Why most EFL teachers don’t teach ‘literature’

What can be done about it?

Dr. Rob WaringNotre Dame Seishin University

LiberLIT, February 18, 2012Meiji Gakuin University, Tokyo

Why teach / use literature?

Authentic material - our lives are storiesLearners need to cope with unmodified languageLiterary texts have multiple levels of meaningLiterary texts expand awareness of the human conditionLiterature engages the whole person and help them to develop attitudes and belief systemsLiterature is the high water mark of a language reflecting its cultureProvides a challenge to learnersA good model for language due to inherent patterning and coherence‘To truly know a language, you must know something of the literature of a language’ (MacCabe)

Why teach / use literature? II

Provides a meaningful variety of contextsContains a wide range of vocabulary, dialog, prose etc.It appeals to the imagination, enhances creativityEncourages critical thinkingIt helps foster the learners’ own cultural, linguistic and interpretive skillsCan reduce cultural and affective barriersServes as a stimulus for writing and discussionBroadens intellectual perspectives and cognitive maturationHelps develop a feeling for the target languageHelps us to become ‘better people’

Some (US) reading statistics

33% of high school graduates (42% college) never read another book the rest of their livesMost people never get past page 18 of a book they bought80% of families did not buy a book last year (av person spent $7)70% have not visited a bookstore in the last 5 years44 million US subjects have difficulty with reading skills105 hrs reading, 195 hrs magazines and newspapers, 1600 hours TV40% of people admit to lying about having read a certain book So who’s to blame?

http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/statistics.cfm

Teacher: Congratulations, Satoko.Satoko: Thank you very much.Teacher: You majored in literature, I think. Is that right?Satoko: Yes, American Literature.Teacher: That's great. Which author did you enjoy the most?Satoko: Umm, well we concentrated on Steinbeck.Teacher: I see. And which of his books did you read?Satoko: Well, I only read one book......Teacher: Oh, really? Just one book?Satoko: You see, there were so many difficult words. I had to spend hours looking them up in the

dictionary and my book is covered in translations, but I still couldn’t understand it well.Teacher: Wow, that sounds like a lot of work.Satoko: Actually, In order to understand it, I had to read it in Japanese. Well, I had to, or else I couldn't

graduate.Teacher: How long did it take to read the English version?Satoko: Well, we started in my junior year, and we translated about 4 or 5 pages a week so we could

understand it in detail. I guess it took about two years, but even then we didn't finish it. We spent the first 6 months just on the first chapter.

Teacher: One book in two years! I see. Can you understand it better now after all that work translating it?

Satoko: No, I still can't say I understand it well.Teacher: So, now that you’ve graduated and you have a bit more free time, are you going to read more

American Literature, in English this time?Satoko: No way! It was far too difficult. I'm never going to pick up another English book in my life. I'll

watch the movie instead!

Why don’t most EFL teachers teach ‘literature’?

Literature is considered ‘hard’ and irrelevant to the needs of most EFL learners (not on tests and not in Monkasho’s curriculum)Literature is highly culturally charged and therefore conceptually difficult and can hinder rather than facilitate language learningIt’s seen as a specialist luxury not a general topicIt’s inaccessible to many Japanese due to lack of language ability90% of what we read in life is non-fictionNon-standard and sometimes outdated language useNot interactive – doesn’t suit some learner typesMost EFL teachers are not trained in literary studiesMost non-lit teachers only read 1-2 books (50% no books) a year

Why don’t most EFL teachers teach ‘literature’? II

A primary goal of all teaching is to meet student needs -80-85% ‘because I like English’, for work, make friends, travel

4-7% of incoming English majors want to study ‘literature’ 3% want to be English teachersA focus on literature doesn’t prepare learners for business meetings,

careers in medicine, travel, EAP or ESP or the socio-pragmatic aspects or many other language needs

Other concerns are considered more important – eco-awareness, global issues, business, pragmatic English

Lack of awareness of what literary resources are availableLiterature surrounds us and they can learn the literary concepts in L1It’s basically random unstructured unplanned input

Models for teaching literature

As a cultural product- to explore the socio-cultural, historical or political

background to a textAs a vehicle for personal growth

- a learner-centered process-oriented approach to develop the learners’ own opinions, attitudes, feelings and match them to their own authentic experiences

As a language model- using texts to deconstruct the text into various linguistic features, increase general literary awareness of literary devices , investigate writing styles etc.

