A Case for Teaching Literature in the Secondary School: Why Reading Fiction Matters in an Age of Scientific Objectivity and Standardization
Abstract
Taking a close look at the forces that affect English education in schoolsat the ways literature, cognitive science, the privileging of the STEM disciplines, and current educational policies are connectedthis timely book counters with a strong argument for the importance of continuing to teach literature in middle and secondary classrooms. The case is made through critical examination of the ongoing "culture wars" between the humanities and the sciences, recent research in cognitive literary studies demonstrating the power of narrative reading, and an analysis of educational trends that have marginalized literature teaching in the U.S., including standards-based and scripted curricula. The book is distinctive in presenting both a synthesis of arguments for literary study in the middle and high school and sample lesson plans from practicing teachers exemplifying how literature can positively influence adolescents intellectual, emotional, and social selves.
... Men elevane sine forhold heime er det vanskeleg for skolen å gjere noko med. Det skolen kan gjere, er å gi elevar frå ulike bakgrunnar likare tilgang til moglegheiter for å utvikle positive haldningar til lesing og gode lesevanar (Alsup, 2015;Cremin, 2019;Merga, 2015;Partin & Hendricks, 2002). Saerleg er dette viktig for barn frå heimar med få ressursar og kor ein kultur for lesing ikkje står saerleg sterkt. ...
... Gitt at norske tiåringar i PIRLS er mindre interesserte i lesing enn før, og at ny norsk forsking viser at foreldre bruker mindre tid på å lese for barna sine enn antatt (Stangeland et al., 2023), har vi valt å undersøke om tilgang til barnebøker heime har endra seg over tid. Oftast bruker ein det generelle målet på kor mange bøker ein har heime, i slike studiar (Mol & Neuman, 2014), men for barn og unge er det viktig at dei faktisk finn seg bøker som passar alderen, interessene og leseerfaringa deira (Appleyard, 1991;Alsup, 2015;Baker & Scher, 2002;Clark & Foster, 2005;McQuillan & Au, 2001;Partin & Hendricks, 2002). Derfor bruker vi eit mål frå spørjeskjemaet til føresette på kor mange barnebøker dei har i heimen. ...
... Barn og unge treng aldersadekvat og interessant litteratur for å ville lese (Appleyard, 1991;Alsup, 2015;Baker & Scher, 2002;Cremin, 2019;McQuillan & Au, 2001). ...
... How does the 'god-like science' of SSE fit in this debate? In a world of 'two cultures' (Snow, 2008), in which the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering, and maths are considered more valuable because of a more obviously measurable output (Alsup, 2015), we might read Shelley's 'god-like science' of language as a contrast between the metaphysical, spiritual, unknowable ('god-like') and the technical, rational, declarative facts ('science'). In this comparison, the act of reading combines these two into one; a fitting metaphor for a subject that struggles to have a unified definition of what it is. ...
... Whilst the opening statement of purpose indicated a desire for English to enable pupils to develop personally, there is little reference to this in the main body of the document, other than through knowledge of 'high-quality' literature. Alsup (2015) writes that pupils need to find some point of connection with a text. An emotional connection that is part of empathetic development has the potential to transform as part of social action. ...
... Greater freedom in responses to texts could produce a more dynamic, 'truer' engagement with literature as studied in secondary school, because they might allow students to engage with texts on a more emotional level, which is likely to have greater impact on the learner (Alsup, 2015). There has been a recent backlash against the use of P.E.E.-style responses (Enstone, 2017), although the curriculum reforms at GCSE which are now 100% terminal examinations has limited real diversity in responses to literature. ...
... Interestingly, empirical studies have recently supported such notions both for adult readers (e.g., Bal & Veltkamp, 2013;Mar & Oatley, 2008;Koopman & Hakemulder, 2015), and within a secondary language arts school context (see Schrijvers, Janssen, Fialho & Rijlaarsdam`s (2019) thorough review of literature classroom interventions studies). However, recent trends in national policies on literacy-favoring comprehension over creativity, cognition over feeling, and measurable skills over Bildung-have reactivated the need to investigate how literature is actually read and taught in school (Alsup, 2015;Ongstad, 2015). For certainly, the imaginative potential of which Aristotle speaks in his Poetics and the critical powers that Nussbaum has tied to the reading of literature come neither by themselves nor without careful teaching. ...
... While literary texts still play a key role in LA instruction, the meaning of reading in the context of language arts has undergone a shift in many countries: many curricula and policies in educational systems around the world now stress the importance of generic text competence and non-fiction literacy skills (see, e.g., Harris & Ammermann, 2016;Liberg, Wiksten Folkeryd, & Geijerstam, 2012;Pieper, Aase, Fleming, & Samahaian, 2007;Witte & Sâmihaian, 2013). Some scholars worry that this change may be leaving less room for literature in the curriculum and less time for reading fiction in the classroom (Alsup, 2015;Appleman, 2014, Krogh & Penne, 2015Langer, 2013;Penne, 2013;Stotsky, Traffas, & Woodworth, 2010). ...
... The study showed that although no difference was found in terms of contribution to general comprehension, the response-based approach promoted superior ability to apply different response modes to open-ended tasks, while the cognitive-oriented approach was more beneficial in promoting students' use of textual evidence to support interpretations. Researchers propose that teachers should facilitate both personal and analytical readings (e.g., Alsup, 2015;Rødnes, 2014, Langer, 2013. ...
This study investigates the use of literary texts in 178 video-recorded LA lessons across 47 lower-secondary Norwegian classrooms. It offers a systematic overview of how literary texts are read, used, and dis- cussed across classrooms and investigates instructional practices related to literary texts and functions of texts in instruction. The results reveal a strong genre discourse across classrooms; reading literary texts is strongly connected to students’ own writing, focusing on generic text features that are relevant for text across the same genre. With one exception, shared instruction did not include novels except as individual pleasure reading. Findings herein align with concerns raised by scholars about literature’s role in language arts. They surface a rather reductionist use of literature across classrooms. Despite strong arguments and empirical support for students reading literature in school, such practices are poorly reflected in class- rooms in this study. Our main contribution lies in the exploration of the practices by which adolescents are socialized into literary reading. We provide an exhaustive look into the everyday practices related to literary texts in language arts lessons and the ways these texts are framed, read, and discussed in education.
... 170). Alsup (2015) argues that one of the reasons for reading fiction is the fact that it helps the reader understand different perspectives and boosts empathy. Cox (1991) points out that different authors and texts have different kinds of effect on students, so curriculum choices need to be made carefully. ...
... Cox (1991) points out that different authors and texts have different kinds of effect on students, so curriculum choices need to be made carefully. Alsup (2015) argues that her interest in a piece of fiction is determined by whether or not she can relate her experience to any events, characters or thoughts presented in it. Readers are unlikely to read texts that they do not relate to at all. ...
... Some kind of proximity, whether to the overall context or to some themes in the novel, helped participants relate to the novel to varying degrees. This argument resonates with Alsup's (2015) argument that she found those fictional works interesting which had something for her to relate to. ...
This paper presents original research which investigates university students’ perceptions of identity, rights and duties in relation to four novels at a public-sector university in Sindh, Pakistan. Reader-response framework and model of citizenship are used as theoretical frameworks guiding this study. The findings are based on data supplied by 26 participants through interviews. The key arguments based on findings of this study are that the participants discussed and connected to identity, rights and duties in the novels that were geographically, socially and temporally close in terms of their context which was as expected in light of Rosenblatt’s framework. These results are important for curriculum designers, teachers and researchers of citizenship, fiction and education in the context as they provide significant insights into students’ perceptions in relation to fiction.
... Thus, reading YAL is a powerful tool and resource for teaching social justice (Groenke et al., 2010;Harmon and Henkin, 2016). It can help all students develop empathy and critical thinking that can lead to a sense of social responsibility and social action (Alsup, 2015;Glasgow, 2001;Glenn, 2012;Wolk, 2009). ...
... YAL has been used by other scholars as a tool with PSTs to talk about controversial sociocultural, racial and politically charged issues to model how to have these discussions in their future classroom (Alsup, 2015;Groenke et al., 2010). A few English teacher educators have written specifically about deconstructing notions of race and diverse populations with their pre-service teachers (PSTs) through the study of YAL (Glenn, 2012;Groenke et al., 2015). ...
... YAL has been described as inherently pedagogical (Alsup, 2015) and is praised for its ability to bring issues of injustice into the homes and classrooms of young adults (Wolk, 2009). Reading YAL with PSTs offers opportunities for "imaginative rehearsals" to consider possible future scenarios or events they may encounter as they become in-service teachers (Gallagher, 2009). ...
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: to explore how preservice teachers in a young adult literature course critically conceptualize discussions in school spaces about race and police/community relations; and to understand the constraints and affordances of using the young adult (YA) novel, All American Boys, as a critical literacy tool for discussing race and police/community relations.
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative exploratory case study (Stake, 1995) investigated 24 pre-service teachers in two university YA literature courses as they read and discussed All American Boys. Thematic analysis consisted of open coding through the theoretical lenses of critical literacy and critical race theory.
Findings
Pre-service English language arts teachers largely thought that while race and police relations was important and the YA book was powerful, it was too political. Their fears about what might happen lead to privileging the role of neutrality as the desired goal for teachers when tackling difficult conversations about racial injustice in America. Although students made some shifts in terms of moving from neutral to more critical stances, three sub-themes of neutrality were predominant: a need for both sides of the story, the view that all beliefs are valid and the belief that we are all humans therefore all lives matter equally.
Originality/value
A search at the time of this study yielded few research tackling racial injustice and community/police relations through YA literature in the classroom. This study is important as stories of police brutality and racism are all too common and adolescents are too often the victims.
... Findings from this study support the idea that students may gain more understanding of the complexities and material implications of a social issue from reading fiction than from traditional research-based non-fiction (Alsup, 2015;Bishop, 1990;Gee, 2017). Even though the non-fiction essays (Solnit, 2015) were the sources that contained facts and statistical data, it was the novel that made participants receptive to the information and engaged with the concepts. ...
... He later explained, "The novel made things more real than, like, if we had just talked about statistics in the abstract…it's not the same as reading about, like, what happened to Erin and how awful it was." There is a persistent belief, though challenging to quantify, that literature strengthens readers' capacity for empathy (see Alsup, 2015;Ames, 2013;Bishop, 1990;Kidd & Castano, 2013). For Tim, it seemed the power of the novel was in the access it gave him to victim's experiences. ...
This article examines the key curricular resources that a group of undergraduate students took up during a book study of a young adult novel about rape culture to develop critical literacies about the #MeToo movement. The author employed an adaptation of Lewison, Leland, and Harste's critical literacy pedagogy framework for exploring critical social issues in a college classroom. Using case study methods, findings illuminate how curricular resources and the context of the study afforded and impacted participant learning. This examination provides valuable insights related to the affordances and constraints of employing such an instructional framework in higher education contexts.
... Researchers in the current study hypothesized that in English Education methods and young adult literature courses, preservice and in-service teachers attitudes' toward those with mental illness would be changed after reading novels about characters with mental illnesses while also having been presented with information focused on issues such as the following: statistics on mental illness from the National Institute of Mental Health and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention; a definition of stigma (Hoffman, 1963) and examples of stigmatizing attitudes and behaviors (Anti-Defamation League, 2018); examples of stigmatizing language (Rose, Thornicraft, Pinfold, & Kassam, 2007); examples of authentic terms and negative terms in young adult novels (Author 2, 2019); and research related to social justice and empathy in teaching literature (Alsup, 2015). ...
... and Group 3 -UG (undergraduate preservice teachers). Because some participants were situated as educators in public school classrooms (grades 6-12) and were frequently viewed as authority figures (Palmer, 2007) while simultaneously being expected to be benevolent (Alsup, 2015), identifying participants' perceptions of authoritarianism and benevolence were deemed to be important. Moreover, because preservice and in-service teachers worked in an environment that included, by law (U.S. ...
Despite movements to improve attitudes and to educate the public about individuals with
mental illness by advocacy groups such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Project Semicolon, the National Council for Behavioral Health, the Trevor Project, and Bring Change to Mind, public stigma continues to motivate people to engage in stereotyping and to have prejudice towards, and to discriminate against, individuals with mental illness (Corrigan & Watson, 2002). A comprehensive literature review by Parcesepe and Cabassa (2013) found that stigmatizing beliefs about individuals with mental illness include fears of violence, shame, incompetency, and criminal behavior – often leading to isolation and difficulties for those seeking mental health treatment.
... Tällöin yhteisölliseen lukemiseen kannustava oppimisympäristö on tärkeää etenkin niille oppilaille, joiden kotona tai muussa vapaa-ajan ympäristössä ei ole kirjallisia resursseja. Yhteisöllisen kirjallisuuskasvatuksen tavoitteena on, että kirjat näyttäytyvät merkityksellisinä sekä oppilaalle itselleen että hänen lähipiirilleen (Allington & Gabriel, 2012;Alsup, 2015). ...
... Ne opettajat, jotka eivät olleet tyytyväisiä luokka-ja koulukirjastoihinsa, vastasivat syyksi suppeat valikoimat ja vanhan kirjallisuuden, joka ei kiinnosta oppilaita tai opiskelijoita. Oppilaat viettävät kirjallisuuden parissa enemmän aikaa, kun kirjallisuus kiinnostaa heitä ja siinä on samastumisen kohteita (Alsup, 2015). Kielitietoisen kirjallisuuskasvatuksen kannalta laadukas, moninainen ja samastuttava kirjallisuus onkin ensiarvoisen tärkeää. ...
