Preservice Teachers\u27 Use of Frustration to Enhance Communication

Pre-service teaching, a required component of accredited teacher education programs across the United States, provides the opportunity for pre-service teachers to not only teach in their specific fields, but also to work with specific populations of students, such as English Language Learners (ELLs). Rarely, however, do pre-service teachers from the U.S. have the opportunity to teach ELLs in contexts where languages other than English and cultures other than American are dominant. This presentation reports how pre-service teachers teaching ELLs in just such situations dealt with frustrations common to pre-service teachers and also frustrations due to situational contexts. Through self-reporting, these pre-service teachers describe how they used these frustrations to inform their conceptual knowledge, to make changes in their own English while teaching English to others, and to improve their teaching skills

Putting it Graphically: Fidelity in Graphic Novel Adaptations of Classic German Literature

The rise of the graphic novel as a new genre of the arts has prompted many questions surrounding it – about its nature, relationship to other genres, effect on audiences, etc. In our research, we specifically examined graphic novel adaptations of classic German works that are part of the “canon” of German literature. We first read the original work and then the graphic novel adaptation. Our aim was to determine how faithful the adaptation was to the original using four criteria: style (character perspective/representation), use of original text, plot additions or subtractions, and use of color. in each of the four works, we analyzed these criteria as they appeared (or did not appear) in the graphic novel and then discussed how they served (or did not serve) to portray the original novel faithfully. From our analysis, we concluded that graphic novel adaptations of classic “canon” works of German literature are largely faithful to the original works, and that they use style, original text, plot, and color to achieve this faithful portrayal

An Examination of Wladimir Kaminer’s Humor

Humor is a quality of amusement that is evoked by mishap plus time. The source of the mishap may be a crude theme, embarrassing situation or interpersonal clash caused by various incongruencies. One must be chronologically and spatially removed from the occurrence for the situation to be considered humorous. The audience must have the ability to recognize and relate to the absurdity. Scholars recognize three main theories of humor. Superiority theory involves the application of judgement and superiority on themes or people who are often perceived as crude, lowly, or controversial. Relief theory sees humor as a means by which tense or embarrassing situations can be relieved, in which no harm is done to those involved. Incongruity theory emerges in situations where stark or subtle differences in culture or expectations cause an interpersonal clash, where each supposes his is the authentic perspective and the other’s the improper. Wladimir Kaminer (b. 1967) is a Russian-born immigrant to Germany and best-selling author of more than 20 books that describe the humorous interactions between Germans and immigrants to that country, especially Russians. To determine which theory best explained the humor in Kaminer’s works, each group member read one of Kaminer’s books, then suggested three chapters from their book that best highlight the humor of their respective title for group analysis. The chapters were analyzed by each group member for categorization under one, two, or all three theories of humor. The results were entered into a chart to visualize the distribution of the group’s individual evaluations of each chapter. A Venn diagram best illustrates our results, which show that the humor of most of the chapters is best explained by a combination of at least two theories with Incongruity Theory being the most common element of every combination. Conclusion After the four researchers examined 12 stories from four books, they determined that humor is most commonly displayed as a combination of two to three of the theories. Particularly in the humor of Wladimir Kaminer, incogruency theory forms the basis of most cases of humor. “The incongruity theory is the most important of the three explanation models since every comic effect can be traced back to a moment of incongruity” (Bogomolova 2010, p. 20)

A Comparative Analysis of Martin Luther\u27s Works

In this study we sought to analyze the inclusion of themes from Martin Luther\u27s 95 Theses (1517) in his later writings and the possible development of such themes. We sought to analyze selected works by Luther in order to answer the following question: Of the themes of the 95 Theses, which remain unchanged, which change, and which disappear in his later writings? After translating and analyzing the 95 Theses as a group, we discussed and agreed upon six themes: purgatory, the pope and the clergy, canonical law, indulgences, the gospel and salvation, and repentance. We then individually compared these themes to selected works of Luther’s writings (or his hymns in general). Due to the different natures and purposes of each work, we found varying results. Ultimately, we concluded that the 95 Theses neither summarizes nor predicts Luther’s theology. Luther in fact continues to develop his theology over time and tailors his content for the particular audiences for which he writes

