Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Hbel3403 Teaching of Literature
Hbel3403 Teaching of Literature
SEMESTER / YEAR:
SEMESTER JANUARY 2015
COURSE CODE:
HBEL 3403
TEACHING OF LITERATURE
MATRICULATION NO:
781117065006001
781117065006
TELEPHONE NO.
019- 4355002
emyridz@gmail.com
LEARNING CENTRE
1. Introduction
Literature is defined as pieces of writing that are valued as works of art, especially novels,
plays, and poems (Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, 2005). For literature in English,
William Shakespeare is one of the famous writers who had produced massive masterpieces.
He had been widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's
most excellent dramatist (Greenblatt, 2005). Literature is also known as the window of the
world as it offers the learners or readers the gist of ones culture, history, and traditions
(Carter & Long, 1991)
Literature in English has been implemented in the Malaysian education system to
improve students proficiency in the English Language through the study of a set arranged
literary text, as well as contributing to personal development and character building (Ministry
of Education, 2000The claim "the study of literature is fundamentally a study of language in
operation" (Widdowson: 1971) is based on the understanding that literature is an example of
language in use, and is a context for language use. Thus, studying the language of literary
texts as language in process is seen as enhancing the learner's appreciation of aspects of the
different systems of language organisation (OSullivan, 1991). By the end of the secondary
school English Language program, students ought to achieve the objectives set for them.
more genres at the SPM level, where instruction is not restricted to the study of novels and
plays alone, a practice which was prevalent before the late 1990s. Students of literature today
are exposed to short stories, poems, novels, and plays. (Baba,2005:90-96).
However, the aim to make English literature a stand-alone subject at secondary level has not
materialised as it is still a component of the English Language curriculum from Form 1 to
Form 5. Baba (2005) highlights some critical issues concerning, for instance, the teaching and
learning of literature in Malaysia which displays a mismatch between study demands and
teacher supply. She further explains that teachers who are qualified to teach literature are sent
to places where literature is not in high demand or schools where literature is a popular
subject but short of qualified staff. Another concern, Baba added, is teacher competence.
Although the intake for language teachers is high, this does not necessarily mean that they are
all capable of teaching English literature. Baba sums up; trainee teachers now are the 16
product of the fully implemented Malay or Bahasa Melayu curriculum. The criterion for what
is to be taught is an ongoing issue, and how literature should be taught is another, which
brings the issue of materials or text selection. The question is what should be the basis of the
text selection and the genre of texts? Are texts written by native speakers superior to those
written by non-native speakers and they are culturally suitable for Malaysian learners? These
are some of the issues that are surrounding the literature teaching realm in the Malaysian
setting.
to cope with problems be they social, cultural, racial or problems that crop up in dealing with
life in the real world. It also helps to inculcate specific social attitudes that are thought to be
acceptable in their community. In fact, one of the advantages of using literature is that it can
serve as a medium to transmit the culture of the people who speak the language in which it is
written. According to Norliana Ghani (2009), students prefer books or texts that discuss the
issues of youth, relationship, and social changes. These texts or stories are usually have clear
language, good organization of the plot, and thought provoking. This is the reason why in
literature class, students are encouraged to have discussions or presentations of their opinions
which indirectly promote critical thinking. Critical thinking is very useful when it comes to
problem solving as one has to weigh before making any decisions.
Incorporating Malaysian literature in English would offer a more familiar setting and cultural
elements. It could encourage students to enjoy the literary texts as they would be able to
identify with the local characters and issues (Vethamani, M.E. 2004). The relation between
student and text is an important element in determining the choice of suitable texts for use in
the classroom, even in the context of the teaching and learning of English in the first
language. According to Blocksidge (2000) it is not a simple task of listing those texts which
will always do well in the classroom, but they must also be able to portray the intellectual,
cultural and emotional assumptions. Texts should have a public theme and also within the
grasp of students and similarly they are capable of extending the students moral, social and
emotional understanding (Haddon 2000).
A study conducted by Norton (1995) in the teaching of literature in Swedish Upper
Secondary schools shows that the pupils find reading in English as a foreign language
difficult than reading in their mother tongue, prefers texts that are amusing, thrilling and not
too demanding. Norton states the problems teachers face in teaching literary texts, especially
in a foreign language context is the choice of texts. The texts must enable pleasant reading by
being on the appropriate level for students that is the linguistic or vocabulary-wise level and
on the intellectually or content- wise level (Norton 1995). Literary appreciation is the true
key to understanding and enjoyment of a work of literature (Gwin, 1990). This level of
literary appreciation can result only from reading texts that have a genuine and meaningful
impact on the individual (Keshta 2000; Ballentine & Hill, 2000). Consequently, to achieve
this level, careful consideration must be given to selection of texts for use in the literature
classroom. This is because the key to success in using literature in ESL classrooms depends
primarily on the texts selected.