Tässä tutkimuksessa selvitettiin suomalaisten koulujen kirjavalikoimien monikielisyyttä sekä opettajien kokemuksia koulujensa luokka- ja koulukirjastojen laadusta. Kyselyyn vastasi ala- ja yläkoulujen opettajia ympäri Suomea (N = 83). Opettajat olivat koulukirjastoihin enemmän tyytyväisiä kuin luokkakirjastoihin: puolet alakoulun opettajista ja yli puolet yläkoulun opettajista oli tyytyväisiä koulukirjastoonsa. Opettajat, jotka pitivät koulu- tai luokkakirjastoaan hyvinä, kokivat, että heidän koulussaan arvostettiin kirjallisuutta ja lukemista. Ero oli tilastollisesti merkittävä opettajiin, jotka olivat tyytymättömiä koulunsa kirjavalikoimiin. Opettajat mainitsivat luokka- ja koulukirjastojen puutteiksi kirjojen vähyyden ja niiden vanhan iän, sekä sen, ettei koululla ole resursseja ylläpitää koulukirjastoa. Lisäksi havaittiin, että koulujen kirjavalikoimissa on tarjolla vähän monikielistä kirjallisuutta. Hieman alle puolet opettajista vastasi koulukirjastostaan löytyvän kirjallisuutta vain yhdellä kielellä. Yleisimmät kielet suomen lisäksi olivat englanti ja ruotsi, joiden jälkeen venäjä, ranska ja arabia. Noin viidesosa alakoulun opettajista mainitsi koulustaan löytyvän kirjallisuutta oppilaidensa kotikielillä. Book selections in schools as part of language awareness in literature education Abstract In this study we investigated multilingualism in the book selections of school libraries in Finland and teachers’ experiences of the quality of their classroom and school libraries. Our research survey was participated by teachers around Finland in basic education (N = 83), including teachers both in the primary and lower secondary levels. Teachers were more satisfied with their school libraries than individual classroom libraries: half of the primary school teachers and over half of the lower secondary school teachers were satisfied with their school libraries. Those teachers who found their school and classroom libraries satisfactory thought that literature and reading were valued in their schools. There was a statistically significant difference compared to the teachers who were dissatisfied with the book selection in their schools. Teachers mentioned as demerits of classroom and school libraries the shortage of books in general and the lack of recently published books. Also, the lack of resources to maintain a school library was mentioned as a defect. Teachers noted that book selections in their schools offered very little multilingual literature. A little less than half of the teachers said that their school library housed literature written in one language only. In addition to the literature in Finnish, school libraries most commonly offered books in English and Swedish. In addition, books in Russian, French, and Arabic were found in some libraries. Approximately 20 per cent of the primary school teachers mentioned that their school library offered literature in the first language of their students. Keywords: reading, multilingualism, school libraries, linguistic and cultural awareness in libraries
... As such, one important part of the problem's explicit or, more often, implicit pedagogical framing almost invariably consists of worrying reports on the growing indifference of youngsters towards classical literature (Alsup 2015;Ingraham 2016;Eaglestone 2019). In other words, the literacy problem is at the same time considered a literature problem. ...
... Simons 2020; Kucirkova and Flewitt 2020). Does, for example, the gradual replacement of literary canons with more studentcentered policies focusing on personal literary preferences and 'narrative profiles', really always entail a more progressive, emancipatory view of literature (education) 5 , or might it not rather represent a thinly disguised sell-out of literature, as a common good, to the neoliberal market of individual demand and supply (Korbey 2019;Alsup 2015)? Inversely, one can perhaps pose the question whether good, educationally valuable, literature should first of all be expected to 'add' to the individual biographies and narratives of educands. ...
This paper primarily aims at conceptualizing a new philosophical approach to literature education, one that we—in the vein of certain pedagogical trends—propose to call “thing-centered”. Point of departure is the ongoing confrontation with a two-sided educational problem: on the one hand, the confrontation with the steady decline of younger generations’ engagements with ‘classical’ literature; on the other hand, that with the unsatisfactory answers which either accept (and even support) this development, in light of the world’s irresistible digitization, or try overcoming it through a more student-centered, ‘biographical’ appropriation of literature. Beyond the more immediate didactical difficulties which this two-fold problem poses, we ask ourselves the question whether it is not time for a more fundamental renewal of our understanding of literature’s contemporary educational significance. In answering this question, for which we turn to such diverse authors as Rousseau, Deleuze and Calvino, it is argued that if education is to continue its care for both classical literacy and literary classics—and not so much against as in relation to ascending digital literacies—a more radically immanent, thing-centered perspective is likely to prove the most sustainable, in the sense of enabling truly new, ‘care-ful’ literary-educational practices to emerge.
... When one read fiction, he is seeing the world through a character's eyes. Alsup (2015) argues that reading literary fiction results in, among a number of things, critical thinking, close reading, and analytical writing, in line with that, Tamir et al. (2016) maintains that people who often read fiction have better social cognition. The knowledge a student derived from fiction position him positively ahead others and makes him or her associate well socially. ...
... When learning history, a history book gives one numbers of really facts and narration, but historical fiction put one down in the middle of the time period, enables one to feel and taste the world around him/her, interact with people, solve problems. (Alsup, 2015). Availability of fiction material will encourage independent reading and increases student satisfaction in use of library resources. ...
