Analitical Essay

Javiera Pavez P.
May 31st, 2009
Language IX
Crystal Hickerson

How teachers affect students’ learning process inside the classroom

Deniz Salli – Çopur, a Turkish teacher, in her article “Using Anecdotes in Language Class”, argues that “anecdote often have an emotional component such as happiness or sadness, excitement or embarrassment, or amusement or disappointment” (2008, p. 34).
The provided arguments in the text allow me to agree that the author with her nonscientific research based only on what happens in real life in different schools, strongly believes that the use of anecdotes as a technique to gain students attention and interest could also create a context of learning full of meaningful and memorable facts.
The article follows pieces of argumentation about the usefulness of anecdotes in the language class, where we are attracted to follow the sequence of how, when and why to use anecdotes during the lesson.
This article is based on many researchers’ works which allow Salli-Çopur to have complete and reliable arguments that support his ideas. There are six narrative elements of an anecdote which are focused on the way they should work, how relevant are they, what make the anecdote interesting and the signs of an anecdote such us key words to introduce an anecdote. Moreover, talking about the use of anecdotes in the class the author states that “teachers usually have an additional intention in mind: teaching objective to describe, explain, clarify or emphasize an aspect of language or content” (2008, p. 35). Here we can say that there are different groups to describe anecdotes; one is focused on the ones which are planed and come up to the lesson as a part of it where an exercise will come next to it. Then, there are anecdotes that are part planed and part unplanned, where the anecdote appears into the lesson because the teacher had it in mind but he/she tells it with improvised words in a certain time of the lesson. And, the last kind of anecdote is the one that is absolutely not prepared or thought previously, they come up naturally during any part of the lesson.
Every anecdote is accompanied by results that allow the teacher to say if the anecdote is beneficial or not in the language class. Some benefits the author explains have to do with the statement that “anecdotes are one of the most economical, easy, and enjoyable ways to introduce meaningful language an content, to practice language skills and sub-skills, and to help manage classes of various ages and proficiency levels” (2008, p. 36).
The benefits that the author provides are based on her experience on using anecdotes in her classes. Those benefits refer to the importance of having an interesting way to call students’ attention. On the other hand, students can also add their own experiences which allow the discussion, the sharing of mutual feedback, the reinforcement of students’ story telling skills, conversational skills, the improvement of their cognitive skills, their ability to synthesize and withhold information, and finally the reinforcement of the students’ ability to have friendly relationships between teacher-student and student-student.
This article is effective in the way teachers realize that the benefits of the use of anecdotes in the lesson and teachers are able to practice their sense of humor or at least star using it. I think it is a well organized article but which could include more evidence that will help the understanding of having planed lessons and adding information that is connected and relevant to the main topic of the lesson.
In conclusion, I think the author’s argumentation that the use of anecdotes can help to gain students interest and to create a meaningful and memorable context of learning, improve our conception of the importance of sharing experiences with students and to make an enjoyable lesson when students and teachers feel a connection after shearing mutual anecdotes.

References:
Deniz Salli-Çopur. “Using Anecdotes in Language Class.” English Teaching Forum 46.1 (2008): 34-39.