A research conducted by Che Ton Mahmud (2005) on rural secondary school students reveal
that if the aim of the literature component in the English language syllabus is to be achieved,
the text used needed due consideration. In the context of the Malaysian rural classrooms,
texts selected should trigger the students schemata so as to provide a genuine platform for
students and teacher interaction, and reader-text interactive processes to take place. Localized
literature should be favoured but specific related themes should take priority. Results of the
research reveal that texts used should relate to the students life experiences, activate their
prior knowledge and convey a message. The titles selected should trigger and maintain
students interest and should be able to provide avenues for spontaneous students responses
and involvement.
6. Selection of Materials
One of the most important considerations in the issue of text selection is the source of the
selected texts. Literary texts of a wide range of cultural settings should be selected. Local and
more recent and new writings should be given prominence over canonical texts. Local texts
should be emphasised more as they are more accessible to students compared to foreign texts.
Research or a needs-analysis on students reading preferences is an important means of a
student-oriented text selection.
In terms of genre, text selection should be based on multiple genres as well as multimodal
texts. The general consensus was that poems, short stories and graphic novels were thought to
be genres that would have popular appeal amongst Malaysian learners. It was also suggested
that teaching all these texts should also be based on multimodal techniques.
Literary texts are usually difficult for both the students and teachers to select. In this respect
teachers should be wary about such factors as the learners language proficiency, age, gender,
and background knowledge so that children or young adults are exposed to certain types of
literary texts in comparison to the adult learners. The learners gender and background
knowledge likewise should come under close scrutiny when it comes to selecting the
materials. Also factors related to the text itself should also be considered. Considering all the
aforesaid problems built-in literary texts, Carter & Long (1991) argue that these problems can
be overcome by selecting an appropriate text for an appropriate group of language learners.
To make my point more clearly, I have choose two poems from Year 4 and Form 5. In these
poems there are some words that in my opinion do not suit our Malaysian background and it
beyond the reach of our students knowledge.
For example in the poem entitled Holidays Memories. There are some words; I am quite
sure, any Malaysian students are not familiar or understand it at all. The first word is
Timbuktu. Timbuktu is a city in the West African nation of Mali situated 20 km (12 mi) north
of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Dessert. As a teacher, I know where
Timbuktu is but to explain it to the students (who have never been to West African!) maybe
the teacher need to put up a world map to show the place before they read the poem.
Then, I floated on a moonbeam...What is a moonbeam? I have no idea! I gossiped to a
parrot, travelling to Mars... I know the students know a parrot as a beautiful blue, red, and
yellow bird but a parrot travelling to Mars? It is real? More questions will be ask from the
students and more difficult for me to explain it. Then, there is a line; I drove a greyhound
bus...which makes me think, what is the meaning of a greyhound bus? And it getting worse
when this line showed up; I heard a mermaid sing...Is a mermaid existing in this world? I
know my pupils will say that they knew mermaid from the cartoon: The Little Mermaid, but
still it is a fairy tale creature and does not exist at all.
What is the milliner doing there? Who is the milliner referring to in Malaysian context?
The man of the appalling trade, is he the one going to do the things needed before burial?
Im not sure of what they might be though in the Islam or other religion. Why is he going to
measure the house? What is the parade for?
Of tassels and of coaches soon,
Its easy as a sign
And, finally, what are tassels going to do in the dark parade? Are they those, as I
remember, hung to the coaches?
8. The Findings
Understanding the text is a problem for very weak students. They cannot understand the text
if they cannot understand the sentences. The sentences do not make sense when the meanings
of the specific words are not known. For such students, English is not second language but a
foreign language. Thus, the literature text is beyond their ability to comprehend and in a
regular English lesson. This is due to the figurative languages used such as idioms,
metaphors, similes, symbolism and such. Most of the students thought that background
information concerning a text such as the authors life or the setting was vital to
understanding a text. I agreed that background information would make it easier for students
to comprehend a text. Language problems included unfamiliar words, phrases as well as
archaic language used in poems. Language problem was especially time consuming as
students had to constantly refer to dictionaries for meanings of words, get help from siblings
or relatives or seek explanation from their teachers. Another problem faced by the students
was in understanding the real meaning or the message of the texts. The students agreed that
although they could understand the literal meanings of texts, they had problems figuring out
the underlying meanings. Not surprisingly, teachers spent a lot of time discussing plot,
characters, themes, setting and moral values of the texts in class.
9. Conclusion
A way to motivate students to read literature is through better text selection. The most
important criterion in text selection is probably students interest. This does not mean that the
texts have to be about teenagers issues only. Students response suggested that they would
like to read about adventure, mysteries and life experience. As students come from different
background, interest and abilities, the best option is to choose texts which vary in terms of
genres, topics and language level. More contemporary poems can be included in the text
selection and for novels, it is better if more choices are provided and students are allowed to
choose those which suits their interest and language level. Teachers play a big role in
students education. Not only do they impart knowledge to students but they also help shape
students attitudes towards education, school and more specifically, the subjects that they
teach.
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