Art for English Language Learning: Introducing the Work of Japan’s Chihiro Iwasaki

James W. Porcaro, Japan

James W. Porcaro is a former (retired) professor at Toyama University of International Studies, where he now teaches part-time as well as at other institutions, including high school. His many interests and publications include the areas of literary translation in EFL instruction, teaching English for science and technology, task-based language teaching, African Studies and CLIL, high school English teaching, and high school teacher training. E-mail: porcaro@tuins.ac.jp

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Quick guide
Rationale
Introduction
Preparation and presentation
Pair or group tasks
Conclusion
References

Quick guide

Keywords: artwork, pair or group work, describing, responding
Learner English level: low and lower intermediate
Learner maturity: high school to university
Preparation time: depending on manner of showing pictures to the class; about one hour to prepare the scaffolding activity and handout for students
Activity time: one or two 90-minute periods, or two or three 50-minute periods
Materials: pictures of Iwasaki artwork in hand or on the Internet

Rationale

Art in its many forms may be employed in a great variety of creative and enjoyable ways in English language classrooms at all levels to stimulate language use and develop the basic skills of speaking, listening, writing, and reading, as well as critical thinking and expression.

Artwork can be used effectively in language instruction not only to focus on structural forms and vocabulary but also especially to prompt real communication among students and with their teachers through their responses to visual images. Artistic images activate imaginations, and even at basic levels of language use, students and teachers may express their thoughts and feelings about what they see in speaking and writing, and thus share these personal responses with others.

In addition, with exposure to artwork from their own cultural heritage, students of English as a foreign language appreciate the instruction presented to them and are more disposed to engage in lesson activities. Utilizing such lesson content in well-suited tasks facilitates, encourages, and motivates students’ meaningful use of the language and self-expression, and thus promotes language acquisition and proficiency. Moreover, it genuinely and importantly contributes to their sense of ownership of the English language.

In his essay “Language and The Human Spirit”, Jim Cummins (2003) observes that “there is an inseparable linkage between the conceptions of language and human identity that we infuse in our classroom instruction.” In the context of the instructional choices we make, he notes that we must examine “the extent to which the classroom interactions we orchestrate build on and affirm the cultural, linguistic, intellectual and personal identities that students bring to our classrooms.”

Teachers can explore the artistic heritage and contemporary artwork of the countries in which they live and work, and find suitable material for their classes. They can also draw from the trove of other countries that which would work well with their students. Indeed, instruction of English as an international language should include the adoption of such treasures from around the world. This lesson outline, then, presents to teachers and their students the artwork of Japan’s Chihiro Iwasaki (1918-1974).

Introduction

Most of the thousands of pictures Chihiro Iwasaki painted are precious portrayals of children in watercolors. They are depicted in a soft, gentle style, yet are vibrant with life and display bright splashes of color in children’s hats and other attire, balloons, flowers, birds and other elements of nature. The children are drawn with subtle expressions that make us wonder about their thoughts and feelings. Iwasaki fervently committed her work to the happiness of children and peace in the world. Her illustrations fill scores of children’s story books. Many of her pictures are readily available on the Internet. An entry of “Chihiro Iwasaki” into Google Images will call up dozens of her most beloved illustrations. There are two Chihiro Art Museums in Japan, in Tokyo and Nagano, for the permanent display of her art. The website in English is at: www.chihiro.jp/global/en/index.html

Preparation and presentation

After becoming familiar with the artwork of Chihiro Iwasaki through the Internet references given above, teachers must decide the manner in which they will introduce the pictures to their classes. I have used calendars with her illustrations and individual prints and postcards of some of her pictures. However, teachers need not spend any money or take the time to order such items when scores of her paintings are immediately accessible on the Internet. Teachers can project the web images on a screen or interactive whiteboard in the classroom, or simply direct students to access Google Images on their individual smartphones or other mobile devices at their desks. Teachers could also select and print a limited number of pictures to show the class and later distribute to pairs or groups for the assigned tasks.

At first, I briefly tell the class about Chihiro Iwasaki and her work and then ask the students to tell their first impressions of the pictures that they see. I then select at least one picture to scaffold with the class the tasks that they will be given to do in pairs. (Small groups of three or four may suit some teachers just as well.) One of my favorites is the cover illustration for the story book “Momoko’s Birthday”.

I ask students first to describe what they see in the painting. Students at low levels of English proficiency might offer just single words or an unstructured set of words. The teacher can iron out these responses and write them on the board. For the example picture (which you will see immediately on the first page of Google Images for the entry on “Chihiro Iwasaki”) these likely would include:

She is a little girl.
She’s wearing a big red hat and red mittens.
She is smiling. She is happy.
She is outside. Snow is falling.
It’s cold. Her cheeks and nose are red too.

I ask students how they feel when they look at the picture. Then I ask the class to construct with me a short story for the portrait of the child we see, first giving her a name. Eliciting about five simple sentences, which can be written on the board, would be wonderful. For our example, the following might come forth:

It’s winter in Toyama. Momoko is happy to see the first snowfall. She wanted to go out and play in the snow. Her mom dressed her in a warm jacket and she put on her big red hat and red mittens. She made a snowman with her friends. She had a great day!

With this example of scaffolding, color, body parts, and clothing vocabulary were produced, along with simple action words in the present and simple past tenses.

Pair or group tasks

The class then is directed to work in pairs (or small groups). If students access the Iwasaki pictures on their mobile devices, first they select one that they want to work with. If the teacher distributes prints of the pictures (in one of the forms previously mentioned) each pair or group may be allowed (quickly) to select a favorite. (Even with a class of 30 students, in groups of 3, just ten picture prints would be needed.)

Students then proceed with the tasks that were just demonstrated by scaffolding. A well laid out worksheet prepared by the teacher is given to the students. It could include the following directions, with spaces for students’ written responses.

Tell what you see in the picture.
Describe the child (or children) and the items in the picture.
Tell what is happening in the picture.
Tell what you think the child is (or children are) thinking and feeling.
Tell how you feel when you look at the picture.
Make a story of about five sentences for the picture.

Students in pairs (or small groups) negotiate with each other on the points to make in response to the directions and the wording to use. Members of the pairs or groups each write the same words on their worksheets.

The teacher collects the worksheets when completed and then can prepare for the next lesson a review of the students’ work. This post-task activity can serve not only as an opportunity to share with the class the content points of some of the responses but also to focus on some points of structural form and vocabulary.

Conclusion

It is especially important for students at lower levels of English language proficiency to have opportunities in their instruction for meaningful communicative use of the language. “[I]t is precisely because art expresses itself in visual images instead of words that it can be an effective counterbalance to the overwhelming dominance of text-based learning” (Caruana-Dingli, 2000). Students’ engagement with appealing artwork such as that of Chihiro Iwasaki enables them to express their instinctive and imaginative responses to the visual images in simple forms and words that they mostly know and to share their experience with classmates and teachers. I sincerely hope that through this lesson outline the artwork of Chihiro Iwasaki will reach the hearts of many others around the world.

References

Caruana-Dingli, M. (2000). A picture? What is its value in the EFL classroom? Newsletter of the Malta Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (Spring). Retrieved January 2, 2013, from www.matefl.org/_mgxroot/page_10667.html

Cummins, J. (2003). Language and the human spirit. TESOL Matters, 13 (1)

Please check the Teaching English Through Multiple Intelligences course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the Creative Methodology for the Classroom course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the Methodology and Language for Primary Teachers course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the CLIL: Content and Methodology for Primary Teachers course at Pilgrims website.