Introducing ‘A’ Level Literature to Lower Six students

TEACHERS! Do not miss or omit the following points:

1. What is Literature? Clearly define the learning area.

2. Why is Literature important? How is it valuable in education? How is it different from say History and Divinity and any other learning areas like Science and Mathematics?

3. Do not distribute set-books before the learning area is ‘bought’. This is real marketing business. If your new literature students do not ‘buy’ the subject you will take them by force, frustrate them for 2 years and the results will be obvious! What we are all familiar with: Divinity A; History A, Literature D or E! Who is not sick and tired of this trendy disaster?

4. Generalise your introduction of the set books. What skills do you want to inculcate or develop in your students? Make it abundantly clear citing examples and illustrations from real life.

5. Help your students with notes on the life and education backgrounds of the authors, playwrights, poets to be studied. You can ask them to research, google the information on the internet.

6. Don’t forget to make it clear that while all the set books are ‘seen’, the compulsory examination paper tests comprehension or appreciation of ‘unseen’ texts, poems and passages. This demands special skills. What are they?

7. Outline methodical stages of literary appreciation or practical criticism. Students will be required to be systematic in their essay presentations though, please carefully note, the attitudes, judgements and conclusions are diverse and dependent on each students own depth of comprehension of issues observed and sensitivity to the same. They need clear criteria. Guide them to think, not guess or prophesy. Teachers please, do not poison or infect students with your opinions, attitudes, and responses. Allow them to think…give personal conclusions and judgments… not reproduce the teacher’s perception. I will zero in on this terrible teaching mistake separately. Hopefully in next week’s instalment! Watch the space.

8. Do not, (never) forget to build, develop and smarten up the command- of-language. Literature is a language game and only those who ‘dribble’ well, ‘shoot without missing’, ‘defend’ well and have mastered the art of the game go to top global pre- mier leagues (are awarded with distinctions) through scoring winning goals. This can and does happen if Literature is rightly taught and rightly studied.

9. The lesson of all criticism, of all critical thinking, is that students have nothing and nobody to rely upon in making choices and conclusions, especially DURING EXAMINATIONS, but themselves.

10. Literature is not about telling and being told stories. It is about PERSONAL or individual observation, imagination, reflection, comprehension and intelligent judgement. It’s not about reproducing or playing back the teacher’s brilliance or indeed commentary-notes but a student’s own independent perception, interpretation, and comprehension of issues offered in the set books. Of course guided by an expert and inspired teacher.

11. Remember: when we are judging lengthy pieces of literature we focus on broader aspects of Literature for example, the unfolding of the plot, the development of the characters, themes, descriptions of setting and the background, the social problems presented etc.

Finally, remember making an SOS call or appeal to experienced experts does not mean you have failed or have no idea what and how to teach. It is simply an acknowledgement that experienced resource persons cannot be avoided. Teachers who share knowledge and wisdom give the whole community of schools closer and closer understanding of each other’s mental processes and teaching experiences. This benefits students immensely.

Jealous and selfishness belong to medieval intellectual monasteries. It is primitive and limits opportunities for students to excel unhindered. Expose your literature students to adopt an integrated intellectual personality.

The ‘inventor’ of Literature as a learning area, I.R. Richards had this theory: “… The most valuable work of Literature is the one which appeals to, satisfies and harmonises the greatest number of human interests.” I dare add ‘human capabilities and experiences.’

Until English Literature teachers or teachers of Literature in English change their attitudes and approaches to teaching, Literature will continue to be a fly-in-the-ointment whenever Literature examination results are released every year. Is this the reputation we want, literature teachers?