Teaching English LiteratureNew Strategies

Amir Ali Nojoumian, PhD

Assistant Professor in English Literature

Shahid Beheshti University

My Aim

• Broad Topic!

• Stress on “Practical” Aspects

• Sharing My Experiences

• Open up discussions on the subject (No Definite Answers)

Teaching: The Basics

Can ‘teaching’ be taught? Can ‘Literature’ (or any art forms) be taught?

(No! If we are thinking to train literary figures) What do we teach when teaching literature?

Critical Thinking Creative Writing Science of Reading (literary approaches and methods of reading) Sharpening Senses Literary Theory?

Teaching English Literature in Iran: A Brief Survey

The Basic Problem!! Students’ No Prior Knowledge False Presumptions of Undergraduate Candidates

Class Size Lecture Seminar Tutorial

Teacher-Centred Education! Library Resources English Language and Literature Undergraduate Curriculum Scarcity of Teaching Staff

Language through Literature:

The Role of Literature in EFL/ESL Classes

Cons

Not Enough Expertise in Literature (Language Teachers)

Lack of Interest of Language Students Lack of Proficiency of Language Students Inefficiency of Literature to develop Listening/Speaking Skills Archaic Vocabulary (Inappropriate) The Problem of Simplified Texts Conflicts with the moral and cultural ethos of the

students Knowledge of literature hardly useful later in their

professions

Pros

Developing Reading/Writing Skills Giving incentive to discuss issues Speaking and Listening Skills (e.g. Drama as a “spoken text”) Cultural Orientation Literature as “Authentic Material” for Language Classes Lexical and Syntax Enrichment Providing a Specific Goal Language at its Best

Criteria for the Selection of Literary Texts (Brumfit, 1986, 188-190)

1. Linguistic Level (lexical and syntactic terms)2. Cultural Level (close to the learners’ cultural

and social expectations)3. Length4. Pedagogical Role (literature-literature or literature-life connections)5. Genre Representation (coverage of all genres)6. Classic Status (‘face validity’) (the desire to

read the classics)

Teaching English Literature: Towards a progressive approach1. Syllabus and lesson plans

(student contributions)

2. Electronics: Computers, and the Internet The Web as the environment of interaction and following up

the class discussions (Virtual Community) (More innovative in responses)

Designing Web Pages (Collaborative Activities) Hypertext: Literature Teacher’s Paradise! EBooks and Text Sharing Role of the Teacher: Background More Control for Students Parallel Learning (Porter 1999):

1. The Library Parallel (Ebooks, EJournals, Rare boks)2. The Seminar Parallel (Email Discussions,

Conference Systems)3. The Lecture Parallel (Teacher’s guided paths:

Digital resources)4. The Coursebook Parallel (inclusion of other media:

film, works of art, multimedia learning materials)5. The Student-led Seminar Parallel (Digital

Presentations) (Not relying solely on oral presentation)

3. Class structure4. Course Materials Two Preliminary Factors in Learning

Motivation Self-Confidence

What to start with? Term Projects Interdisciplinary Method Students’ Critical Thinking Creative and Artistic Aspect of Literature

The Impact of Contemporary Criticism on Teaching Practices

Reader-Oriented Approaches & Student-Centred Classes

Rosenblatt (1985):“… to see the reading act as an event involving a particular individual and a particular text, happening at a particular

time, under particular circumstances, in a particular social and cultural setting, as part of the ongoing life of the individual and the group”. Iser (1978):

“Literary texts initiate ‘performances’ of meaning rather than actually formulating meanings themselves”.

Teaching Models

Constructivist Model (Caine and Caine 1991)

Variety of Learning Strategies Meaning is personal and unique Unique experiences Isolated ideas connected with global concepts and patterns Learning influenced by emotions, feelings and attitudes Learning influenced by environment, culture, and climate Experiential learning Classroom climate as challenging but not threatening Multifaceted teaching to allow students to express preferences

Transactional Model (Probst 1988)

Reciprocal and Mutually Defining relationships (reader and text)

Literature as not an autonomous ‘text’ The poem is within the reader, created in the act of reading,

rather than in the text. Any literary work is thus changeable, variable, different for

each reader, and differing even for a single reader from one reading to the other.

Reader’s individuality: Students are encouraged to respect and examine their responses – emotions, associations, memories, images, ideas. Reading in the light of other texts (inter-textuality) Rosenblatt: Aesthetic Stance (reading as a ‘lived through’

experience) vs. Efferent Stance (information is deduced from the text)

Transactional Model (Probst 1988)

Teachers cannot impose any final conclusion on students Classroom atmosphere: cooperative Literature: leads to sharpened understanding of ourselves and our society (The conception of literary knowledge is expanded) Inviting responses Finding points of contact among students Opening up the discussion to the topics of self, text and others Letting the discussion build (feel free to change minds, seeking insights) Encouraging students to reflect upon their responses Connecting the reading with other experiences Literary knowledge is not something to be found, not something the teacher can give to the student.

Cognitive and Metacognitive Strategies in Learning

(Sinclair in Carter 1996)

Cognitive Strategies: Those which involve actually manipulating the subject matter (e.g. in a language task: guessing the meaning of a new word by

using clues from the context, practising spelling by writing down difficult words ten times each, etc)

Metagognitive Strategies: Those which involve thinking about learning, planning, evaluating and monitoring.

Systematic learner training consists of activities and procedures which combine metacognitive with cognitive strategy training.

Students without metacognitive approaches are essentially learners without direction and the ability to review their progress, accomplishments and

future directions.

Training learners in metacognitive strategies only is of limited use as it denies them the opportunity for active experimentation with their learning.

Theories of Teaching Literature (Showalter 2003)

1. Subject-centred theories (banking model) (knowledge reservoir) (transmission)

2. Teacher-centred theories (teaching as performance) (identity and integrity of the teacher) (charisma)

3. Student-centred theories (active learning) (two-way transaction)

4. Eclectic theories (pragmatic)

My Final Teaching Model?

I do not subscribe to a unified and rigid model. Integrated Eclectic Model Good teaching demands that questions remain open (Myers 1994). Each teaching session is a new experience and a

different process. It is not authoritarian. It is pluralistic. Teaching Literature means teaching how to think

critically and individually. (e.g. Children’s Literature: ideas, values and ethical questions)

Teaching Literary Genres

Teaching Poetry: Activities

Teaching Drama: Activities

Teaching Fiction: Activities

Teaching Poetry: Activities Warm-Up Group Work Audio-Visual Aids Computer and Internet as Aids Poetry and Other Art Forms Producing a short “Anthology of Poetry” Recitation of Poems Gap-Filling Exercise Dramatisation of Poems Poetry Club Learning by Heart My Favourite Poem! Poem in Pieces Analysis Poetry Notebook

Teaching Drama: Activities

Visiting Local Theatres Watching a Performance on Video Tape Listening to a Performance Excerpt Performances Role Play: Reading a Scene Reconstructing the script (students writing

their own lines) Theatre Performances at the University Visual Representation of Characters Visual Representation of the Stage

Teaching Fiction: Activities

Visual Representation of the setting Turning a Chapter into a Play Research into the Political-historical or philosophical context of the Novel Watching Film Adaptations Character Study Summary Activity Predicting the Future Advertise a Novel Keeping a Journal of the Reading Experience Mental Snapshots Postcard

Final Word

The Paradox of EVALUATION!! Conventional Written Exam:

1. Frustrates innovative voices2. Puts an end to open questions3. Constant Menace

Remedies:1. Open Book Exam2. Class Participation3. Term Projects4. Evaluating Activities5. Essay Assignments6. Class Presentations

References• Benton, Michael and Geoff Fox (1985) Teaching Literature: Nine to Fourteen. Oxford: Oxford University Press.• Brumfit, Chrsitopher (1985) Language and Literature Teaching: From Practice to Principle. Oxford: Pergamon Institute of English.• Brumfit, Christopher and Ronald Carter (1986) Literature and Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.• Caine, Renata and Geoffrey Caine (1991) Making Connections: Teaching and the Human Brain. Alexandria, VA: Association for

Supervision and Curriculum Development.• Carter, R., and J. McRae. eds. (1996) Language, Literature and the Learner. Harlow: Addison Wesley Longman.• Collie, Joanne and Stephen Slater (1987) Literature in the Language Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.• Culler, Jonathan (1975) Structuralist Poetics. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.• Hill, Jennifer. (1986) Teaching Literature in the Language Classroom. London: Modern English Publications/Macmillan.• Huston, J. Dennis (1991-92) “Building Confidence and Community in the Classroom”. Essays on Teaching Excellence

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Korea) No. 7 1999. (www.sogang.ac.kr/~anthony/TeachLit. htm) • Temple, Charles (?) “Why We Teach Literature” (www.uni.edu/coe/rwct/resources/why_teach_literature. html).• Wormser, Baron and David Capella (2000) Teaching the Art of Poetry: The Moves. London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.