Models To Teaching Literature Topic

Teaching literature has various models, techniques, strategies, and pedagogical

implementation. There are three models in the teaching of literature:
1. The Cultural Model which view literature as a teacher-centered and source of facts
where teacher delegates knowledge and information to students.
This model employs traditional approaches to teach literature by exposing students to the
background of a text in order to examine the ideas and concepts behind it. In this way, students
learn about different cultures and patterns of thought, and either directly or indirectly, will
compare them to their own. As this model is most often lecturer led and does not focus on
language work peers, it has been generally considered to be unsuitable by most EFL teachers. In
this paper however, It is important to expose foreign learners of English to such cultural and
content-based stimuli, and that this exposure ultimately enhances their own language
performance, aspirations and overall confidence.
Literature is “one of the most obvious and valuables means of attaining cultural insights”.
Scott strongly advocates the use of literature as a cultural way in. Literature can be viewed as a
product of historical and social circumstance, as a representative and revealing artifact. Texts can
thus be used to engage and motivate learners and provide more ready and deeper connections
with target cultures. In the EFL class, a selection of texts may thus be employed as an integral
part of a cultural course, to aid intercultural understanding, or the cultural analysis may
conversely be derived from the chosen text(s).
The Cultural Model encourages and teacher’s students how to deal with a literary work in
relation to the target language. In my opinion it is also a transdisciplinary approach to teaching as
it does not focus on mere language acquisition but also on the knowledge of a country’s s culture
and ideologies. It helps students go beyond the lexis to other components of a nation. Students
are asked to explore and interpret the social. political, literary and historical context of a text.
Cultural model is a traditional approach to teaching literature that aims to understand and
appreciate cultures and ideologies different from one’s own in time and space. In this model, the
learners have to explore and interpret the social, political, literary and historical context of a
specific text. The cultural model represents the possibility Literature brings into the picture as
regards the understanding and appreciation of different cultures and ideologies together with the
development of one’s perception of feelings and artistic forms;

 It encourages learners to understand different cultures and ideologies in relation to their

own
 appreciation of different cultures and ideologies
 Get an idea of the contemporary or historical way of life where the story is taking place
and thus develop insight into the country that speaks the language they are learning
 An efferent reading focuses on descriptions of landscape, weather, architecture,
decoration, dress, customs, and traditions, among other things, which enhance
vocabulary, language, and a cultural insight
It aims to promote language development like vocabulary and structure. It aims to help one
achieve lasting pleasure and deep satisfaction in reading.

2. The Language Model which allows teacher to employ strategies used in language
teaching to deconstruct literary texts in order to serve specific linguistic goals.
In this approach, learners examine texts looking for specific linguistic features such as
vocabulary and grammatical structures. EFL teachers can take this approach if they wish to focus
on specific features of language by creating such activities as gap-filling, grammar practice
activities, and writing summaries. However, criticisms of this model center on the disconnection
or distance between the student, the text, and the literary purpose of the text, in that the
appreciation of the text becomes secondary to the mechanical analysis of the text as a study tool,
or a platform for different language activities. In other words, it ceases to become an essential
component of the communicative EFL strategies in vogue in todays communicative EFL
classrooms.
The focus of the language model is psycholinguistic. Teachers may choose to focus on
how language is used within a given text. A literary text may be used to provide exemplars of
particular grammatical points and/or lexical items. More ambitiously, teachers may ask students
to engage in stylistic analysis of the text, though this may be best reserved for more advanced
students. Among the suggested benefits of the language model are the expansion of vocabulary;
increased reading fluency; enhanced interpretive and inferential skills (due to dealing with texts
of increased complexity and sophistication); and exposure to a greater variety of language (lexis
and syntax) due to the use of ungraded, authentic texts.
The Language Model relies on the development of students' knowledge by working with
familiar grammar. lexical and discourse categories. It focuses on the way language is used in
literary texts. It does not encourage creative thinking but the acquisition of information related to
the target text. This approach is considered too mechanistic and it demotivates the pleasure of
reading literature. Texts are approached in a systematic and methodological manner and the
techniques used in working with these texts are typical for a EFL classroom: prediction
exercises, jumbled sentences, summaries, role-play, etc.
As with any language-learning course planning, a needs analysis is recommended for
considering ways to integrate a literary theme. But don’t be afraid to challenge students with
more involved, weightier topics. Have your students reach far beyond the standard ESL/EFL
textbook fare, the steady yet stultifying topics of free time, family, friends, etc. Entice, engage,
and enthrall them in reading and discussing topics that mean something to them. Let’s teach up
rather than dumb down to students subjected to admass, perpetual SMS, and general short-
termism. Regarding length, if the book is too long students may simply be scared off and so
teachers should make reasonable assessments of ability in order to select texts. Possessing a
working knowledge of the local literature and applying the wants and needs of students to the
planning of the course of study can make for a potent use of literary texts for successful language
teaching. Genre and narrative structure. A fundamental choice is whether to use multiple
extracts, short stories, poems, or drama in a course, or to focus on one or more lengthier texts.
Additionally, the use of literature in translation is another option available to teachers of English.
In using shorter extracts, teachers may consider connecting within an overriding theme or series
of themes when submitting a course proposal

3. The Personal Growth Model where the focus is on a particular use of language in a text
and in specific cultural context.
This model attempts to combine both the above approaches and encourage more student
interaction with the text. Literary texts are seen as a resource for both linguistic development as
well as the development of an appreciation for literature. Students are not just passive receivers
of knowledge as in the Cultural Model, but are encouraged to become autonomous and to think
critically. Students thoughts and opinions are elicited about the text, and they are encouraged to
examine different themes and topics related to it. Through these activities, students are able to
make more of a personal and meaningful connection with the text. This is a learner-centered
approach in which the teacher is a facilitator of learning. However, one drawback of it is that it
often lacks a specific language focus for EFL students.
The personal growth model offers a more student-centered approach to literature study.
The purpose is to use literature as a vehicle to educate, to promote critical awareness, and to have
students assess, evaluate, and discuss issues within the text and provoked by the text. Examples
could include reader-response activities that personalize the reading experience, or reactions to a
text that help connect reading to students’ lives. This model is used in different contexts, but is
particularly well suited to the developing language learner reflecting on development through
childhood and adolescence, and thus is particularly suited to the high school and undergraduate
university classroom.
The Personal Growth Model is an attempt to create a link between the language model and
the cultural model. life focus is placed on the use of language but used in a specific cultural
context. Students are not only passive receivers of teacher given interpretations but they have to
be intellectually and emotionally engaged in the lesson and especially in the reading activity.
Literature is used as a resource and not just a study subject. In other words, students develop
their knowledge of and their knowledge about literature. During this approach to literature,
students are encouraged to express their opinions and beliefs, to make connections between their
own experiences and the text and use critical thinking. Therefore, teachers should take into
consideration a few aspects when choosing their materials:
 Texts should be interesting and appropriate for the students age and interests;
 They should facilitate students' personal discovery and involvement in the text;
 They should be a resource which contributes to the students' growth
 Lessons be student centered as encouraged by learner centered curriculum and teachers
are only coordinator of certain activities;
 text should use activities that encourage students' communication and relate to their
personal life. We advise teachers to use pre-reading, while-reading and after reading
activities and explore all resources that a text offers. Activities such as prediction making,
jigsaw reading, matching or gap-filling, reading comprehension, &bates and creative
writings are common activities for work with literary texts in an interactive manner.
 texts should be a resource for literary and linguistic development and they shouldn’t
regard as material. If students feel the stress of examination when working with literature.
they see literature just a subject that needs to be passed at the of the course.
It is very important for teachers to understand that literature is a very sensitive subject in
a digitized era. Less and less students read of pleasure and most of them don't read at all. Digital
summaries replace printed books and if teachers don't change their approach to literature. soon
they Will be the only ones who understand what they talk the days of teacher centered education
and teaching are long gone even if some teachers don't or want to understand it. Endless data of
literary genres (poetry. drama. novel. etc.). data of the socio cultural contexts of various literary
periods shouldn't ne memorized by students because it has already been proven that they fail to
use the information in interpretations of their own. should taught to be creative thinkers and not
mere reproducers. It is mostly the teachers fault. and the literature syllabus's too. that students
cannot think of the box.

