LOL Summer Workshop
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“Learning from the Joy of Language”
Shun Lee Catholic Secondary School and Kei Hau Secondary School Learner Testimonials
Facilitators: David Chen and Regina Heung June/July 2024
Preface
What is Language Out Loud?
To put it simply, language was created from our yearning to express ourselves to others. Any pedagogical method that forgets or ignores this tenet is doomed to alienate the language learner from their fundamental motivation and inspiration to acquire language mastery. In an educational atmosphere dominated by test preparation, form ranking, and marks, it is easy to lose sight of why we learn language and how to facilitate it in a classroom. While the realities of college preparation and examinations are important to uphold, language pedagogy must work with and not against what motivates us to learn to read, write, speak, and express.
Language Out Loud seeks to motivate and facilitate language development from the realization that joy inspires learning. The name “Language Out Loud” spells it out. Learners are encouraged to express themselves “out loud” with creativity and freedom, allowing them to experience the range of play and expression that is capable with the language capacity available to them. Experiencing this freedom, learners then cultivate an inner motivation to acquire higher levels of language competency to expand their capacity for creative engagement and play.
At a deeper level, Language Out Loud shares its acronym with the common English usage of LOL—”Laugh Out Loud.” When learners are able to laugh from playing with the language, facilitated in LOL through art activities and creative engagement with texts, they awaken the hunger to seek joy and expand it, which in this case directly translates to a desire to learn and express with the language.
Expression does not occur within a vacuum. Language is ultimately a social instrument, manifesting its highest form as a medium between hearts to know and understand each other. LOL emphasizes that collaboration is a practical necessity to facilitate language learning. This includes basic protocols like asking learners to read each other’s writing, give feedback, and respond to each other.
LOL allows for joy to guide emergent interactions of knowledge and art based on a language medium like a text, song, or visual. Joy is the catharsis of performing an embarrassing skit together and laughing at the end. Joy is recognizing oneself in another’s reflection. Joy is being seen and selected for one’s work, even anonymously. Joy is creating something together. Joy is play without the fear of condemnation—of “right” or “wrong”. In LOL, the text becomes an excuse to play, which defangs any traditional limitation of being a “difficult” or “boring” reading.
Establishing a strong but simple protocol allows a freedom for knowledge to evolve in its natural and most exciting state: as an emergent and creative unfolding. The protocols of LOL are designed to facilitate joy to inspire literary engagement and ultimately self-discovery and self-growth with others.
What Does LOL Look Like?
LOL begins first with reading—introducing ourselves to the text. Learners can take turns reading the text out loud.
Collaborative learning is enhanced when a culture of equality and respect is established. This is reflected in our decision to sit in a circle when reading and writing.
From this circle, we are able to read each others’ writing (i.e. creative story), watch performances of understanding (i.e. drama reenactment), and reflect as a group with an intention of respect and attention.
A frequent tool we use in LOL is a clothesline—a string with some clothespins attached—where learners can “publish” their writing (i.e. questions about the text, responses, creative writing) for other learners to read and respond.
Learners reflect how reading others’ writing can enhance their perspective about the text, cultivate respect and interest in their classmates, and create a fun environment where they can look forward to reading others’ points of view and see how others’ react to theirs.
The principles of LOL, where learners are encouraged to express themselves, share thoughts, and create art from the language text they are reading, are reflected in the design and makeup of the classroom.
In summary, Language Out Loud protocol can be distilled into three steps:
Propose a text to read
The facilitator proposes a reading and the class reads it out loud together.
Play with the reading
The facilitator proposes activities and invites suggestions to engage with the text. This can include using the clothesline to ask and respond to classmate questions, enact a drama based on the text, make a poster, etc. These activities are “performed” in a way where every learner can see the work of each other (i.e. on a clothesline or taking turns performing for the whole class.)
Reflect
Everyone comes together to reflect “what did we do?” This gives space for learners to narrate change and express emotions of learning.
