Edutaınment and Interactıon as Two Effectıve Tools For Unıversıty Textbook Wrıtıng

Abstract

This paper is of a descriptive-exploratory nature. It is intended to shed light on an action carried out by the first author to design and write two textbooks: Linguistics, and Semantics and Pragmatics, for students majoring in English at university level in Iraqi universities and colleges. The tools adopted in writing these two books are edutainment and interaction. They are achieved through the extensive use of different types of teaching strategies and activities, such as video watching, image capturing, discussion groups, pair work and PowerPoint Presentations. Additionally, supplementary exercises and activities are also included in each chapter of the two books.  These aim at broadening and reinforcing the students’ knowledge and understanding of the subject matter delivered herein.

The main objective behind this action is to move the study of Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics from the old-fashioned atmosphere. An atmosphere which is characterized by lecturing, as a single process, to a more efficient and interactive one; a multi-sided process, focused on creating a completely novel edutaining-interactive atmosphere. This is achieved through the balanced mixture of knowledge, entertainment and interaction occurring at three different levels. Between the teacher and students, among students themselves and between students and textbook material.