The Frankenstein Mentality Defined

In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Dr. Victor Frankenstein was driven by an incredible drive for knowledge and his own personal whim to ‘beat’ mortality. He meticulously assembled his creature from various parts, creating a being that was both awe-inspiring and terrifying. This narrative serves as a poignant reminder of the power and responsibility of creation.

The Frankenstein Mentality in ELT advocates for a creative synthesis of teaching methods and materials tailored to the unique needs of learners. It emphasizes:

• Customization: Just as Dr. Frankenstein created a unique being, teachers should craft lessons that resonate with their students’ interests, backgrounds, and learning styles.

• Integration: This perspective involves blending various pedagogical strategies, resources, and technologies to create a holistic learning experience, allowing for flexibility and adaptability.

• Collaboration: Encouraging student input and collaboration in lesson design mirrors the collaborative nature of Dr. Frankenstein's experiment, recognizing that students are active participants in their learning journey.

Differentiating from the Eclectic Approach

While the eclectic approach in ELT involves selecting elements from various methodologies to suit learners' needs, the Frankenstein Mentality goes further by advocating for the creative and purposeful integration of those elements. Here’s how they differ:

1. Focus on Creation vs. Selection: The eclectic approach emphasizes selecting methods and materials based on context, while the Frankenstein Mentality emphasizes creating a unique, cohesive lesson that integrates various elements which are oftentimes repurposed in innovative ways. 

2. Student-Centric Collaboration: The Frankenstein Approach strongly encourages student involvement in shaping the curriculum, which may not always be a feature of the eclectic approach. This collaboration fosters a sense of ownership and investment in the learning process. We saw the terrible outcome and ostracization of the creature when Frankenstein didn’t consider that it was a living being with feelings - that lack of foresight to consider the creature is what turned him into that famous monster.

3. Adaptability and Evolution: The Frankenstein Mentality encourages continuous evolution of lessons and teaching practices based on feedback and changing needs, akin to how Dr. Frankenstein's creature adapted to its environment. In contrast, the eclectic approach may rely on established methods without necessarily evolving them over time - only replicated without adaptive practices will lead to the same practices.

In a post-method ELT world, where traditional methods are often seen as insufficient in meeting diverse learner needs, the Frankenstein Mentality advocates for a dynamic and holistic approach to language instruction that allows teachers to innovate and experiment while still grounding their practice in sound pedagogical principles.

Cultivating the Language Creator

Dr. Frankenstein's ambition led him to explore the boundaries of science, but it was his meticulous attention to detail that brought his creation to life. Just like him, we must strike a careful balance between structure and creativity as we design our curriculum. Do we adhere strictly to the grammar-focused syllabi that still tend to dominate ELT materials? Or do we venture toward a more communicative, functional-notional approach? And if so, will later be enough? How do we avoid critical learning gaps? The answer lies in drawing upon a diverse range of resources, both theoretical and practical.

I've found it helpful to immerse myself in ELT literature, exploring how academics approach syllabus design. Being a pessimist and a problem solver, I love to try to poke holes in those approaches and puzzle piece my way into making a more complete solution. Also, it's equally important to reflect on your own teaching style and the specific needs of your learners—those without practical experience in classrooms cannot constrain our thoughts too much. Which lessons and activities have resonated most with your students in the past? Blend the best of both worlds—the research-based and the real world—to construct a syllabus that is both solid in its foundations and bursting with innovative flair. Exciting, right? Well, it comes at a cost too - it’ll consume your time and focus so educators need to become very critical of their ROI (return on investment). This mindset shift I’m proposing is not a one and done solution, you’ll need to tweak and adapt for each individual situation.

Igniting Communication Skills

In Frankenstein, the Creature yearns for companionship but is often met with fear and rejection, highlighting the essential human need for connection. To truly bring our language to life, we must prioritize fostering effective communication skills. This means moving beyond traditional question-and-answer routines and creating opportunities for genuine, purposeful interaction with our learners. Let me be clear as I often say this on repeat during teacher training sessions: you need to listen to the students’ answer not listen for an answer.

Engaging activities like role-plays, debates, and real-life simulations encourage oral communication, helping students gain confidence and fluency. As written communication becomes increasingly essential in our digital age, we should also incorporate computer-mediated tasks, creative writing exercises, and storytelling workshops.

Remember, communication is a two-way street—so don't forget to emphasize listening and reading comprehension as well. By giving students a diverse range of contexts and mediums, we empower them to navigate the full spectrum of interactions.

Nurturing Creative Expression

Just as the Creature undergoes a profound journey of self-discovery, finding its place in a world that shuns it, the "Frankenstein Mentality" celebrates the power of creativity and imagination in the ESL classroom. By encouraging learner autonomy and self-expression, we can help students take ownership of their language learning journey.

Project-based learning activities are a fantastic way to tap into this creative potential. Not only do they promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills, but they also allow students to apply their language abilities in practical and innovative ways. As they navigate these open-ended challenges, learners should be encouraged to develop a growth mindset, embracing mistakes as valuable learning opportunities. Get rid of your red pen, there’s much more power in exploring different ways to express an idea during feedback than just forcing students into canned and prescribed language boxes.