Literature can be …

… used as a resource …by using literary texts as a vehicle to develop language, literary awareness, personal growth and critical thinking

… seen as an academic topic to study to …gain qualifications in literary studiesstudy the literary concepts, conventions and metalanguage analyze of literary textsacquire information about its heritage and background(but may be seen as an object rather than a literature)

Text AuthenticityTraditional definition = ‘real’, ‘honest’, ‘pure’, ‘genuine’, ‘reliable’ ‘origin’,

‘authority’, ‘trustworthy’ ‘natural’ ‘real-life’ etc.Implies non-authentic materials = ‘unreliable, ‘lesser’, doubtful’, ‘false’, ‘

fake’ ‘unauthorised’ ‘artificial’ etc.

A dichotomous, divisive and narrow definition externally imposed based on native norms

The definition focuses on texts not the context – it implies a text taken away from its context is ‘inauthentic’

Implies that only native speakers can really process such texts authentically

Reinforces the notion that literature is the preserve of the inner circle – smacks of elitist imperialism and snobbishness

‘Levels of authenticity’

Brown and Menasche’s (2005) five levels of input authenticitygenuine input authenticityaltered input authenticityadapted input authenticitysimulated input authenticityinauthentic authenticity

All classrooms are artificial and therefore there’s no such thing as ‘real task authenticity’ in classrooms

Non-native materials are as valid and valuable as non-native materials – fitness-for-purpose

In some situations ‘authentic materials’ are ‘useless’

Refining the concept of authenticityWe cannot define authenticity in a vacuumConstantly changing extra-linguisitic elements impact authenticity –

learners, context, teachers etc.Authenticity is a property of the people, task, not the textAuthenticity is a function of a text’s intelligibility and fitness for

purposeThe learners are not natives so we should develop their ability to

express authentic reactions to the textsThe selection of appropriate texts is crucial for authentic interaction

to take placeA great text in the wrong hands may failA poor text in the right hands may succeed

We should focus on ‘the authenticating teacher’ not ‘the authentic text’

What levels of reading are there?

SlowReading speed

High

Low % of known vocabulary100%

LowComprehension

High

90% 98%

ReadingPain

(too hard, poor comprehension,

high effort,de-motivating)

Instructional reading

(can learn new words and grammar,

notice some new things)

High level reading

(very fluent, natural reading, ability to think

beyond the text, enjoyable)

Fluent reading(fast, fluent, adequate

comprehension, enjoyable)

Bloom’s taxonomy of learning domains

There are different levels of learning and understandingCognitive domain - knowledge, comprehension, critical thinkingAffective Domain

- emotional reactions to materials, development of awareness in attitudes, emotions and feelings

Psychomotor- perception, sensory cues, skill use and control etc.

Cognitive dimension Affective dimension

Synthesis Production of unique communication, deriving abstract relationships

Characterizing Making the ideas part of one’s character

Evaluation Judgments of internal evidence and external criteria

Organizing Putting together values information into new ideas

Analysis Analysis of elements, relationships, organizing principles

Valuing Attaching a value to information, ideas

Application Using new knowledge to solve problems

Responding Active participation, reacting

Comprehension Translation, interpretation, extrapolation

Receiving Passive attention

Knowledge Facts, terms, classifications, categories

Reactions to texts and comprehensibility

SlowReading speed

High

Low % of known vocabulary100%

LowComprehension

High

90% 98%

Characterizing,Application, EvaluationSynthesis

ValuatingOrganizing

Literal comprehensionFocus on facts,

Responding

‘Knowledge -based’‘Efferent’

‘Experiencing’‘Affective’

Choice of texts should focus on

… the quality of the interaction and reaction to them… communicative potential… relevance to the learner and their situation… comprehensibility

Literary competence is intimately connected to the ability to perceive how patterns in the language reinforce messages

It’s not always appropriate to use literary textsGraded Readers have their place in this picture.

What do language learners need to know in order to understand native texts?

