Language and culture have a strong interdependent relationship and must be acquired together, as one supports the other in the construction of communicative and social competence. Bennet (2003) states, “the person who learns language without learning culture risks becoming a fluent fool”.
The importance of developing intercultural communicative competence alongside linguistic competence is rooted in the need of students to interact effectively with people from other cultures. In fact, what is considered appropriate in one culture is usually inappropriate in the other one. Today, it is widely accepted that literature in the EFL classroom can be a medium to transmit the culture of the target language. Besides, literature in the EFL classroom can provide a powerful tool in students’ language development. ‘Through literature the learners can experience how language can be used in different situations, for different purposes, and to varying effect’. (Aase et al. in Fenner, 2001) .
As language comes in a variety of discourse types, it is the teachers’ job to introduce the students to as many of these discourse types as possible. How can this be done? The answer to this can be quite challenging as teachers often need to make decisions about what is appropriate according to the age of the students, the students’ language proficiency and the right materials to be used.
A common approach of solving linguistic difficulties is the simplification of a text, but this has both advantages and disadvantages. Simplification produces a ‘homogenized product in which the information becomes diluted’ (McKay, 1982). McKay (1992), offers two solutions: select easy texts according to students’ readability based on vocabulary difficulty and syntactic complexity or, select literature suitable to students’ age. As regards authenticity, it provides a rich source of authentic input and portrays the outer world in a contextualized situation; it is a means that leads to a closer look on the foreign culture.
Most teachers consider using literature in the EFL classroom a difficult and boring topic, but as soon as they realize the wide range of possibilities that literature has in the teaching of a foreign language, they start sharing activities and contents which can enchant students. So, in order to start using literature in their EFL classrooms, teachers need to know ways to use it.
How to introduce literature in the EFL classroom without panicking students?
1) It is always interesting to know how much a person knows about something. Most of the time students like challenges so, this is a good source that needs to be exploited when faced to literature. Teachers can start by asking their students to answer a short quiz about those famous movies which are based on famous books, or about the latest and most famous songs or about the latest events or news. A short quiz can work as a hook to attract students’ interest or attention towards literature. Harry Potter, The Lords of the Rings, Shakespeare in Love, Fairy Tales, etc. are all pieces of literature which can help us.
A simple quiz can give you a hint.
http://www.world-english.org/literaturequiz.htm
http://www.funtrivia.com/quizzes/literature/
2) How much do teachers know about the “Literature Circles” in EFL classrooms?
Literature Circles are discussion groups in which students meet regularly to talk about books. Forming literature circles is a good idea to promote collaborative and cooperative learning in the EFL classroom as well as to stimulate social interaction.Through literature circles, students feel motivated to use the target language specially when they are challenged, as a group, to understand and give opinions about a book with the idea of doing a specific project or task. Students can focus on the author’s style, the different events or characters in the book or their own personal experiences related to what the book tells.
http://eltdigest.com/literaturecircles/2011/03/introduction/
3) Literature also appeals to students’ imagination, specially when they are faced to the analysis of fiction, drama or poetry. So, why not to take advantage of that? Students can create comics, short stories, poems or they can act out some plays which will motivate them to value the cultural context of the pieces of literature, considering and appraising the differences between the target language culture and their own.
http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_2650_make-own-comic-book.html
4) No doubt, literature is a voice that expresses values, beliefs and shows how we live and are as individuals, group or simply human beings; within this perspective literature is the ideal tool to show our students the English speaking world. Students discover English culture through it.
Teachers can use books to show students register, idioms, values and English variance. For example: J. K Rowlands Harry Potter, 1997; Freedom Writers by Wilson High school students, 1999; Any Rand The Virtue of Selfishness, 1961.
Students can realize how easy it is to understand Freedom writers, a book close to their teen ways and familiar through movies; they can realize how the word choice is more descriptive grammar than prescriptive opposed to The Virtue of Selfishness where every word has a precise meaning. It would not be difficult for them to realize how ideas are conveyed through the whole book and shows the American value: Freedom of Speech. While reading or after reading students can disagree and debate about the controversial ideas expressed in the different books. Harry Potter shows English Variance as well as English Society in its structure and tradition to send children to boarding schools.
It is quite revealing for students, as well as it is for teachers, the cultural awareness that comes up by simply reading a book. Activities should help teachers to involve their students in the learning process, so teachers have to choose the activities very carefully. If teachers stress out students, they may feel that literature is just not for them. All the hints given to avoid panicking students must be read.
http://www.teachingliterature.org/teachingliterature/chapter2/activities.htm
http://www.teachingliterature.org/teachingliterature/chapter4/activities.htm
In conclusion, raising cultural awareness through literature is a great opportunity for the students to increase their world knowledge as they will have access to a variety of contexts, which is inevitably related to culture. By raising cultural sensitivity students will not only foster openness to diversity, but they will also develop cross – cultural communication to understand and interact effectively with people of other parts of the world.
Useful links.
http://www.bibliomania.com/
http://www.openculture.com/free_hitchcock_movies_online
http://www.culturosity.com/articles/whatisculturalawareness.htm
Maritza Orrego Díaz
Mónica Rodríguez González
María Patricia Sánchez Vicuña
Fernando Sandoval Pulido