skills. The philosophical assumptions underlying the Social Development Theory by Vygotsky and the Social Learning Theory by Bandura were used to substantiate the benefits students can gain from learning in a social environment such as Facebook. Librarians can help students to develop their literacy skills, by using the Literature Circle on facebook. Assigning readers roles such as literary luminary, synthesizer, analyzer, and evaluator and rotating these roles will allow readers to develop the various literacy skills overtime and to avoid monotony.

Maximizing Students’ Critical Reading through Virtual Literature Circle Strategy: A Conceptual Framework

With the advancement of the 21st century, Indonesia, like other countries, is also facing challenges in education, particularly for primary and secondary school students. Undoubtedly, literacy is one of the crucial skills in 21st-century education, which encompasses critical thinking and critical reading skills. In an effort to maximize students’ critical reading skills, the researchers conducted virtual conferences and workshops for the teachers of English in primary and secondary schools on the practice of Literature Circle Strategy (LCS) to maximize students’ skills in critical reading. In total, 25 teachers from Malang City and 183 teachers from the Kediri area were included in the study. In Kediri, a one-day conference was held that focussed on the concepts and rules of practicing the LCS in online classes. In Malang, a virtual conference was held on the first day followed by a workshop on the second. While the first day was spent explaining the LCS to the participants, on the second day, they practiced the strategy, in offline sessions. At the end of the workshop, the participants shared their perceptions on this strategy by filling in a questionnaire, stating what they thought would be the process of practicing this strategy both in online and face-to-face classes. This study therefore reports the results of the analysis on their perceptions. Keywords: EFL teachers, perceptions, LCS, virtual

Literature Circle: A Strategy in Improving Critical Thinking Skills

Reading is the prime foundation of one’s academic and social status. However, this vital skill is what most students lack attention and interest. As a result, it deteriorates their critical thinking skills. To address the problem, Harvey Daniel introduced his literature circle strategy. It showcases different features that likely aid student’s struggles in the aspect of reading. This study, therefore, aims to determine the effectiveness of the literature circle strategy in improving critical thinking skills in reading among students at the University of Cebu-Banilad Campus. The study utilized a quasi-experimental method where the 48 ABM Grade 12 research subjects of the study were divided into two groups, namely: control and experimental. Strategies employed in these groups were different. The traditional method was practiced in the control group, while the literature circle strategy was implemented in the experimental group. For data gathering, a researcher-made test about the short story “Dead Stars” by Paz Marquez Benitez was used as the main instrument. Another short story entitled “The Small Key” by Paz Latorena was used as a springboard in the implementation of strategies for both groups. Statistical treatments used for data analysis were simple percent, t-test for Correlational Samples, and t-test for Two Independent Samples. Findings revealed that in measuring subjects’ critical thinking skills in reading, there is a significant difference between the posttest performances of the groups. The research subjects under experimental group performed higher than the control group. The study concludes that literature circle strategy is effective in enhancing student’s critical thinking skills in reading.

Literature Circle and Critical Reading Across EYL Learning Strategies

The results of survey of Program of International Student Assessment (PISA), it was evident that in 2009 Indonesian lower secondary school students’ literacy ranked 57 out of 65 countries obtaining 396 (compared to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development/OECD scoring 493), and in 2013 achieved the same score while OECD increased, 496 (Indonesia Curriculum Document, 2013). Inasmuch as the empirical evidence, and a few studies on this, the study was conducted aiming at improving students’ critical reading through literature circle strategy adopting a quasi experimental design by comparing two strategies, conventional and literature circle, for two intact groups in post test at primary school implementing a blended curriculum (Tuckman, 1978; Creswell, 2008). The subjects were composed of 42 students of Grade 5, 5 A for the control group and 5B for the experimental one. The instruments used consisted of posttest for the critical reading competence, observation sheet, underlying relevant documents, interview guide, and questionnaire, and all were validated and tried out. Based on the results of t-test (.002<.05), it revealed that in the significance level of.05 the null hypothesis was rejected meaning that literature circle strategy was verified effective and meaningful in improving the students’ critical reading, specifically in making judgments and producing a summary. It is recommended that the strategy should be implemented as early as primary school, especially for the upper classes to improve their critical thinking for future life. Keywords: Literature circle strategy, critical reading, across learning strategies, English for Young Learners