Approaches in Teaching Literature Topic

The approaches are kindly the best approach of teaching literature because they are
precisely concerned on the aesthetic value of literature. The approaches create awareness of
language use for Teaching in the classroom. Literature is one of the media for the students to
express their personal opinions, feelings and emotion. So through these approaches, students
would understand the context thoroughly and understand the usage of the language better. Apart
from that, students can be encouraged to connect their vocabulary with other aspects of the
language. The following approaches are;
(1) Language-based approach helps students pay attention to the way the language is used when
studying literature. It is student-centered and activity-based for productive use of language. It
improves students’ language proficiency, and incorporates literature and language skills among
the students. It engages students more on experiences and responses. Role play, cloze, poetry
recital, discussions, forum and debate, dramatic activities, making prediction, brainstorming,
rewriting stories ending and summarizing are practiced in this approach.
(2) Paraphrastic
Approach, Paraphrastic approach is primarily paraphrasing and rewording the text to simpler
language or use other languages to translate it. Teachers use simple words or less complex
sentence structure to make the original text easy to understand. It is teacher-centered and does
not contribute much interesting activities towards students.
(3) Information-Based Approach,
Information-based approach Information-based approach gives knowledge and information to
students. It is teacher-centered and demands a lot of teacher’s input in giving students various
contents of literary text like on historical, political, cultural and social background. Knowledge
of literature is delivered as a source of information to students. It includes reading from the
criticism or notes, explanations and lectures given by teacher for examinations sake.
(4) Personal-Response Approach,
Personal-Response Approach Personal-response approach encourages students to make sense of
their experiences and personal lives with text themes. It also promotes students to associate the
subject matters of the reading texts with personal life experiences. It engages individual in
literary text reading as personal fulfilment and pleasure can be met while developing the
language and literary competency. Brainstorming, small group discussions, journal writing,
interpreting opinions, and generating views from a text are practiced in this approach.
(5) Moral-Philosophical
Approach Moral-Philosophical Approach Learners seek moral values from a particular literary
text while reading it. It helps students to be aware of values of moral and philosophical and
identify them that lies in their reading. Students need to go beyond the text for moral and
philosophical inference. With this approach, teachers are able to direct students to achieve self-
realization as well as self-understanding while interpreting literary works.

(6) Stylistic Approach. Stylistic Approach

Stylistic approach implies literary critics and linguistic analysis. It is for students to appreciate
and understand in a deeper manner of the literary text. It helps students to interpret the text
meaningfully and develops language awareness and knowledge. It analyzes the language prior to
the elements of literary text.

Literature is often viewed as a boring subject due to its structural difficulty and its
exclusive use of language. The students’ lack of interest in literature is perhaps due to the
inappropriate teaching methods. Literature is also often said to be unpopular because the teachers
are not exposed to or use various methods of teaching literature in a fun way. One of the major
setbacks in learning literature is caused by the text itself that carries language and content that
can be deemed to be beyond students’ language ability. It is suggested that activities constructed
from the literary text should be the type that promotes intellectual development, independent
thinking and interest towards learning literature.

The need to have a creative approach in teaching literature is crucial. In today’s

classrooms, literature teaching can be made creative through the help of creative activities which
have language-based and stylistic and discourse approaches. In addition, students’ behavior
towards literature learning will determine their success in language learning. Attitudes towards
literature, its text and the context of teaching may all play an integral part in determining the
success or failure of learning literature.
Before we talk about any classroom methodology we should ask, “What is Literature?”
The Oxford Advanced Learner’s dictionary defines literature as “writings that are valued as
works of art especially fiction drama and poetry in contrast with technical books and
newspapers, magazines”. There are many good reasons for using literature in the classroom.
Among them are:
 Literature is a very rich source of genuine subject matter. It is good to expose the
students to this authentic original language usage in the class because the language
proficiency and skills they acquire can be used outside the class.
 Literature encourages communication. Literary texts are often used for critical discussion
as they are rich in meaning.
 Literature also expands language awareness. Making students examine sophisticated or
non-standard examples of language will also make them more aware of the rules of
language use.
 Literature is appealing to many cultures and it is seen to be highly regarded in many
communities. Students may feel proud of their achievements in understanding their
readings and applying critical thinking skills.
 Literature will increase all language skills because literature will extend linguistic
knowledge by giving evidence of extensive and subtle vocabulary usage, a complex and
exact syntax.
 Literature also develops “a sharper awareness of the communicative resources of the
language being learned.
 Literature promotes learner-centered activities which are useful in their own right.