This work studies the influence of availability of information resources on Students Satisfaction with the Use of School Library in Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State. The population of the study comprises 3,760 senior secondary school students and sample of the study was 376 students which was selected randomly using stratified random sample techniques. Two research questions and two null hypotheses were formulated to guide this study, hypotheses was tested at 0.05 level of significance. Data was collected using the questionnaire. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. Data collected was analyzed using the mean, standard deviation, simple percentage, and t-test. The findings show that, availability of fiction and book on various subject, had influence on students' satisfaction with use of school library. Based on the findings, recommendations were made as follows: Since the study revealed that there is significant influence of availability of fiction on students' satisfaction with the use of school library, it is therefore recommended that schools management should take it as a duty call, to always reach out to both the government and nongovernmental organizations for fund, to acquire current fictions that will help in building the reading culture of the students’. Also since the study revealed that there is significant influence of availability of books on various subject on students’ satisfaction with the use of school library, it is therefore recommended that government should be alive to its responsibility by providing adequate textbooks in all subject yearly to the school library, to boost students’ satisfaction and improve academic excellence.
... One of the central practices involved in reading literature, and one we emphasize in this book, is the ability to adopt different perspectives of characters, roles in a drama activity, peers, one's audiences, teachers, and larger ideological or institutional perspectives (Alsup, 2015;Mar, Oatley, Hirsh, dela Paz, & Peterson, 2006). Adopting perspectives other than one's own is a challenge for everyone but is a necessary part of learning about and across differences. ...
... Similarly, in making the case for the need to teach literature, Janet Alsup (2015) voices concern about how so-called scientific objectivity has become equated as the primary path to truth in contemporary society, as evident in the use of standardized test results as the means for assessing students' learning. Conflating objectivity with truth fails to consider how the subjective experience of literature provides readers with access to certain truths that are equally important for understanding their own and others' lives. ...
... The power of young adult literature is its ability to help readers empathize with characters who are like and not like themselves (Alsup, 2015). Through the novels we have analyzed here, we hope to have shown that in addition to building empathy, we need to change the narrative, and to do that, we need authentic representations of characters whose lives are realistic and whose language invites readers to reflect on the complexities of mental illness, not as a romanticized condition but as a set of psychological factors that are woven through characters' identities, positionalities within communities, and relationships with family, friends, and others in their social settings. ...
This article sheds light on the narrative of deficit that often surrounds characters who have mental illness in young adult literary novels (YAL) and critiques the manner in which that narrative perpetuates the stigma of mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and/or obsessive-compulsive disorder. We focus on two 21st century young adult novels whose characters are accurately depicted as having mental illness and whose authors authentically share the characters’ successes and struggles as well as the impact of their mental illness symptoms on family, friends, and neighbors. Our aim is to analyze and critique these novels to inform researchers and authors of YAL about the danger of romanticizing stigma surrounding mental illness, which, through the descriptions of characters’ behaviors and language used by the authors (whether intentional or not), can perpetuate the narrative of deficit that is associated with characters with mental illness.
... She focuses on the relationship between literature and empathy, as stories share multiple perspectives and positionings and can encourage students to consider the feelings and actions of others to promote civic action. Considering multiple perspectives (Alsup, 2015;Gee, 2017), promoting empathy (Hays, 2021), and teaching literature critically can supply agency to readers to model disrupting the status quo to promote positive social change. ...
Purpose
Recognizing that hate crimes and antisemitic attacks are increasing, the purpose of this article is to discuss ways The Assignment by Liza Wiemer, a contemporary young adult novel that depicts curriculum violence and its effects on students, acts as a “disruptor” in young adult literature. The authors present a rationale for using young adult literature on The Holocaust in high school classrooms to challenge the status quo and identify ways to become upstanders in the face of hate.
Design/methodology/approach
Through a content analysis using a critical literacy framework, the authors analyzed The Assignment for pedagogical ways to use the novel to challenge educators and students to examine and rethink how they feel about hate, bias and antisemitism.
Findings
Four ways the novel can be used as a disrupter were identified: text structure and language, pedagogical practices and curriculum violence, the student/peer/authority figure power dynamic and challenging accepted beliefs that can lead to bias, hate and antisemitism.
Practical implications
Although all individuals can be impacted by hate and antisemitism, this article focuses on young adults as they are the novel’s target audience. However, the authors believe people of all ages have the potential to disrupt societal practices and become upstanders and suggest ideas in this article be applied broadly to other novels and teaching situations.
Originality/value
A focus is on the ways the novel can build a community of allies and upstanders – students as agents of change rather than complacent bystanders. As bias, hate and antisemitism are on the rise, this article presents a unique way to combat it through literature and critical discussion.
... I want to write and celebrate the resiliency. Rodríguez: The researcher Janet Alsup (2015) noted, If we wish our young students to become citizens of the world who can make ethical decisions about the many scientific discoveries, ecological challenges, and human tragedies coming across the newspapers daily, we must nurture and preserve their opportunities to experience narrative worlds. ...
