Action songs as a manifestation of multimodality for learning new vocabulary

Date of Award

8-1-2011

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Master of Education (M. Ed.)

Department

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Abstract

My study seeks to explore the potential of action songs for learning new vocabulary in a foreign/second language i.e. English. As part of this exploration, the study looks into multimodal pedagogies for meaning making in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. Since Pakistan's National Curriculum for Early Childhood Education (2007) offers the integration of action songs as part of its curricular learning outcomes, it surfaces as a problem where the policy suggests something different from the current practice. It is observed that action songs are included in the school curriculum only as a co-curricular or fun activity and the learning potential that these songs carry is remotely acknowledged in the mainstream teaching learning practice. To discover the language learning potential of action songs, the study gets situated in a private school in Karachi. Semi-structured interviews from two teachers; video recording of sessions where teachers and students engage in action songs in two kindergarten classrooms and collaborative plan will be used as data collection tools. The collaborative plan consists of 4 steps: first is analysis of current practice, then plan, act and observation of action poems, next is plan, act and observation of alternate modes and the last step is a guided plan by the teacher. This study will enable participating teachers to reflect on their practices and to enhance their teaching within the context of English as a second/foreign language class. The findings of the study are presented in two phases. The first part dealt with the themes that emerged from the pre- collaborative interview those are teachers' understanding about vocabulary, pedagogies teachers use to teach language and the use of modes. The other part focused on the themes that emerged from post collaborative interview that covers action for meaning making, flash cards used to teach vocabulary and songs help to teach other subject matter.

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