English through Art: Another great way to learn the language with English Language Partners!

As lockdown level 2 rolled on, and after 10 weeks looking at each other through a phone screen, this English Language Partner’s class thought a face-to-face gathering would be fantastic.

Palmerston North’s ESOL Literacy learners have been learning online throughout New Zealand’s strictest lockdowns.

They’ve been studying words that describe objects and feelings, and decided that art is a great way to explore feelings – giving plenty of opportunity for describing scenes, colours and shapes.

So they chose the art gallery at Te Manawa for their first get-together. It’s a place many hadn’t been to, even after living in Palmerston North for many years.

People were very excited to gather after so long and had looked forward to catching up with friends on the outing.

They enjoyed the art in the different galleries – using the touchscreens to get more information.

A display of scholarship art portfolios provided a lot of interest as there was a range of topics. This promoted discussion about what each artist was trying to say and whether the learners liked the images or not.

Not all the art was enjoyed, but expressing negative views also proved a great language experience. “I don’t like the picture because the colours are dark”, “I don’t like the picture of dead animals” “The picture makes me confused.”

Visiting the art gallery was a new experience for many learners and gave the opportunity to look at art was a valuable learning experience.  The class hope to return there soon.

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