Addressing Language Learning Fears

In Frankenstein, the Creature’s experience of isolation and rejection serves as a powerful metaphor for the fears many language learners face. Language learning can be an intimidating endeavor, and our role as ELT professionals is to cultivate a supportive, empathetic environment that alleviates our students' fears.

By emphasizing the value of mistakes and providing constructive, personalized feedback, we can empower our students to conquer their linguistic hurdles. Open dialogues about their doubts and insecurities can also go a long way in helping them develop resilience and a more positive mindset. Learning a language isn’t a checklist of memorizable structures and lexis and learners need to hear this, while they might be prepared for some situations others will throw them for a loop. Setting small attainable goals throughout their course will allow them to handle setbacks of challenging interactions better and with (hopefully) less of the paralyzing physical emotional responses.

Leveraging Technology in ESL Instruction

Dr. Frankenstein's relentless pursuit of knowledge led him to create life, yet it also resulted in dire consequences when he neglected the importance of empathy and connection. In our digital-driven world, technology offers a wealth of innovative tools and resources to enhance ESL instruction. Multimedia elements can create dynamic, engaging learning environments—but we must strike a careful balance, ensuring that technology complements rather than replaces the human touch of authentic interaction.

As we integrate cutting-edge EdTech into our lessons, let's remain mindful of maintaining that vital personal rapport with our students. I once observed a lesson where a teacher ‘explained’ the grammar point of the day by playing a YouTube video where the teacher explained the language point. It was bizarre and the first and only time I’ve ever witnessed a teacher using technology not to facilitate learning for the students but to reduce their own responsibilities in class. On the other hand, I use technology a lot in my day to day because I need it to help me get the million things on my to-do list done as effectively and efficiently as possible - for example, giving detailed instructions and structured many of the documents I have to generate daily are all done by voice typing. Articles like this one start out as long prose voice messages to myself, with accompanying notes, mind maps etc. then are put into written form, grammar edited with AI to help with readability, etc. etc. Lesson plans that have repetitive sections are generated through Canva’s bulk generate option. My list goes one and on but one things that never changes is the knowledge, content and voice is all Kelly, it’s all original content with my on personal spin.That being said, technology is a wonderful addition to the classroom I fully support (obviously) - but only an addition / a helping hand / support, not a substitution for the human component of learning and communication. And it will never be a replacement for critical thinking, making connections  and the wisdom you get from learning and teaching.

Rejuvenating Lesson Plans

Just as the Creature moves through various settings and scenarios in Shelley's novel, we too must be adaptable and responsive in our teaching practices. Continuously reflecting on our lesson plans, incorporating student feedback, and adapting to evolving needs ensures that our instruction remains relevant and impactful.

By committing to professional growth and a spirit of flexibility, we can breathe new life into our lessons, fostering a genuine passion for language learning in our students. After all, isn't that the ultimate goal—to cultivate lifelong lovers of the English language?

Drawing inspiration from Frankenstein, ELT educators can transform their classrooms into vibrant hubs of creativity, imagination, and linguistic mastery. By balancing structure and spontaneity, nurturing learner autonomy, and embracing the power of technology and human connection, we can revolutionize the way our students engage with and master the English language.

I will start with Carl Jung's archetype of ‘The Self’. As a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Jung (1958) posited that The Self is a representation of the totality of a person encompassing both the consciousness and unconsciousness. In essence, it is the manifestation of your full potential. We see this representation all around us: Harry Potter’s snitch on the Quidditch pitch, Captain Jack’s Black Pearl in the Caribbean seas, or Indiana Jones’ Holy Grail on the Last Crusade. In Jung’s perspective, interest and motivation are  involuntary phenomena perpetuated by a neurological mechanism which takes control of your voluntary attention. So where does this motivation come from? Is it a deep reflection of who we are in a profound sense? 

One perspective is that we are interested in things that propel our personal development in reaching our highest potential. We are interested in things that grab our attention because they move us forward developmentally. If Harry seeks the snitch he is the winner. When Jack boards the Black Pearl he becomes the Captain. Indiana finding the grail solidifies his prestige as a treasure hunter. So, should we invest our time when analyzing our students and their goals to investigate what their Self looks like? In all the training and courses I have taken over the years, there has always been a discussion or session on student motivation. But, do we really identify their true motivation? Is it as easy as classifying it as intrinsic and extrinsic from some basic questions? 

According to Tranquillo (2016, p. 197), being motivated extrinsically means our students are performing behaviors or participating in activities to earn a reward or avoid punishment. Lee et al. found intrinsic motivation stems from enjoyment of engaging in behavior you find rewarding.  When teaching adults, I rarely have been able to pinpoint true motivation based on the industry accepted Needs Analysis process, which is simply asking the learner what is their motivation or reason to learn English. According to Shan (2020, p. 559), intrinsic motivation is what we want in our learners:

“The literature indicates that intrinsic motivation is an essential factor in language learning because it provides internal impetus to learn a language (Dörnyei, 2005) and concerns the commitment and magnitude of learning.”