Very high levels of text coverage:8000-9000 word families to know 98% of the words in

novelsThe grammatical and syntactic conventionsCollocations, colligations, lexical phrases, idiom, metaphor etc.High level analytical and synthetic comprehension skills

- to allow for analysis, an ability to read behind the lines, notice allegory, aphorisms, assonance, authorial intrusion, euphony etc. etc. etc.

High reading speed – so they can read a lot and process it well

A B C (= 100 / B) D (= x times C )

Word rankPercentage of

general English that

this word covers

Number of running words needed to be

met to meet all these words

once

Volume of text you need to read to meet the words at these recurrence rates

5 times 20 times 50 times

1st most frequent (the) 5.83898% 17 86 343 856

2nd most frequent (be) 5.12332% 20 98 390 976

25th (as) 0.44382% 225 1,127 4,506 11,266

50th (like) 0.24109% 415 2,074 8,296 20,739

100th (hear) 0.10505% 952 4,759 19,038 47,595

500th (present) 0.02477% 4,037 20,183 80,732 201,829

1000th (blood) 0.01172% 8,533 42,665 170,658 426,645

1500th (intent) 0.00677% 14,773 73,864 295,455 738,636

2000th (stumble) 0.00432% 23,103 115,625 462,500 1,156,250

3000th (sergeant) 0.00211% 47,343 236,713 946,850 2,367,126

5000th (satellite) 0.00076% 132,143 660,714 2,642,857 6,607,143

10,000th (relativity) 0.00016% 632,895 3,164,474 12,657,895 31,644,733

How many words do Japanese students meet in JH/ SH?

Number of different

words

Total Length

Horizon 1, 2, 3 (Junior High) 1,124 9,440

Powwow I, II, Reading (Senior High) 2,857 27,221

Centre tests (680 types / 3000 words average per test) x 4

~1,000 12,000

College Entrance tests (590 types / 1600 words average per test) x 4

~1,000 6,400

A total of approximately 55,000 running words will be met (not counting juku and self-study).A generous estimate is 100,000 words and about 3,500 types over 6 years.Listening input would be approximately 10% of this.

How much text?

To have a 9000 word vocabulary you need to read 30,000,000 wordsJH and SH learners meet a total of 100,000 words over 6 yearsAll Oxford, Cengage and Penguins (800 graded readers) from levels 1-6 total only 4,000,000 words (will give you a receptive vocab of around 4000 words)

Number of words

Average Incoming 1st year English major (N=2350)Average 4th year English major (N=1670)

Average JH English teacher (N=239)Average SH English teacher (N=195)Average Japanese College Literature professor (N=74)

(Maeda and Asano, 2001)

18202460

2980

3560

6530

What can learners of different ability levels do with native texts?

Beginner Intermediate Advanced Native

Words 500 2000 5000 9000 25,000

Can process native texts in an authentic way without

help

Higher order thinking skills

Inauthentic processing of native texts

Native texts

Can process native texts in an authentic

way with help

Literal interpretations

Coverage 70% 85% 90% 98% 99%

Language Learner Literature

Authentic reactions to texts

Language learner Literatureis graded

Phonics Easy vocabMore difficult vocab

Easy grammarMore difficult grammar

Nativebooks

The number of words a learner will probably learn from course work plus reading

Probably known Partially Known Probably unknown

50+ 30-49 20-29 10-19 5-9 1-4 Total

Course book only 523 210 229 472 580 1,261 3,275

Data from Sequences, Foundations, Page Turners and Footprints by Heinle Cengage 225,000 60,800 570,000 174,000 (=1,029,000)

Add one reader a

week1,023 283 250 539 570 1,325 3,990

Add two readers a

week1,372 380 367 694 877 2,882 6,572

Intensive Reading Extensive reading

Text type Intensive reading textbooks

Native literature, poems, movies etc.

