This roundtable is aimed at bringing up innovative approaches to incorporating cultural components in Persian language teaching. Some of the topics at stake will be: 1) using poetry in the beginner level as a teaching tool, 2) connecting poetry to prose to enhance comprehension and vocabulary buildup, 3) deploying cultural awareness to boost learners’ motivation, and 4) utilizing technological tools to enhance learners’ motivation and cultural competence. Each of the presentations on these topics will be followed by questions and answer as well as in invitation for discussions and more suggestions. Therefore, the audience will also be a part of this roundtable making it as engaging and as useful as possible for teachers of Persian.
The role of literature as a teaching tool in language classrooms has often been underestimated and many give little value to incorporating poetry memorization in their lesson plans. Some see the process as cumbersome and time consuming while others view poetry as a deviation from standard norms of language. In this presentation, I will share my experience of using poetry memorization successfully for Beginner Persian curriculum by discussing the following while seeking roundtable participants feedback on each topic:
Benefits of poetry memorization
Criteria for selecting appropriate poem
Step-by-step process of guiding student through memorization
Evaluation
Feedback