Academic Summary

Academic Summary: The use of Haiku in the Classroom

Iida (2010) in his article “Developing Voice by Composing Haiku: A Social-Expressivist Approach for Teaching Haiku Writing in EFL Contexts” states that the social expressivist approach to writing is encouraging the teaching of Haikus in EFL classrooms. Haiku is a kind of poetry composed of three lines which facilitates students to contact their feelings and express them by describing nature and human behavior. It helps to increase students´ vocabulary and to develop their writing skills. Furthermore, it stimulates students to find their own voice considering the audience.

Haiku has some special features such as a syllable pattern, a seasonal reference and a cutting word or punctuation mark which divides the Haiku in two independent pieces and fosters reflection on both parts and the Haiku as unity. Because of these and due to the audience, each Haiku is free of interpretation. (Iida, 2010)

Reading Haiku is the first stage to introduce this type of poetry into the classroom (Iida, 2010). By analyzing structures, discovering meaning and interpreting them, students can be aware of the writer´s voice. By sharing free and multiple interpretations students will negotiate meaning with other members of the audience and the author.

Secondly, students should compose their own Haikus. Instructions should be open, clear and simple. According to Iida (2010), after reviewing the concept of Haiku and its features, students go to the outside world to hear and observe. They compose by using their impression, the correct use of words, wording and the possible use of synonyms. Peer reading helps to discover meaning and to see the impact of them. Afterwards, students are requested to collect important memories, so as to write a haiku about them. It is very important to foster writing fluency than grammatical accuracy.

Lastly, Iida (2010) states that to show students´ haikus increase the possibility to find new audiences to interpret students´ productions, not only peers and teachers in the classroom context. (p. 33)

Through the introduction of Haiku in the classroom students will achieve the use of their own voices, and awareness of audience.  The usage of the speaker´s discourse influenced by his life´s story, experiences and culture encourages the growth of literacy and critical thinking.

References

 Iida, A. (2010).  Developing Voice by Composing Haiku: A Social-Expressivist Approach for Teaching Haiku Writing in EFL Contexts. English Teaching Forum, Nbr. 1. DOI: EJ914886