Early in my profession, I worked as a tutor of English as a second language and as a foreign language to younger students aged around ten and adults. It was more rewarding than it was challenging in that I got to appreciate and interact with students from diverse social and cultural backgrounds.

Later on, I joined the Kenyan curriculum as a Secondary School teacher. English is one of our official languages thus making it a core subject. The main challenge that we face, in my opinion, is the first language interference.

In spite of this challenge, teaching English is really rewarding to me as a teacher and to the students. We get to explore the world through literary and non-literary works. The students get to open their minds to possibilities that might seem far-fetched.

I am new to IB. In fact, I joined this workshop to acquire the necessary skills in order to transit to the program in the near future. I have realized that there is a lot to learn from the program and from the interactions we have with fellow teachers. Their feedback and input are invaluable.

Below is the list of the approaches in order of importance.

1. Conceptually focused approach

2. Inquiry-based approach

3. Collaborative approach

4. Contextualized approach

5. Differentiated approach

6. Informed by assessment approach

Why does the conceptually focused approach matter to me most?

This approach allows students to move from concrete to abstract thinking and facilitates the transfer of learning to new contexts.

It helps them make sense of various texts and issues examined in the course and the world at large and can form a theoretical umbrella for the course as a whole.

This approach invites students to form and justify their own understanding.

It is through the concepts acquired that the students are able to develop skills in critical thinking making learning connected and transferable.

The teacher is able to identify students' individual differences or capabilities thus adopting the differentiated approach.

Conceptually focused teaching paves the way to creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication skills.

1. Thinking skills

2. Communication skills

3. Self-management skills

4. Social skills

5. Research skills

I picked thinking skills as the most important learning approach because, in my opinion, it is fundamental to learning.

Thinking can be developed in Language and Literature through establishing connections between the works being studied.

Thinking skills help students:

• Gather and organize information that is relevant to the topic of study.

• Evaluate arguments and recognize assumptions and biases. They get to consider ideas that are different from theirs.

• Analyze complex concepts and projects into separate parts, synthesize them, create new understanding and help make decisions.

  
  

  Thinking skills foster critical and creative thinking. The students can create new ideas and works by using the existing works being studied.

In a class situation, when delving into the analysis of a text, say, identifying the themes or characterization, the students can instantly relate positively to the character traits or themes that they believe or are encultured to believe are positive and sort of shun the antagonistic traits. This would be the most expected interpretation of a text.

Resistant reading would be; some students being misled by the text and actually admiring the villain(s), consequently, emulating them.

IB aims to develop in a learner, the ten attributes in the IB profile. Realistically, the outcomes will vary depending on the socio-cultural, political and religious factors. These attributes also do not guarantee a 'peaceful world' and 'intercultural understanding' as the mission statement stipulates for the same reason- we are all different and interpret situations and experiences differently.

The author exudes authority is pointing out the specific outcome of the students. The author assures that the laid down aims and objectives will indeed be achieved by the end of the course.

• empathy

• service

• inquirers

• thinkers

• collaborate

phrases

risk-takers

foster life long interest

international-mindedness

academic honesty

These words and phrases reveal the central values of IB- to develop transformational leaders through the various approaches to education.

developing social, aesthetic and cultural literacy

Literature canon includes writers from ancient times through the late-twentieth century. I know of the Western canon, the English and the American canon. The Odyssey by Homer, Macbeth by William Shakespeare and Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer are examples of books generally considered to be part of literary canon. The literary elite like the famous authors and scholars determine which works fit the canon list. African and Asiatic literature seems to have little to no influence on the contribution of these discussions.

For a text to be deemed worthy of canonization, it had to withstand the test of time. These works are considered standards by which all other works are measured. This portrays a high degree of subjectivity.

The list of authors is predominantly white male. This is contrary to what IB attributes to the creation of the Prescribed Reading List. IB is designed to ensure inclusivity and international mindedness which is lacking in the canonical literature discussions.

Is the notion of a canon helpful in the study and understanding of literature?

Yes and no. 

Literary canon stands as an important standard for determining the quality and long-term value of any given work. Canon relies on a consensus of a community of taste over time. It consists of influential works that are important to appreciate and understand the three areas of exploration-time and space, writers, readers and texts and inter-textuality.

