Does Literature have a chance in the EFL context?

Natalia Sepulveda
English Literature
Prof. Claudia Trajtemberg
10th July 2009
Final Paper

Does Literature have a chance in the EFL context?



The purpose of this paper is remembering the first beliefs of literature at the beginning of this course and to find out if literature has a chance in the EFL classroom. After explaining those two ideas, the essay will explain why and how it is advisable to integrate literature in the curriculum. By the end of this paper we will also provide ideas and mention techniques teachers can apply in their classes. Having said this, we encourage you to keep on researching on this topic which will be of great benefit for educators’ current or future practice.

Sometimes when learning new things, we need a scientific and absolute meaning to be sure we are doing and understanding things right. However, when courses start they help you break down those assumptions you have had since the very beginning. That is exactly what happened with English Literature class. Throughout this semester we have learned that literature enables students to have their own representation of written texts and spoken speeches provoking a reaction, an impact. The beauty behind literature depends in the one who is interpreting and admiring it. We have also understood that it is possible to incorporate literature in our future classes. This was done as the topics of the course were unpacking, for instance Chaucer’s “The Wife of Bath’s tale”. Women’s role is one of the topics you can take from that tale and have a group discussion about the differences between women’s role for Chaucer and the one they have today.

But why do we intend to teach literature? Is not English teachers’ job to educate students about the foreign language only? English teachers are not meant to mainly focus on the rules linguistically concerned with the language. They are meant to educate in every level. It is well-known that if effective reading and writing is taught since the very beginning, our students will be more competent in the foreign language and the subjects they will study in their schools. By helping students to develop these skills, actually the four of them: speaking, listening, writing and reading. The way they learn, participate and recycle information and knowledge will be far more effective and meaningful for them. Furthermore, the main aim of language is to communicate. That is why integrating literature to our lesson plans will help our students understand language better. It will provide them with guidelines to understand other subjects, to become critical and therefore reflective, to increase their vocabulary, to be culturally more knowledgeable, among other things.

But how can teachers do this? There are several sources teachers can use in their classes. To name a few: Poems, songs, Newspapers. When working with teachers, using songs and poems is extremely advisable. This could be done by presenting the key vocabulary and supporting them with real objects or drawings/pictures. Once you have done this, you should say one line of the verse and illustrate it with the materials you have brought, and then students can repeat with you doing the same thing. Other ways to do it is through accompanying songs or poems with actions, or puppets.

When working with teenagers it is not as different as explained before. Teenagers also need realia and meaningful sources. You could use pieces of news, try to understand the main idea, focus on one language element, reflect on and predict the future. You could use the extract of a chapter that has the action or drama, or elements you know will grow on them. You could also practice reading aloud, which benefits their speaking skills. After having everybody participating in this, the group can analyze the ideas and share comments. Remember that you should always guide them if they have any question, or if they have hardships during this process you can provide tools or ideas to make it easier, for example: things they should worry about when reading and listening.

One good strategy that is worth our attention is Prediction. In this technique teachers should stop the reading at key points which you would like to highlight; this is how you will elicit predictions on the development of the story (Carter 172). As features can be highlighted, teachers as well as students can come up with questions which will help the process of exploring the written text or spoken speech. Another technique is summarizing, which as the name enlighten us is dedicated to make students focus their attention on the overall idea and produce a summary of it. Carter endorses this technique by saying that it should be seen as an enabling tool for students’ personal learning process of interpreting and engaging themselves with the text (174).

If you would like to have a more collaborative sharing of thoughts, you could have a forum for discussion. This can be really beneficial for your language class, since your students will practice the language and can correct each other in the mean time. There are several other techniques you can apply in your lesson plans, but always remember that you should always be clear of the purpose of your classes. This means that you should be clear and manage the topics you would like to go over in your classes. Meaningful topics are not only the ones that your students know but the ones that can be linked to things they might be interested in. Try to consider that if you should always try to plant a seed of curiosity on your students, since you are not just a teacher inside the classroom but you also make an impact on them outside of those four walls.

Literature is a like-long process and it is teachers’ job to help throughout pupils’ process. After understanding the how’s and why’s we can come up with the conclusion that literature has indeed a chance in the EFL classroom. If educators wish to change the methodologies and integrate literature this will enrich students not only for their class, but all the subjects they take and even in their lives. There are several strategies, and students are always open to change. Teachers need to set goals, and establish healthy classroom environment so as to make this process easier. Lastly, there is a need for teachers to research on this topic; there are current studies about literature in the classroom that are worth our consideration. Let us finally remember that we are not only teaching the language, but providing students with the tools they need, in order to become competent, reflective and effective communicators and learners.


Works Cited
Carter, Ron. Investigating English Discourse: Language, literacy and literature. London: Routledge, 1997.