Students’ motivation in the learning process is often determined by their interest in and
enthusiasm for the material used in the class, the level of their persistence with the learning tasks,
and the level of their concentration and enjoyment. This type of involvement is something that
cannot be imposed; it must come from the materials and lessons that are implemented in the
classroom. I hope this article has shown how teaching literature can develop EFL students’
motivation in learning English and that the ideas presented here will facilitate teachers’ effective
use of literature to improve English instruction.

Besides that, the approaches could improve the development of language proficiency.
Through the approaches, students were expected to improve their language proficiency by
exposure of the target language. Teacher should act as the main guidance to conduct this
approach in the classroom and to boost the awareness of the language among the students. This
would encourage the students to use new words regularly and they can improve their language.

Factors Militating Against the Study of Literature Topic

literature is a functional, valuable school subject that has the capacity of molding an all-
round personality that is socially acceptable not deviants and outlaws. Below are some of the
reasons students do not study literature these days.
The factor of laziness although sounds childish, is the fundamental reason why students
do not study literature anymore. The teachers on one part do not show sufficient interest in
reading the recommended texts in the class. Any teacher who wants his students to read must be
seen reading. The teacher of literature must practice loud reading in the class. He or she must
model reading so that the students can emulate. A good literature teacher will take advantage of
loud reading to teach pronunciation, new vocabulary, correct speech disorders and consequently
develop communicative competence in the learners. Today, a lot of our children are leaving
secondary school without the aptitude for independent study neither do they acquire sufficient
proficiency in reading. How would such students survive the competitive world of academics or
world of work. They choose to be spoon-fed. Instead of buying and reading the actual
recommended text, they would buy the summarized version with questions and answers;
versions that aid examination malpractice. Some of the would read the texts at home and
summarize them in the class leaving greater details out while the nonchalant ones would simply
ask the students to read and summarize for themselves. This is sheer case of laziness.
The teaching and learning of literature goes beyond story telling. The styles of the
authors, the language aphorisms, diction, vocabulary, didactics, characterization, gestures and
body language are important components to be discussed in their relevant contexts while reading
the texts with class participation. When literature texts are read in the class, the students will
develop interest that will be infectious enough to motivate one another. The more they brand
themselves with the characters in the books, the more they popularize the books and the subject.
In those days, people whether students or not irrespective of their discipline would
undertake recreational or leisure reading to kill boredom, relax their nerves, for fun or for
whatever reason. This is hardly observed days because of competing mass media. Today,
television viewing and precisely movie watching has become the undoing of most children. This
is so apparent that a professor I know finds himself drilling his children every morning with the
following chorus, „four things that will destroy you are‟ and the children will respond while
drawing their ears, „film, phone, friends and fear‟.
Students these days are so engrossed with movie viewing that they throw away useful
time to gratify their obsession. The time they would have availed themselves to read is directed
to movie watching. Some of them claim that movie watching is a way of studying literature. This
is not far from being of what we have today.
I do agree that technologies and social media are factors of why children today are lazy to
study and explore the literary text. Also some teachers do not show sufficient interest in reading
the recommended texts in the class and not practise students to explore reading the literary text.
Teacher must practice loud reading in the class in order to encourage and persuade students to
read the literary text.
A teacher of literature must keep loud voice reading in order to enhance student’s
pronunciation, new vocabulary, correct speech disorders and consequently develop
communicative competence in the learners. Now a day, most of the children are not sufficient
skill on reading, they can’t understand and comprehend, can’t pronounce the words correctly,
etc., How would such students survive the competitive world of academics or world of work.
They choose to be spoon-fed. Instead of buying and reading the actual recommended text, they
would buy the summarized version with questions and answers and even let the book sleep but
still working with phone.

Indeed, that teaching and learning of literature goes beyond story telling. The styles of the
authors, the language aphorisms, diction, vocabulary, didactics, characterization, gestures and
body language are important components to be discussed in their relevant contexts while reading
the texts with class participation. When literature texts are read in the class, the students will
develop interest that will be infectious enough to motivate one another.
This is hardly observed this days because of competing mass media with traditional one.
Today, the new technology competes with students‟ interest in reading and studying literature.
The social media such as WhatsApp. Twitter, You Tube, face book, etc., were brought new
dimension to the concept of talking without noise. Students spend more time chatting with
friends and peers on phone than they are ever willing to give to them. Those are the reason and
factors militating against the study of literature.