STRENGTHENING THE TEACHING OF LITERATURE FOR VALUES ACQUISITION OF 21ST CENTURY LEARNERS
MANOLITO S. DAVID
One of the salient features of the 21st century education is the focus on the acquisition of skills and concepts necessary for students to be successful in the ever-evolving world. As a result, some subjects intended to instill moral standards are undermined. The Department of Education (DepEd) has deemed it important to re-introduce Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) and Values Education in the basic education curriculum. As a matter of fact, year 2024 became pivotal because the Department has decided to give focus on this discipline by implementing the CatchUp Fridays with focus on the two subjects along with reading with which most students are said to be struggling. However, there is another way values can be taught to the students, and language teachers have a big role to play— by teaching literature. Of course, teaching literature, especially value-laden stories has a profound impact on students’ values, beliefs, and morality. But how does teaching of literature make it possible? One is that literature promotes empathy. When students read works of fictions, they read about characters with different motivations, traits, behaviors, and dispositions. This way, the students are presented multiple experiences they can possibly relate to, thus, foster empathy and understanding. Literature also develops moral understanding. It allows students to explore dilemmas which lead to their understanding of what is right and wrong. Moreover, it gives them to opportunity to experience and acquire the value principles of justice, integrity, tolerance, and integrity. Lastly, literature promotes social awareness. Some literary texts deal with the concepts of oppression, inequality, and injustice. By reading or discussing such texts, students learn the importance of these concepts and apply them to their lives. Overall, by strengthening the teaching of literature focused on values acquisition, there is no denying that students develop a strong sense of values, morality, and beliefs.
-oOoTHE AUTHOR IS TEACHER III AT SAN CARLOS SAN LUIS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL