Re-thinking Picturebooks for Intermediate and Advanced Learners: Perspectives for Secondary English Language Education

Prof. Dr. Grit Alter ist Hochschul-Professorin für Fachdidaktik Englisch an der Pädagogischen Hochschule Tirol, Innsbruck.Prof. Dr. Thorsten Merse lehrt Didaktik des Englischen (EFL Education) an der Universität Duisburg-Essen.

The pedagogic value of picturebooks for teaching English in primary schools is undisputed. However, they also hold immense potential for secondary English language education. Their intricate design, thematic complexity, and rich options for competence development, e.g., in areas such as critical thinking or fostering visual literacy, transcend primary classrooms. This volume engages in a research-based discourse of how the transfer of this supposedly childlike literary medium to the secondary level can succeed. It legitimizes picturebooks as a complex text form that lends itself to competence- and content-oriented learning in English lessons with intermediate and advanced learners. The conceptual and empirical perspectives collected in this volume offer prospective and practicing teachers concrete insights on how picturebooks can enrich the classroom in many ways. A wide range of practical examples illustrates their potential for teaching English in secondary schools - from promoting different literacies and literary learning to focusing on topics such as the environment, social justice, or cultural diversity. With a foreword by Bettina Kümmerling-Meibauer

Der didaktische Wert von Picturebooks für den Englischunterricht in der Grundschule gilt als unumstritten. Jedoch gibt es in Forschung und Praxis derzeit kaum Ansätze, wie der Transfer dieses vermeintlich kindlichen Literaturmediums in die Sekundarstufen gelingen kann. Dieser Band legitimiert picturebooks als komplex angelegte Textform, die sich auch mit fortgeschrittenen Lernenden zu kompetenz- und inhaltsorientierter Arbeit im Englischunterricht anbietet. Die im Band versammelten konzeptuellen und empirischen Perspektiven zeigen Lehramtsstudierenden, Referendar:innen und Lehrkräften konkret auf, wie vielfältig Picturebooks den Unterricht bereichern können.

Picturebooks als komplexe Literatur für den EnglischunterrichtNeue Blickwinkel auf Picturebooks auch außerhalb der PrimarstufeUmfassend und übersichtliche Erklärung zur Nutzung von Picturebooks in der Sekundarstufe

Foreword: Why picturebooks matter in secondary education (Bettina Kümmerling-Meibauer)Introduction: Positioning picturebooks in secondary English language teaching (Grit Alter & Thorsten Merse)Part I: Conceptual Perspectives: Re-negotiating the Status of Picturebooks in Secondary ELT1 Eco-picturebooks for older learners: Features, selection criteria, and practical suggestions(Theresa Summer)2 The centrality of conceptual metaphors to a reading of characters' thoughts and feelings in Shaun Tan's picturebooks (Markus Oppolzer)3 "It was all very mysterious indeed" - Addressing the counterpoint effect in Oliver Jeffers' The Great Paper Caper in the upper secondary classroom (Anne Herlyn)4 "The book really got me" - Individualized reading of picturebooks in a secondary EFL classroom (Annika Kolb & Heiko Kist)Part II: Themes, Competences, Literacies(Re-)Envisioning picturebooks for social justice education in advanced classrooms: A critical literacy perspective from Canada (Elena Louloudi)6 I Dissent - Discussing Ruth Bader Ginsburg's egalitarianversion of the American Dream at higher secondary level (Katja Heim)7 Picturebooks matter: Developing citizenship education in the EFL classroom with teenage learners (Helena Lopes)8 "Who's that man?" - Stirring teenagers' curiosity through Peter Sis's The Wall (Sissil Lea Heggernes)9 Crack in the classroom: A picturebook about the socialproblem of drug abuse and retrospective reflectionsfrom the classroom (Sandie Mourao)As so often, this started with a cup of coffee... A personal reflection on this publishing process (Grit Alter & Thorsten Merse)