Studies in Literature engage students in an exploration of the nature of the human experience and make connections thus helping them have a sense of their perspectives.

On the other hand, canon forces students to read texts that have shared references rather than originality. This does not foster a sense of belonging. It also limits the students' degree of creativity and curiosity.

How does a Canon get established?

Literary works are canonized when they are deemed to be influential and significant over a given period. The traditional criteria for forming the canon have been associated with notions of quality, the selection of those texts that are considered the best.

Once a text is canonized, it's ingrained in our education system and that's why we find ourselves reading the same texts at the various levels of education.

What canon are you presenting to students in your Literature choices? 

In the Kenyan education system, a body of curriculum developers are responsible for the choice of texts to be read in the schools over a specific period, that is, four years.

We have compulsory texts, a novel, The Blossoms of the Savannah by Henry Ole Kulet, and a play, A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen and Fathers of Nations.

Students get to choose one from the optional texts: A Silent Song and Other Stories, Inheritance by David Mulwa and An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro.

The Blossoms of the Savannah, Fathers of Nations, Inheritance and A Silent Song are African texts. They cover an array of issues such as family, marriage, tradition and politics that resonate with the students mostly in Africa and developing regions. A Doll's House and An Artist of the Floating World expose our students to diverse literature that makes them appreciate universal human values such as honesty, family, love and selflessness.

Internal and external assessments allow teachers to understand the extent to which learning objectives have been met. Teaching is connected to learning through meaningful assessments as it provides guidance and stimulation the students need to reach their full potential as stated in the IB mission.

Key Issue: The social issues stemming from the marginalization of women and the subsequent endeavor to liberate themselves from confinement.

Texts used: An extract from the play, A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen page 107 and a Netflix documentary Film: Feminists, What Were They Thinking? Directed by Johanna Demetrakas, featuring a book titled, ‘Emergence’ by photographer Cynthia MacAdams.

Text 1

·         Ibsen reflects on the social problems arising out of the marginalization of women in his time.

·         The main character sheds light on the existence of gender-based confinement and the struggle to break free from it.

Text 2

·         Demetrakas’ documentary film captures women who embraced feminism highlighting their struggles, the feminist movement and their progress over time.

·         It explores issues of identity, race, marriage, motherhood, and abortion among others.

CONTRAST

A Doll’s House portrays the life of a woman who challenges the traditional gender roles of a woman at the time

Feminists, What Were They Thinking? Is a documentary that revisits the feminist movement of the 1970s and its impact on women’s lives.

COMPARISON

Both texts share the themes of exploring the experiences of women who fought for their rights and challenged the status quo.

Ibsen’s, A Doll’s House

The dynamics of Tovarld’s and Nora’s relationship reflect on the belief that men should be the dominant partners in marriage and other social domains.

Illustrations

·         Use of symbols such as the title of the play

·         Significance of the letters’ revelation in Nora’s marriage

·         Themes of desperation and deception are revealed

·         Repetition of ‘I swear I have forgiven you’

·          Irony and suspense- Nora’s reaction after being forgiven by Torvald

The play conveys a powerful statement to women about the importance of individuality, self-discovery and the need to break free from societal expectations to find genuine happiness.

Demetrakas’, Feminists, What Were They Thinking?

This documentary seeks to revisit the earlier years of the 1940s to 1960s, of women who played a key role in raising awareness about the struggles and frustrations they faced focusing on the social, economic and legal rights of women and challenging the traditional gender roles and stereotypes that limited women's opportunities and choices.

Illustrations

·         A close reading of the rhetorical question- What Were They Thinking?

·         Issues explored in the film- identity, race, abortion, marriage, employment, motherhood among others

·         Flashbacks- to reveal the oppression women experienced in the early years and appreciate the changes seen now

·         Message conveyed by body postures of the women in the photographs

·         Colour and contrast of the photographs

·         Mood created by the black-and-white choice of photography

·         Symbolism- of nude photographs, mannequins in the background

The documentary seeks to educate the world and challenge the women to assert themselves for equal rights in this male-dominated society.