... Vi mener allikevel at det vi har formulert som laeremidlenes vektlegging av skjønnlitteraere teksters formelle trekk, er så tydelig både i laeremidlene og i den observerte undervisningen med dem, at det er et valid utgangspunkt for å sammenligne funn og didaktiske implikasjoner. Vi ser for eksempel ikke tydelige laeremiddelintensjoner for litteraturundervisning som utnytter litteraturens potensial for å utvikle elevenes empati (se for eksempel Nussbaum, 1997Nussbaum, , 2016 eller kritiske tenkning (se for eksempel Alsup, 2015). Den relativt ensidige oppmerksomheten på sjanger og begreper, der litteraturen fungerer som eksempler som kan illustrere, eller «bevise», at analyseskjemaet fungerer, er altså grunnlaget for at vi vil argumentere for å sammenligne studienes forskningsresultater. Selv om det gjelder ulike forskningsdesign og to ulike lands skolekontekster, mener vi at likhetene ved dansk og norsk skolekultur og de laeremiddeltrekkene vi har trukket fram, som også er tydelige i den observerte undervisningen i begge studier, utgjør en plattform for å gjøre relevante sammenligninger mellom studiene. ...
Two recent studies on instruction related to literary texts and the use of
teaching resources have examined how literature instruction is justified and
practiced in Denmark and Norway. Drawing on findings from these studies,
we aim to shed some light on the didactical implication teaching resources
have on the literature instruction.
... By tradition, literature instruction is a natural and incontestable part of language arts education all over the world, and literature is widely considered vital to young people's personal and intellectual development (Alsup, 2015;Showalter, 2003). A range of arguments and empirical evidence support the use of literature in school: it contributes to language development, encourages good reading habits, provides readers with experiences and knowledge, impedes undemocratic values, and facilitates the understanding of others through simulation of social experience and interaction (Lamarque & Olsen, 1994;Mar & Oatley, 2008). ...
In this comparative study, naturally occurring literature instruction in Nordic lower secondary school is investigated in order to find out how lessons are organized, to what extent different genres are read and
worked upon, and for what subject-specific functions and purposes literary texts are used. Implications for text selection by teachers are discussed. The study relies on four consecutive video-recorded language arts lessons from 102 classrooms in Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The function and use of literary texts were investigated by means of video-analysis and statistical comparisons. The analysis clearly indicates that literature plays an important part in Nordic language arts education. In all four countries, narrative fiction texts were favored above other genres. When the aim was to give students joint reading experiences, short stories and excerpts from novels were normally used. Reading literature for the sake of developing comprehension appears to be a dominant function of using literary texts in Nordic lower secondary arts classrooms. The present study also suggests that it is important for Nordic teachers to
provide their students with positive reading experiences.
... We know that teachers attempting to teach poetically will spend time similarly caught up in contradictions, in between the normative practices constituting school and the poetic gestures they might make. Indeed the norm, informed by dominant ideologies of technocracy, the knowledge economy (Alsup 2015), and evidence-based research science, strikes us as profoundly unpoetic, in that such systems eschew the uncertainty of poetic dispositions (which may lead teachers and students everywhere and nowhere) in favour of the certainty of rigorous standards and proven methods. The two approaches might well be at odds. ...
We have become well-familiar with how unpoetic teaching can be. The prevalence, furthered by much recent reform, of a systematic school culture focused on accountability, standardisation, and learnification often renders teaching dehumanised work. This paper theorises a poetics of teaching. We begin considering poetics, focusing on figurative language as a concept at the core of the art. Figurative language offers a model for figurative education, in which teachers treat their practice as metaphors treat language, a move that opens education towards complexity and ambiguity. Further, we consider what makes poetry matter to people: resonance, or the relational aspects of writing. We explore resonance in conversation with philosophies of relationality, theorising how poetic teaching necessitates an engagement with the relational. We find what may be required to teach poetically is risk-taking, risks all the more beautiful for the ways they engage teachers and students as complex persons doing meaningful work.
... As mentioned above, I relied on critical literacy pedagogy (see Lewison et al. 2015;McLaughlin and DeVoogd 2004) to guide the book study. Using a YA novel to talk about and understand a critical social issue aligns with decades of scholarship connecting reading literature and discussing controversial issues to taking action to achieve social amelioration (Alsup 2015;Bishop 1990;Freire 2014;Ivey and Johnston 2017). The main instructional strategy I employed, in line with Freire (1970), was problem posing by using discussion questions to prompt students to deconstruct their reading for the week. ...
In this article, I report on an action project undertaken by a group of young women (aged 18 to 20) to foster public discussions about the prevalence of rape culture on their university's campus. Students proposed this action project during a book study of a young adult (YA) novel that focused on rape culture and sexual violence. Discussions during the book study resulted in the women creating a video designed for university orientation events that addressed common misconceptions about issues such as consent, relationship violence, sexual coercion, and victimhood. Using case study and narrative methods, I recount my experience of witnessing unexpected activism in my classroom. Framed within critical literacy research, I consider the outcomes of making space for student activism and I discuss implications for practitioners.
... Reading fiction enhances young readers' empathy and their ability to understand different perspectives (Alsup, 2015). As the novel is rich in themes, symbols, allegorical meanings and can be studied from different theoretical perspectives, it is presumed to provide ground to discuss various issues to participating undergraduate students. ...
