CLOSE TEXTUAL ANALYSIS IN PRACTICE

CLOSE TEXTUAL ANALYSIS IN PRACTICE

Well, here I have posted my analysis of five key IB documents. Based upon questions posed in a Professional Development workshop on Language A: Language and Literature.

IB mission statement

“The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. 

To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. 

These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.”

What ideological biases exist in the IB mission statement and how do you know this as a reader?

IB mission statement is both a political and technical instrument. It could be classified as injunctive text. An injunctive text is a text that explains an action and/or gives instructions. Regarding the context of production IB defines itself as an educational organization (2^nd paragraph). Hence, ideologically, IB gives itself the right to educate and in a very high level since it “works with schools, governments and international organizations. IB mission and the use of the word “mission” tells a lot about IB’s ambition. An organization with a mission is both caring and strict. In the case of IB, it is caring because the mission is one of compassion but strict due to its “rigorous assessment”.

IB learner profile

They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives. 

They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines. 

They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions. 

They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others. 

They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them. 

They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience. 

They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment. 

They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs. 

They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others. 

They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development. 

What is the dominant reading of this text and what might be an oppositional reading of the IB learner profile?

The dominant reading of IB’s Learner Profile can be described in many dimensions. Firstly, by advocating a learner profile, IB stablishes that it is an educational mission, again, for it is not “a worker profile”, nor “a consultant profile” but a Learner Profile. So, by taking this responsibility IB tries to encompass all the major dimensions of a human being. The Learner profile first ambition is to answer what would be the key features of a human being that is able to fulfil it mission. Since, there is a lot of interconnectedness with the previous document (IB mission). One can’t be fully understood is without the other. Hence, the dominant reading of IB Learner is that it explains and broadens the meaning of International mindedness by clarifying the abilities and attitudes needed by those who will “create a better and more peaceful world”.  

An oppositional reading can be constructed by asking oneself if such an ambition is too arrogant. Besides, isn’t it controversial that one set of parameters should be the same for all mankind? Where is the room for cultural or local features? Even metaphysical views or ontological are opened to dialectical or phenomenological approaches of reality and human relations. Furthermore, it seems that IB Learners will never make mistakes nor ever be in need of help or assistance. He/she will always be the helper, the leader, but never helped, never guided by someone else.

Course aims and assessment objectives

Studies in language and literature aims to:

·         engage with a range of texts, in a variety of media and forms, from different periods, styles, genres and cultures

·         develop skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, presenting and performing 

·         develop skills in interpretation, analysis and evaluation

·         develop sensitivity to the formal and aesthetic qualities of texts and an appreciation of how they contribute to meaning

·         develop an understanding of relationships between texts and a variety of perspectives, cultural contexts and local and global issues

·         develop an understanding of the relationships between studies in language and literature and other disciplines

·         communicate and collaborate in a confident and creative way

·         foster a lifelong interest in and enjoyment of language and literature.

Assessment objectives:

Know, understand and interpret:

·         a range of texts, works and/or performances, and their meanings and implications

·         contexts in which texts are written and/or received

·         elements of literary, stylistic, rhetorical, visual and/or performance craft

·         features of particular text types, literary forms and genres.

Analyse and evaluate:

·         ways in which the use of language creates meaning

·         uses and effects of literary, stylistic, rhetorical, visual or theatrical techniques 

·         relationships among different texts

·         ways in which texts may offer perspectives on human concerns. 

Communicate:

·         ideas in clear, logical and persuasive ways in a range of styles, registers and situations

·         (for literature and performance only) ideas, emotion, character and atmosphere through performance.

What is the tone created in the aims and assessment objectives, how does the author create it, and why?

The tone is rather technical regarding educational and curricular sciences. The author creates it by using the infinitive form of the verbs which is particularly suitable for learning objectives. Besides, the use of bullet points creates a pattern that emphasizes the technical tone. We can also state that it is a formal tune for the same reason. Concerning the assessment objectives, we may remark that by using “clusters” of objective categories, a concise tone is given to the text, making it even possible to summarize it in a mind map of sorts.

Standards and practices

Learning in the IB community celebrates the many ways people work together to construct meaning and make sense of the world. Through the interplay of asking, doing and thinking, this constructivist approach leads towards open, democratic classrooms.

IB students and teachers are lifelong learners, independently and in collaboration with others. Learning communities in IB World Schools engage in cycles of inquiry, action and reflection that lead to deeper understanding and a lifetime of learning. Learning is the central tenet as well as the outcome of developing purpose, culture, and environment in IB schools.

 

What words or phrases have a highly charged connotation and what is the effect on the reader?

I think there is a chain of words and expressions that emphasize the collaborative dimension of IB and IB Language Learning Standards and practices. So, we can pinpoint: “community”, “work together”, “interplay”, “democratic, “in collaboration”, “Learning communities”, “environment”. This chain encompasses the whole document from the beginning to the end.

Also, the use of the verb “celebrates” is obviously charged not only for it creates a metaphor that is not common in educational setting, that of learning as a “celebration”, but also because it “smoothens” a rather technical text.

Creativity, activity and service

There is a wide range of CAS experiences and projects that can arise from the work done in studies in language and literature courses. The following ones are just examples of the types of connections that might be established and the CAS outcomes they would be addressing:

·         Create or participate in a literary walking tour of the city the students live in, in which the milestones of a particular author’s biography or the most significant places in the setting of a text they have read are visited, described and discussed. (The three areas – creativity, service and activity – would be involved if the students actually created the tour; activity and creativity would be involved if the student participated in the walking tour and then produced some kind of creative response to it; mere participation in the tour would cover only activity.)

·         Plan and host an event to raise awareness about a global issue explored in a text the students have read (creativity, service).

·         Create audiobooks of texts the students are reading for the sight-impaired or make a critical review of existing audiobooks for the school librarian, in terms of the performance of the actor/reader (creativity, service).

·         Develop and run book clubs or literary circles with younger students in the school (creativity, service).

·         The connections between a subject and CAS can result in a single experience or may be developed into a project. No matter what final shape this connection takes, however, CAS experiences and projects must be distinct from, and may not be included or used, in the student’s Diploma Programme course requirements.

What words or phrases demonstrate the ideological perspective of this text?

In the first example we can notice a connection with local literature: “a particular author’s biography or the most significant places in the setting of a text they have read are visited, described and discussed.”. This example differs form the next one which leads to “awareness about a global issue explored in a text”. So we can state that this text interconnects with all the previous ones by advocating the importance of global-local interplay.