Interactive Learning of Foreign Literary Classics: Lewis Carroll’s Dilogy about Alice

Abstract

The fantastic diptych by English writer, mathematician, and philosopher Lewis Carroll about Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass is recognized as a classic of world literature, intended not only for children but for adults as well. This duality (and even more – multilayeredness) reveals itself on different levels of the text and its reception. The relevance of this research is determined by the necessity to expand the methodology of interpreting Lewis Carroll’s works in the context of the digital
environment, taking into account the requirements of media literacy. The study aims to analyze and develop interactive teaching methods for studying Lewis Carroll’s diptych about Alice within the school course of foreign literature. Methods: descriptive, typological-comparative, partly contextual and biographical.

Results. Relevant sections of school programmes and textbooks as well as diverse digital content dedicated to Lewis Carroll’s fairy tales «Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland» and «Through the Looking-Glass» have been analyzed. The author has created an imaginary world, the virtuality of which is being doubled in the modern cyberspace. Today, the teacher’s objectives include not only teaching text/media text analysis but also developing media literacy skills. The material of «Alice» provides an opportunity to explain essential concepts for understanding the nature of art, such as imagination/reality. Emphasis is placed on the interdisciplinary potential of studying Carroll’s works (Mathematics, Physics, History, Geography) and intermedial aspects (animation, cinema, music, painting). The use of digital technologies for mastering «Alice» can be divided into two categories: passive perception of the material – video material, multimedia presentations, audio anthologies, and knowledge application and assessment – creating a poster or collage based on the work, publishing a post in the digital environment (chat, blog, social
media page), crossword puzzles, mapping Alice’s journey, fan fiction or comics, participation in a video game, selection of video materials, etc. The use of the educational platform «Kahoot!» is offered to conduct interactive lessons and assess the knowledge of learners at different levels through online testing. Conclusions. The study of Lewis Carroll’s diptych about Alice and her incredible adventures in the school course of literature promotes the development of the core competencies specified in educational standards, stimulates students’ cognitive abilities, and enhances their media literacy skills.