Teaching literature through new techniques and judging its relevance in terms of students' perceptions in an under-researched and significant area of study. This study aims to explore students' response to new teaching methodologies being used in a literature classroom, as part of an international research project. This international project was a collaboration between Pakistan, the UK and Norway. Collaborative teaching techniques of using literature circles within each class and google circles across the three contexts (online) were used. The whole population of the students (n=12) who had participated in the international project were approached for interviews. All twelve participating students from Pakistan were interviewed to explore their reactions to the international study. Students felt that they learnt new things from the use of these innovative methods, were able to learn from foreigners and felt a sense of connectivity to their groups. It is recommended that students from Pakistan be given such exposure to overcome their hesitation as such research studies tend to have a positive impact on students. It is also recommended that further research be carried out in other contexts as well to determine if the use of such teaching pedagogies can benefit other teachers of literature.
... Reading fiction enhances young readers' empathy and their ability to understand different perspectives (Alsup, 2015). As the novel is rich in themes, symbols, allegorical meanings and can be studied from different theoretical perspectives, it is presumed to provide ground to discuss various issues to participating undergraduate students. ...
p>This paper presents the findings of a study based on students’ response to participating in an international project. This international project was a collaboration between Pakistan, the UK and Norway. Collaborative teaching techniques of using literature circles within each class and google circles across the three contexts (online) were used. Twelve participating students from Pakistan were interviewed to explore their reactions to the international study. Students felt that they learnt new things from the use of these innovative methods, were able to learn from foreigners and felt a sense of connectivity to their groups. It is recommended that students from Pakistan be given such exposure to overcome their hesitation. It is recommended that further research be carried out in other contexts as well to determine if the use of such teaching pedagogies can benefit other teachers of literature.</p
... We offer this framework at a time when the teaching of literature is facing a crisis of definition and purpose. There have been a series of calls from politicians, business leaders, and some educators to diminish the teaching of literature in favor of information-based texts (for discussions of this debate, see Alsup, 2015;Jago, 2013;Layton, 2012;Schmoker & Jago, 2013). Like Mr. Gradgrind in Charles Dickens's Hard Times (1854), the push is for "facts, only facts." ...
... It will no doubt provide an excellent introduction and a rich source of further reading, sitting neatly alongside more recent works that discuss the role and value of literature teaching in education from the perspectives of empathy and social justice (e.g. Alsup, 2015), the positioning of reading as discourse and as social practice and its implications more widely for practitioners (e.g. Cliff Hodges, 2015) and empirical studies on the study of literature in specific educational settings (e.g. ...
... Literary visions of intermental activity developing into a collective initiative to solve social problems could foster readers' moral imagination and empathy (Koopman and Hakemulder, 2015). They could also enhance readers' ability to take prosocial action in the real world (Alsup, 2015). In the case of Radical Fantasy, representations of joint actions and cooperation might potentially engage young readers in a critical appreciation of the communities in which they live and of their own status as active members of these communities. ...
This article employs the theory of social minds proposed by Alan Palmer (Social Minds in the Novel, 2010) to argue for the emergence of a group-based thinking, feeling, and acting focused on reforming the status quo, using David Whitley’s Agora trilogy (2009–2013) as an example of Radical Fantasy. This particular subgenre of fantasy is seen as radical in the way it envisions an intergenerational struggle by the oppressed against political, racial and economic injustice, resulting in a new social order (Deszcz-Tryhubczak, 2016). The notion of transformation, it is argued, is a characteristic quality of mental functioning in Radical Fantasy storyworlds. Beyond examining Whitley’s trilogy in these terms, the article also argues for a broader interest in intergenerational collective action in the field of children’s literature as a way of acknowledging texts that extend the aetonormative paradigm of children’s books (Nikolajeva, 2010).
Young adult (YA) literature is widely acknowledged as a space for readers to engage with contemporary issues and societal concerns. In recent years, there has been a growing focus on the representation of sexuality and consent. In this article, the author identifies how the post-feminist sensibilities operating in society that have persisted since the #MeToo movement are creating a distinct cultural moment that necessitates the consideration of consent and relationship dynamics in texts for young people. This article presents a literary analysis of two popular YA fantasy texts, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas and Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. The analysis demonstrates that the presentations of the first kiss in these texts presents consent in problematic ways that negate the importance of female agency and do not acknowledge unequal power dynamics. In this article, the author argues that popular YA fantasy literature texts present an opportunity to engage young people in nuanced conversations about sexuality and consent.
