Klingon Teaching

This week we learned about how teaching Klingon could actually help our students learn English better as well.  From the readings, I have a few comments. Firstly, I am not sure I am as convinced of the necessity of teaching Klingon to teach English. According to the article,by studying the custom designed language of Klingon, (in which interest had spiked when the article was written but has dropped of late) students will learn linguistic structures and patterns that are common to all languages. While I am sure that this is true, it seems to me that the student might be better served by learning a language that is actually in use outside of trekker conventions and Big Bang Theory. 

The problem, of course, is that learning Klingon is the hook by which the teacher is trying to interest students in the study of their own language. However, as all the benefits of learning of language structures and patterns gained from studying Klingon could also be gained from having the students studying an actual language in use by non-trekkers, it seems, the students would be better served by having the educational staff working to spike interest in a different language. 

Another takeaway for me from the readings was that I think the success of these teachers depends as much on the fact that the teacher is incorporating their own passions into the classroom. I am operating under the assumption that anyone who has devoted time and energy into learning Klingon is enamoured with the language and Star Trek. I think teaching with passion like this has two major effects. Firstly, teachers are more likely to spend large amounts of time on developing lessons and pedagogies for their teaching if they are filled with passion for not only the subject matter ( which we will assume) but also for the methods of instruction. This will result in extremely well planned lessons and plans which could result in better run classes and better results. Secondly, I believe that when teachers teach with great passion, this passion is contagious which results in greater student involvement and greater interest which also fosters greater results. 

So, teaching with Klingon, Yea or nay? I think I would have to fall on the side of nay simply because I am only a passive Star Trek fan. I don't speak Klingon and it is not my passion. I also think it is not the hook it was back in the early 2000s. However, I do think that if it were my passion, I think it could make a good pedagogy.