William Tiley
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU), Japan
About
Will is a lecturer at APU, an international university in Beppu, southern Japan. His research interests include willingness to communicate and vocabulary activation, in addition to his pet project on the use of Modern Art in the language classroom that will be introduced at this conference. This is his first time presenting at KOTESOL, although he is definitely a little disappointed that he can’t be in Korea presenting in person!Sessions
Art in the ESL Classroom: More Than Just a Discussion Topic? more
Sun, May 1, 10:30-Tue, May 31, 11:55 Asia/Seoul
The role of art in modern education is often raised in discussions, with supporters citing a range of studies that indicate considerable additional benefits for students. These studies have shown that art can encourage academic development (Catterall et al.,1999), problem solving (Malley & Silverstein, 2014), self-expression (John Dewey, as cited by Heilig et al., 2010) and willingness to display learning publicly (Burton et al., 1999). A number of these skills are also fundamental in language acquisition; however, very little research has been done to assess the potential role of art as a tool within the ESL classroom. This presentation will discuss the findings of a survey-based preliminary study into the potential benefits of art discussions for English language students at university, highlighting that art is not only a stimulating and meaningful classroom topic, but can also have a positive influence on students’ self expression and communication skills.