Workshop Overview
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Day 1: Reading and Understanding Text: “The Dot” by Peter Reynolds |
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Day 2: Creative Writing Using the typewriter, learners wrote down their name and one English word. Using class vocabulary, write a story; Read each others’ stories and respond |
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Day 3: Reading and Understanding Text: “Zen Shorts” by Jon Muth |
Learners had the choice between two texts and all three forms chose “Zen Shorts” |
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Day 4: Reading and Understanding Text: “Zen Shorts” by Jon Muth |
Homework: Bring a piece of text that reminds you of this story |
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Day 5: Creative Writing Learners designed characters by taking turns imagining facts about their life Using imagined characters, write a story Read each others’ stories and respond |
Homework: Write your own Zen Short about meeting the main character Stillwater and receiving advice from him in the form of a story. |
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Day 6: Finale, Celebration, and Reflection Read each others’ own Zen Short story Take a picture to go with a classmate’s story Final reflections and class picture! |
Reading and Understanding Session
For all three forms, the session where we engage with a text follows the same pattern: we read together, do an activity, and reflect “What Did We Do?” The activity builds understanding through collaborative engagement, whether it is by asking questions and responding to each other or doing a performance. The reflections give space for learners to self-narrate learning moments and their feelings while engaging in the text.
The following is an example of a session outline for Form 2, Day 1:
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Activity |
Time |
Remarks |
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Icebreaker: Show them the typewriter, go over class rules |
5 |
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Introduce Reading: “The Dot” by Peter Reynolds |
5 |
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Read Together: |
15 |
One at a time. Everyone was involved in the pictures too. |
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Activity: Write a question about the reading. Read each other’s questions. Pick one and respond |
20 |
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What Did We Do? |
5 |
Explain why we do this. |
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Activity: Mime out a portion of the text |
10 |
Students responded well, said they enjoyed and read with interest! |
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What Did We Do? |
10 |
Explain why we do this. |
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Typewriter activity: Everyone types their name and One English word |
5 |
Form 1 Reflections
Learning together, reflecting together, laughing together, we become enthusiastic about English.
[Students were asked to list any activities they remembered doing from the workshop and put a star (*) next to those they would like to see in a normal English class]
“We did reflection after reading any books (*)”
Facilitator: Many learners emphasized how reflection was a feature of the workshop they would like to see in their classes more often.
[Students were asked to list any activities they remembered doing from the workshop and put a star (*) next to those they would like to see in a normal English class]
“Reading other student’s writings (*)”
Facilitator: Many learners emphasized how reading other student’s writings was a feature they wanted to see in their English class.
Reading classmates’ writing motivates learning by engaging multiple perspectives. This also cultivates respect and interest in each other.
“We improved creativity, learned how to do a reflection, and learned how to read a book more deeply.”
“Being a participant, it was a honour and pleasure, and I can learn a lot during these 6 lessons.”
“I felt unbelievable!!”
Facilitator: Learners reflected on they were able to read texts “more deeply.” This is demonstrated from the fact that all three forms read this same text but all still engaged in enriching discussions and understanding from the story.
“Every moment. When we are laughing and learning new things together, I see the smile on our faces and I think it’s a good experience for me :D”
Facilitator: When learners are able to laugh from playing with the language, facilitated in LOL through art activities and creative engagement with texts, they awaken the hunger to seek joy and expand it, which in this case directly translates to a desire to learn and express with the language.
[An interesting note here: this learner used two words we learned from the story: preoccupied and maniacal]
“not afraid of English, but pleased with English”
“Inspirational to us to be more enthusiastic to English!”
Facilitator: Joy inspires learning, dispels fear. This particular learner demonstrated how vocabulary was expanded without the lesson ever emphasizing memorization of new words learned
“My favourite part is the short writing and creating brand new characters. I We can use my our creativity to think about a new person’s personality. By writing the story and using the characters in the lesson we have discussed, it was very entertaining and
impressive.” Facilitator: Learners are encouraged to express themselves “out loud” with creativity and freedom, allowing them to experience the range of play and expression that is capable with the language capacity available to them
Another interesting note is that this learner initially wrote “I” and “my” but then crossed them out to write “we” and “our.” This shows how LOL pedagogy inspires a collaborative and communal mindset to learning.
“We can know more about the story; what the story wants to bring out”
“Before we act, we need to read the story carefully and know the meaning of it”
Facilitator: In LOL, the text becomes an excuse to play, which defangs any traditional limitation of being a “difficult” or “boring” reading. In this case, conducting a drama based on the text gave the learners an excuse to read carefully and understand the meaning.
Form 2 Reflections
Respecting each other as we show our creativity nurtures our learning
“Reflection and discussion can let us learn from each other”
Facilitator: Many learners emphasized how discussion and asking questions were features of the workshop they would like to see in their classes more often.
They linked discussion with the ability to appreciate other classmate stories, which cultivates respect and collaborative learning.
“If I really have to pick a favorite moment, it’d be talking and discussing together as a team when everyone gets a turn. Learning other’s point of view is fun, and being able to widen my horizon makes me delighted.”
Facilitator: Joy is recognizing oneself in another’s reflection. Joy is being seen and selected for one’s work, even anonymously. Joy is creating something together.
Joy inspires learning
“I enjoy the workshop so much. It is because the workshop inspire me a lot and I have learnt a lot of things in the lesson, for example learn to respect each other.”
Facilitator: Mutual respect is not just a virtue in itself, it is a motivating factor in learning. Learning-from-others and learning-about-others go hand-in-hand. It creates a learning environment that is both efficient and rich.
“My favorite moment was acting the drama. It is because drama can let me understand the plot more.
Besides, it provided a chance for everyone to show their creativity. It is seldom to see in our normal lesson.”
Facilitator: The activities we do to facilitate and perform an understanding of a text give learners the creativity, freedom, and excitement to pay close attention to a text, allowing them to read with intense engagement and thinking.
Form 3 Reflections
Self-expression combined with collective respect brings joyful learning.
“I have never tried to share my points of view about books and others’ writing before. It is new to me and reading others’ writing is interesting.”
Facilitator: Even though the practice of sharing one’s point of view is new to the learners, they found it interesting and impressive. LOL takes advantage of establishing relationships of learning not just with “teacher-student,” but “learner-learner.” Each learner can have multiple sources of knowledge, perspective, and information—not just one like in a traditional classroom.
“Inspiring me to have a deeper reflection on myself”
Facilitator: One of the foundational reasons why reading is a universal need for a healthy community is that reading facilitates self-discovery—realizing one’s own fabric through the textures of others and seeing your own on other’s robes.
“Relaxing workshop, making me feel cheerful and truly immersed in learning. Not only limited in “memorizing things,” but try to create things.”
Facilitator: Joy is not just simply “having fun.” It is a catalyzing force that immerses one in self-cultivation and sharing, which fertilizes the soil of learning
“Mutual respect/esteem toward each other; high acceptance”
Facilitator: LOL emphasizes that collaboration is a practical necessity to facilitate language learning. This includes basic protocols like asking learners to read each other’s writing, give feedback, and respond to each other. It is the foundation for respect and mutual esteem.
“As a participant, I became more willing to express my opinions. Not like our normal English class, we don’t need to care about our grammar or language. The main focus is more on how we express ourselves not only be writing but as well as speaking. I am more confident in putting myself out there and say what I want to say.”
Facilitator: Nothing to add here, the learner arrived at the essence of LOL through her own reflection.
Closing Remarks:
Over the course of three weeks, each Form spent a total of nine hours together. In the time equivalent to a single full school day, learners reflected on becoming inspired, interested, and engaged with reading, writing, and expressing using English.
What can we do together for a full school year? What can we create when we channel this foundation of inspiration in a longer journey of learning together?
Learning a language is like building a tower. Vocabulary and grammar are necessary floors and walls to build and expand. But the foundation we build language fluency on must be strong—reinforced with interest, inspiration, and joy.
In this way, we ensure the potential for building great heights of language proficiency and expression.