We Teach Well's World Lit Podcast: Recent Episodes
Carolyn Newall
Have you ever found yourself doubting your ability to teach stories that belong to unfamiliar cultures? What if the students ask questions you can’t answer? Worried you don’t know enough? (we’ve all been there.) Want to grow your literary knowledge and improve your student’s outcomes? Look no further!
Carolyn Newall and Judy Hefferan of the We Teach Well organisation have set out on a mission to bring you a unique and borderless educational experience, the World Lit podcast. Join the pair as they host guest educators from around the world to discuss the crucial cultural, historical and personal background knowledge you need to teach these books effectively. Breaking the cycle of cultural imperialism in our classrooms, We Teach Well is committed to providing teachers everywhere with equal opportunities to learn and teach.
Come and share in a learning adventure!
Dr Jeffrey Aaron Weingarten is a Professor at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. He has had many years teaching literature and his PhD was focussed on Canadian literature, particularly poetry. Currently he is teaching professional writing and communication while being in devoted service to a 2 year old called Clio.
Milton Villarroel has had a long career teaching languages and literature. He has worked as an English language translator for the Bolivian Embassy in the US and currently teachers Spanish at a school in the US. He has a keen grasp of the cultural differences between Latin America and the US and shares his insights and knowledge with us.
When we were making the list of countries we wanted to explore in the early episodes of the podcast, Ireland was near the top of the list. Some of the very best writing included in English literature courses was written in Ireland. And if any country understands how English has been used as a colonising tool it is Ireland. Well Scotland too, but def Ireland.
John is an English teacher in Ireland. Dublin to be exact. When he was at college he set up an education consultancy to help pay the bills, he gave tuition and created study aids. This eventually led him into the high school classroom. Currently, while teaching, he provides resources to over 500 schools in Ireland as well as many overseas. He has been doing this for over a decade which makes him one of the first educators to see the benefits of the internet.
We catch up again with New Zealand teacher Angela Tutty, to talk about New Zealand literature.
The session with Angela led into issues about the treatment of, and recognition of the rich history and culture of first nations people. The historical and cultural developments that have taken place in New Zealand are far more advanced than many other countries with colonial pasts. There is much that we can learn from New Zealand in this regard.
Angela is a New Zealand teacher who has taught overseas and is currently teaching in Melbourne. She talks to us about New Zealand literature, about the progress that has been made in New Zealand in regard to Maori texts and how much more needs to be done in regard to indigenous cultures across the globe.
Angela is so passionate about fighting the colonial influence of literature and it was too hard to try and fit it into one episode. So I made it 2.
This is the first.
Gwee is a poet, teacher and literary critic from Singapore. In this episode he is explaining the complex cultural and historical issues that are embedded in the literature of Singapore.
One of the most significant of these is how Singapore has managed to use English for commerce, education and governance, while maintaining 3 different mother tongues.
We Teach Well founders, Carolyn Newall and Judy Hefferan introduce the theme for season one. Decolonising literature. Intent on providing quality material for English and literature teachers where ever they may live, in future episodes Carolyn will interview teachers, academics and writers from across the globe to talk about their country's literature.