Identifying Elements of \u3cem\u3eKinder- und Jugendliteratur\u3c/em\u3e

Kinder- und Jugendliteratur, children’s literature written for the purpose of teaching or entertaining young people, has been present in German literature since the Middle Ages. This genre has changed as German literature progressed, reflecting the developments of each era, including such periods as the Romantic, the Biedermeier, Realism, Modernism and Postmodernism. As such, we examined individual works of German Kinder- und Jugendliteratur for the purpose of identifying distinctive features which situate them within children’s literature as well as in the respective historical genre. The works examined were Nußknacker und Mausekönig (1816) by E. T. A. Hoffmann, Emil und die Detektive (1929) by Erich Kästner, Försters Pucki (1935) by Madge Trott, Jan und das Wildpferd (1957) by Heinrich Denneborg, Die Wolke (1987) by Gudrun Pausewang, and Tintenherz (2003) by Cornelia Funke. We present our findings in the form of a Wimmelbuch, a typical form of German Kinder- und Jugendliteratur made popular during the Biedermeier period of the mid-1800s

Americanization: The immigrant's bridge to assimilation

This content analysis of English language textbooks used during the Americanization period (1914--1924) sought to determine the discourse on immigration during this period in American history. The findings brought to light representations that can be applied to the current discourse on immigration and the expected assimilation or acculturation of those immigrants who would become American citizens.Through language textbooks, immigrants learn grammatical language forms, culture and cultural language. Cultural language or pragmatic language is necessary for the second language learner to be able to communicate clearly in the new speech community found in America. Americanization textbooks taught immigrants about American democracy, the qualities and characteristics that make a good citizen, and proper grammatical and pragmatic language forms.Using a content analysis model, this study sought to determine whether or not the Americanization textbook authors provided instruction for the specific themes of Democracy, Good Citizenship and Pragmatic Language. Thirty-four textbooks and 16 language methodologies published during this period were examined for explicit and implicit evidence of instruction in the three themes. Results of the study showed that Democracy was well represented via 13 categories throughout the textbooks. Good Citizenship was depicted twice as often as Democracy via 18 categories. However, Pragmatic Language was represented by 10 categories made up of nine speech acts and humor, but appeared only 10% as often as those categories representing Good Citizenship.By analyzing the emphasis given to instruction in Democracy, Good Citizenship and Pragmatic Language, one begins to understand the discourse on immigration during the Americanization period. It is clear that while the Americanization movement sought to have immigrants look and act like Americans, they were not taught the necessary language that would allow them to blend into the American speech community, thus forever leaving them outside the culture of power. Understanding this discourse enables those involved with educating today's immigrants to recognize the current discourse on immigration and alter those areas of instruction that do not allow immigrants the best opportunity to learn the elements of culture and cultural language that would allow them to fit into and engage in mainstream American society.</p

The Textbook as Discourse: Sociocultural Dimensions of American Schoolbooks

The central assumption of The Textbook as Discourse is this: interpreted in the flow of history, textbooks can provide important insights into the nature and meaning of a culture and the social and political discourses in which it is engaged. This book is about the social, political and cultural content of elementary and secondary textbooks in American education. It focuses on the nature of the discourses—the content and context—that represent what is included in textbooks. The term discourse provides the conceptual framework for the book, drawing on the work of the French social theorist Michel Foucault. The volume includes classic articles and book chapters as well as three original chapters written by the editors. To enhance its usefulness as a course text, each chapter includes an Overview, Key Concepts, and Questions for Reflection.https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/faculty_books/1127/thumbnail.jp