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Using Literature in ELT

The document discusses using literature in English language teaching (ELT) classrooms. It provides reasons for using literature, such as providing rich linguistic input and motivating learners. Challenges of using literature like text difficulty and cultural issues are also addressed. Ways to incorporate literature into ELT lessons are suggested, including pre-reading activities and interactive work.

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56 views

Using Literature in ELT

The document discusses using literature in English language teaching (ELT) classrooms. It provides reasons for using literature, such as providing rich linguistic input and motivating learners. Challenges of using literature like text difficulty and cultural issues are also addressed. Ways to incorporate literature into ELT lessons are suggested, including pre-reading activities and interactive work.

Uploaded by

nanditabkalita
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Using literature - an

introduction
The purpose of this article is to provide some guidance through the wealth of
available materials and support, to provide a platform for sharing ideas and
experiences and to explore some areas that are at the cutting edge of what is, for
many teachers, the most powerful instrument in their school bag: literature as a tool
for language learning.

Literature in ELT
The use of literature in the ELT classroom is enjoying a revival for a number of
reasons. Having formed part of traditional language teaching approaches, literature
became less popular when language teaching and learning started to focus on the
functional use of language. However, the role of literature in the ELT classroom has
been re-assessed and many now view literary texts as providing rich linguistic input,
effective stimuli for students to express themselves in other languages and a
potential source of learner motivation. On this site you can find a range of literary
texts and supporting classroom materials, on the BritLit pages.

What do we mean by literature?


John McRae (1994) distinguishes between literature with a capital L - the classical
texts e.g. Shakespeare, Dickens - and literature with a small l, which refers to
popular fiction, fables and song lyrics. The literature used in ELT classrooms today is
no longer restricted to canonical texts from certain countries e.g. UK, USA, but
includes the work of writers from a diverse range of countries and cultures using
different forms of English.

Literary texts can be studied in their original forms or in simplified or abridged


versions. An increasing number of stories in English are written specifically for
learners of other languages. The types of literary texts that can be studied inside and
outside the ELT classroom include:
1 Short stories
2 Poems
3 Novels
4 Plays
5 Song Lyrics

Why use literature in the ELT classroom?


Literary texts provide opportunities for multi-sensorial classroom experiences and
can appeal to learners with different learning styles. Texts can be supplemented by
audio-texts, music CDs, film clips, podcasts, all of which enhance even further the
richness of the sensory input that students receive.

Literary texts offer a rich source of linguistic input and can help learners to practise
the four skills - speaking, listening, reading and writing - in addition to exemplifying
grammatical structures and presenting new vocabulary.

Literature can help learners to develop their understanding of other cultures,


awareness of ‘difference' and to develop tolerance and understanding. At the same
time literary texts can deal with universal themes such as love, war and loss that are
not always covered in the sanitised world of course books.

Literary texts are representational rather than referential (McRae, 1994). Referential
language communicates at only one level and tends to be informational. The
representational language of literary texts involves the learners and engages their
emotions, as well as their cognitive faculties. Literary works help learners to use their
imagination, enhance their empathy for others and lead them to develop their own
creativity. They also give students the chance to learn about literary devices that
occur in other genres e.g. advertising.

Literature lessons can lead to public displays of student output through posters of
student creations e.g. poems, stories or through performances of plays. So for a
variety of linguistic, cultural and personal growth reasons, literary texts can be more
motivating than the referential ones often used in classrooms.
What are some of the challenges to be faced when using literature in the classroom?
Literary texts can present teachers and learners with a number of difficulties
including:

 text selection - texts need to be chosen that have relevance and interest to
learners.
linguistic difficulty - texts need to be appropriate to the level of the students'
comprehension.
 length - shorter texts may be easier to use within the class time available, but
longer texts provide more contextual details, and development of character
and plot.
 cultural difficulty - texts should not be so culturally dense that outsiders feel
excluded from understanding essential meaning.
 cultural appropriacy - learners should not be offended by textual content.

Duff and Maley (2007) stress that teachers can cope with many of the challenges
that literary texts present, if they ask a series of questions to assess the suitability of
texts for any particular group of learners:

 Is the subject matter likely to interest this group?


 Is the language level appropriate?
 Is it the right length for the time available?
 Does it require much cultural or literary background knowledge?
 Is it culturally offensive in any way?
 Can it be easily exploited for language learning purposes?

Duff and Maley (2007) also emphasise the importance of varying task difficulty as
well as text difficulty:

 Level 1 Simple text + low level task


 Level 2 Simple text + more demanding task
 Level 3 Difficult text + low level task
 Level 4 Difficult text + more demanding task
How can literary texts be used?
Teachers can exploit literary texts in a large number of ways in the classroom.
Classroom work with literary works may involve pre-reading tasks, interactive work
on the text and follow up activities.

Pulverness (2003) provides some useful advice: Maximise pre-reading support.

Teachers can introduce the topic or theme of the text, pre-teach essential vocabulary
items and use prediction tasks to arouse the interest and curiosity of students.

 Minimise the extent to which the teacher disturbs students' reading.


 Draw attention to stylistic peculiarity.
 Help students to appreciate the ways that writers use language to achieve
particular effects.
 Provide frameworks for creative response.
 Invite learners to step into the shoes of the writer or invite them to modify,
extend or add to a text.

In the rest of this section you will find ways in which you can develop your ability to
use literature in the ELT classroom through reading articles and books, attending
workshops and courses, visiting websites, and joining Special Interest Groups and
discussion forums.

References
Duff, A & Maley, A (2007) Literature (Resource Books for Teachers), Oxford
University Press.
Maley, A (2001) ‘Literature in the language classroom' in The Cambridge Guide to
Teaching ESOL, Cambridge University Press.
McRae, J (1994) Literature with a small 'l', Macmillan Education.
Pulverness, A ( 2003) ‘Literature' in English Teaching Professional, October, Issue
29, Modern English Publishing

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