Graded Readers

Main focus Language development, comprehension

Literary appreciation, critical reading

Fluency, natural reading practice

Difficulty Difficult (i+ 3-4) Native (i+α) Fluent level (i+ 0 -1)

Learning focus Deconstructive Deconstructive Reconstructiive

Input Rough graded / linear Unsystematic / Random

Carefully graded / linear

Selection Teacher Teacher (learner) Learner

Text matching Text to learner Learner to text Text to learner

Speed Slow Slow Fast

Amount Little Little Lots

Activities Lots Pre / Post Lots Pre / Post Few post

Retention Low Very Low High

Motivation Acceptable ???? Acceptable / High

Language learner literature

For language learners not natives Doesn’t conflate the ‘end goal’ (reading native texts) with the

method to get there (structured, scaffolded learning)Can aid literary competence through well-constructed

interesting materialsSimplified but natural - collocation, phrasing, grammatical use,

colligation, text structure, etc. (Claridge, 2012) Aim is to build reading skills and fluency in a controlled way as a

temporary bridge to native textsSystematic scaffolding and support at all stages

Language learner literature II

Aim is to build reading processes and reading ability – a LANGUAGE goal

Huge gains in motivation for English in generalThe publication of classic graded reader titles is largely an incidental

by-product of trying to find good storiesCriticizing the simplified nature of the text in graded readers is an

argument focused on the text, not the learner’s needsNot ‘dumbed down’ or ‘infantile’ – they serve their own purpose‘Classical’ Graded readers are not trying to emulate the original –

they are different things – the simplification process necessarily changes is as many literary elements are removed and are thus not best used for studying ‘literature’.

If anything the purpose is to whet the appetite for more reading

Limitations of Language Learner Literature

Very hard to write motivating engaging stories with 300 wordsSome are boring (as are many classical works of literature)Simplification may lead to comprehension but not necessarily to enjoymentSome graded readers are better received and understood than the originals (Mustafa, 2011) Many are not.Many well-known titles cannot be simplified due to copyrightOften restricted by government ‘compliance’.

How can Graded readers be used in a Literature course?

To give practice in reading stories and processing textTo build language awareness and overall language abilityBy comparing a simplification to an original to assist noticingAs a primer for literary studies

Suggestions for ‘Literature’ in EFL

Focus on matching texts to learner, not learners to texts(i.e. primacy on where the learner is linguistically, affectively and emotionally)

Focus should be on a genuine authentic reaction from engaging, motivating materials

Learners are diverse –> diverse variety of input -> diverse reactionsWe should also take into account the dynamic relationship

between the context, the learners and the teachersDe-emphasize the source and purpose of a text Emphasize naturalness, appropriateness and the quality of the

texts and their reactions to themFocus on the use and interpretation of the texts (Breen, 1985)

(Hişmanoğlu) Literature in EFL is a good, but …

Very few pedagogically-designed appropriate material that can be easily used by ordinary EFL teachers In a classroomA lack of preparation in literature in TESL/TESOL trainingLack of clear objectives, defining the role of literature in ESL/EFL

There are very few rigorous research papers showing the benefits of literature over more controlled input

How easy is it to find appropriate ‘literature’?

Very very few resources are available for 95% of EFL students in JapanAlmost all websites have lists of authors and texts without explanation or guidance – thus of little or no helpAlmost all of the material is native-levelVery little student-generated literature

SummaryNative texts can only be taught intensively for the vast majority of learners in Japan

- few chances to develop reading speed- unplanned and random language selection with low recycling- learners cannot ‘get’ many high level elements of literature

on their own – they need to be taught -> deductive approach- often done in Japanese- de-emphasis on language ‘they pick it up incidentally’

There’s a need for- a bridge between where learners are and where they are going- massive practice in reading of motivating interesting texts to

build fluency, confidence and give practice in reading stories- need to see EFL and Literature as complementary not in opposition

Homework

Create a set of common goals for students learning literatureTurn it into a curriculum (Breadth? Depth?)Disseminate examples of age appropriate literature which learners of

various levels can read ‘authentically’ and extensively, not intensively

Create a website (‘Literature central’ ???) to disseminate information to learners and teachers

Create step-by-step guides and lesson plansCreate online ‘Literature in EFL’ teacher training coursesDon’t make literature ‘appear’ hardConduct research into claims about literatureWrite your own materials and make them widely available

Thank you for your time

Dr. Rob Waring

http://www.robwaring.org/er/http://www.extensivereading.net

www.erfoundation.org/

waring_robert@yahoo.com