So, if we dig a bit deeper and try to identify Jung’s Self, Harry’s Snitch, Jack’s Black Pearl, or Indiana’s Grail, would it be possible to tap into the ever-elusive intrinsic motivation in language learning?

I posit that the Needs Analysis process needs to be refined. Bluntly asking ‘why’ will not suffice as it can be answered passively and without thought. The questions we ask need to provoke reflection on the part of the learner so we can glean insight into what really motivates them and what their true Self looks like. Would these be more aligned with that goal? 

• What is your purpose in learning a language?

• How will the language support your future goals? What exactly do those goals look like?

• Is there a person that performs in a language you are trying to emulate? Why? What do you see in that person that you have identified as a current development area in yourself?

• What steps do you need to take to move closer to this goal?

• What stops or reduces your motivation in the learning process?

• What would be the consequences of not achieving this goal?

• What habits have you created to maintain or increase motivation?

• What tangible reminders do you need to stay motivated?

• What do you expect from me (the teacher) during this process?

Are our learners willing to dig deeper to undertake the language journey or do they prefer just going through the motions? And if so, what is our responsibility as educators to foster their motivation and guide the process?

When we develop a learning plan for our clients, how frequently do we provide evidence to feed their motivation and promote higher self-efficacy? This could take many forms, however, I suspect that a collaborative effort from the learner and teacher would provide the desired results. By identifying their Self (Snitch, Black Pearl, or Grail) teachers can develop incremental achievements and steps towards that higher potential self. I hypothesize that an organized and well-maintained learner portfolio would serve this purpose. The learner portfolio needs to be developed so that it supports the learning goals. Portfolios can be used in two ways: as an assessment of learning or as an assessment for learning. Barret (2007, p.444) makes a clear distinction between the two in the figure below and exemplifies why the assessment for learning fosters intrinsic motivation. 

Portfolio differences between assessment types

Portfolios used for assessment of learning

• Purpose of portfolio prescribed by institution

• Artifacts mandated by institution to determine outcomes of instruction

• Portfolio usually developed at the end of class, term, or program - time limited

• Portfolio and/or artifacts usually “scored” based on a rubric, and quantitative data collected for external audiences

• Portfolio is usually structured around a set of outcomes, goals, or standards

• Sometimes used to make high stakes decisions

• Summative - what has been learned to date? (Past to present)

• Requires extrinsic motivation

• Audience: external - little choice

Portfolios that support assessment for learning

• Purpose of portfolio agreed upon with learner

• Artifacts selected by learner to tell the story of their learning

• Portfolio maintained on an ongoing basis throughout the class, term, or program - time flexible

• Portfolio and artifacts reviewed with learner and used to provide feedback to improve learning

• Portfolio organization is determined by learner or negotiated with mentor/advisor/teacher

• Rarely used for high stakes decisions

• Formative - what are the learning needs in the future (Present  to future)

• Fosters intrinsic motivation - engages the learner

• Audience: learner, family, friends - learner can choose

The world of language learning can be intimidating and disorienting but educators can serve as guides for our students to reach their highest potential. Just as Dumbledore guided Harry Potter in his journey through the magic world at Hogwarts, Jack Sparrow’s compass always pointed to where his true desire was, and Indiana Jones’ cohorts helped in retrieving treasures (relatively) unscathed, teachers are responsible in identifying where exactly the learner wants to go and supporting them along the way. However, if we have no understanding of the vision students have of themselves and what drives them to achieve our efforts could be in vain. With deeper investigation, poignant questioning, collaborative efforts, and tapping into deeply rooted intrinsic motivation what could your students achieve?

References

Barrett, Helen C. “Researching Electronic Portfolios and Learner Engagement: The REFLECT Initiative.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, no. 6, Wiley, Mar. 2007, pp. 436–49. Crossref, doi:10.1598/jaal.50.6.2.

Dörnyei, Z. (2005). The Psychology of the Language Learner: Individual Differences in Second Language Acquisition. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Jung, Carl Gustav. The Undiscovered Self. 1958.

Lee, Woogul, et al. “Neural Differences between Intrinsic Reasons for Doing versus Extrinsic Reasons for Doing: An FMRI Study.” Neuroscience Research, no. 1, Elsevier BV, May 2012, pp. 68–72. Crossref, doi:10.1016/j.neures.2012.02.010.

Shan, Yiming. “Whether Successful Language Learners Require Intrinsic Motivation.” Open Journal of Modern Linguistics, no. 05, Scientific Research Publishing, Inc., 2020, pp. 549–59. Crossref, doi:10.4236/ojml.2020.105031.

Tranquillo, Joseph, and Mona Stecker. “Using Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation in Continuing Professional Education.” Surgical Neurology International, no. 8, Scientific Scholar, 2016, p. 197. Crossref, doi:10.4103/2152-7806.179231.