Language and Language Teaching, Issue 2 - Azim Premji Foundation

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One such sound is ‘Z’, which is used bothin English and in Urdu. Hindi also has a ‘J’sound, and usually educated people alsopronounce ‘Z’ as ‘J’. Next, collect somehomophones and explain the difference intheir meanings. Ask the children to makesentences using the following words:zara ‘a little’, jara ‘old age’; zamana ‘aparticular period’, jamana ‘ to curdle’(3) A very interesting project may be given tothe children by asking them to collect wordsthat have a sound similar, but have entirelydifferent meanings, such as:1. ‘more’ - In English it denotes thecomparative degree of ‘much’; in Hindiit means ‘peacock’ the bird; in Tamil itmeans ‘buttermilk’.2. ‘hii’ - In English as well as Marathi, itdenotes a masculine pronoun in thirdperson ‘he’; but in Hindi, it is either anadverb meaning ‘only’, or used forgiving emphasis.Many such words can be found in various Indianlanguages, and interesting short stories or jokescan be composed around them. So, aren’t therelimitless possibilities in using multilingualismas a resource! It is not difficult if our hearts arein it.By bringing languages together, you will beworking towards the solidarity and unity of thenation, and will always find a place in the heartsof your students.Asha Iyer nee Aisha Bi, M.A. (Hindi) is a freelanceshort story writer and a translator. She worked as aPGT Hindi teacher and Vice Principal in KendriyaVidyalayas.asha.yunus52@gmail.comLanguage and Language Teaching Volume 1 Number 2 July 2012 20
Cartoon Shows: A Tool to FacilitateComprehension in Young LearnersSaumya SharmaIntroductionThis article employs the story grammar modelto explore the role of televised cartoon serialsin facilitating comprehension in school childrenof elementary grade. In India, research inEnglish language teaching has not only addressedthe methods and approaches of teaching Englishin a multilingual society, its cultural and psychosocialaspects and the dilemmas of curriculumand texts, but also has focused on how to teachthe four basic skills of listening, speaking, readingand writing (henceforth LSRW) (Agnihotri andKhanna, 1997; Shorey, 2006, Tickoo, 2003;Kudchedkar, 2002). However, scant attentionhas been paid to assessing whether or not thelearner has comprehended the text. The factthat comprehension precedes production is wellestablished, both in first and second languageacquisition. Scholars such as Jean Piaget (2001)and Stephen Krashen (1981) have discussed thechild’s ability to comprehend (assimilateinformation and understand the various stimuliin the environment) much before his ability toarticulate. Krashen (1981) uses the term ‘silentperiod’ to denote such a comprehension phase,in which ‘comprehensible input’ is necessary forlearning. Comprehension is a complex process,which comprises cognition, affect andperception: through it learners negotiate meaningby creating schemas or mental frameworks,about the self and others (persons, objects andevents). We can gauge the extent of a child’scomprehension by analysing these schematicconstructs, and this very premise has beenemployed in the story grammar model (Stein andGlenn, 1979). This article tries to highlight howcartoon shows can be used to help develop thechildren’s comprehension by forming schematicconstructs. It is this comprehension, or cognitiveprocessing, gauged through LSRW, that formsthe focus of this paper, and not LSRW itself.Cartoons: A tool of instructionThe soaring income of working parentscombined with long office hours, has contributedto a child’s excessive viewing of the television,be it in the form of cartoons or video games.Adapting cartoons—a much-malignedmedium—as a teaching tool can help both theteacher and the taught to view learning as fun.Cartoon channels such as Pogo, Nickelodeon,Hungama TV, Cartoon Network, etc.,broadcast different serials in a bid to attract theyoung viewer. These serials include cartoonssuch as Walt Disney’s anecdotes of Tom andJerry; Japanese narratives of Doraemon,Kiteresu, Hagemaru, Shin-Chan; Indianmythological tales such as Chota Bheem, TenaliRaman, Ramayana; and the exploits of PowerRangers, Ben 10 and Pokemon. Most of theseare easily accessible; thus their recreationalvalue can be exploited in the classroom. Theyare thematically relevant, since they portraydiverse cultures, and raise key moral and socialissues. Also, their repeated and short durationof broadcast, and their multi-modality (verbaland visual elements creating a dramatic effect)permit them to be used as effective teachingtools.Language and Language Teaching Volume 1 Number 2 July 2012 21
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