Flera forskare har betonat vikten av att lärarutbildningen behandlar ämnen
som mångkultur och interkulturalitet, eftersom den spelar en betydande roll
i att forma framtida medborgare (Banks, 2021). Inom ramen för
utbildningen men också i sin kommande yrkesutövning möter lärarstudenter
och lärare elever med olika språkbakgrunder och många elever läser på
svenska som ett andraspråk. I detta kapitel fokuseras därför läsutveckling
på såväl ett första- som ett andraspråk. Elever som läser ämnet svenska som
andraspråk har ökat de senaste åren. Internationella undersökningar visar
att elever som läser svenska som andraspråk har sämre läsförståelse på
svenska än elever som läser svenska efter de inledande åren i grundskolan.
Vi ville studera detta närmare och har genomfört en tvärsnittsstudie med
över 46 000 elever där vi kan konstatera att elever som läser ämnet svenska
som andraspråk, som grupp betraktat, har sämre förmåga att avkoda ord
och förstå text, än elever som läser ämnet svenska redan i årskurs 1–3.
Studien visade också att många elever som läser ämnet svenska som
andraspråk behöver stöd för att utveckla god läsförmåga. Behovet av att
skolan stödjer dessa elever med utgångspunkten att alla elever ska ges
möjlighet att utveckla fungerade läsförmåga diskuteras. Vi beskriver också
en studie där vi genomfört en satsning med läsning under sommarlovet i en
kommun med stor andel elever som har svenska som andraspråk. Teoretiskt
bygger vårt kapitel på modellen ”The Simple View of Reading” som visar
att läsförståelse på såväl ett förstaspråk som på ett andraspråk är produkten
av att kunna avkoda ord och att förstå dem.
För att barn ska kunna följa med i undervisningen i förskola och senare i skola behöver de behärska det svenska skolspråket. I dagens förskolor med stor mångfald finns det grupper av barn som av olika skäl inte är motiverade att lära sig svenska som andraspråk (SvA), utan i stället visar hög motivation för att lära sig engelska. Den låga motivationen för SvA gör det svårt för förskolans personal att säkerställa att barnen får de förutsättningar de behöver för att senare kunna lära sig på svenska i skolan. I detta kapitel ger vi en kort bakgrund om motivation och språkinlärning, och presenterar därefter resultaten från ett digitalt frågeformulär med fokus på SvA och motivation. Målet med kapitlet är att väcka lärarstuderandes intresse för olika aspekter av och motivationen till svenska som andraspråk.
News media reporting on immigrant communities are often blamed for being biased or prejudiced. News organizations – especially tabloids and alternative right-wing news media – have been criticized for their insensitivity while covering immigrants, and for failing to adapt their reporting style to accommodate the new, globalized, multicultural immigrant societies. Instead, they tend to focus on stereotypical negative aspects of immigrant communities, often portraying them in a disproportionate or unfavorable light as “the other.” This chapter presents an overview of a selection of previous studies on the media representation of immigrants in the West. It further explores various approaches to reporting on immigrants and examines how each approach contributes to a specific narrative construction. The chapter concludes by advocating for a more “constructive approach” in journalism to effectively represent a multicultural society, as well as discussing the relevance of such an approach for educators.
In this paper we want to rethink the educational significance of the novel – and particularly of novel-reading – from the perspective of a ‘meta-novelistic’ reading of Don Quixote, often acclaimed as the “first modern novel”. Our point of departure is double: on the one hand, there is the controversial contemporary phenomenon of “de-reading”, and all the educational discussions which it entails; on the other hand, there is the existing tradition of literary education, which, from different angles, has already extensively reflected upon the (moral, epistemological, ontological) relation between novel-reading, education and subjectification, but which also sometimes seems to have exhausted its means for doing so. To problematize this double starting point in a new way, we propose to revisit the ‘origins’ of the novel and novel-reading, at the dawn of modernity. By exploring the differences between the narratives of subjectification represented by the Cartesian cogito and Cervantes’ Don Quixote, which were near-contemporaries, we try to argue for an educational-philosophical rehabilitation of the latter, if not against then at least beyond the former. In a first movement, and in dialogue with novelists Milan Kundera and Carlos Fuentes, we do so by focusing on the novel as a particular form, or ‘configuration’, of knowledge – one that is by nature experimental and pluralist. In a second movement, we link this to Jean Baudrillard’s famous distinction between “simulation” and “illusion”, claiming that novel-reading qua subjectification always involves a Quixotic practice of adventurous, ‘playful’ and public negotiation between reality and its more or less ‘illusory’ alternatives.
We often hear that literature’s ability to elicit empathy validates its ethical value in society and in education; in this context, the moral philosopher Martha C. Nussbaum, whose position on the importance of narrative empathy to civic and higher education is well known, immediately springs to mind. Less often do we hear that literature’s ethical potential resides in its ability to block empathy and create the other. This essay develops an ethical-didactic approach to literature that takes into account this ostensibly negative aspect of reading, suggesting that there is an ethical potential in literature’s invitation to respond to the other as other, or, more specifically, in the joint processes of empathy and othering that readers participate in when they read. Rather than relying on empathy alone for an ethics of reading, this essay locates an ethical dimension in this readerly double bind of empathy and othering. My argument is that if readers observe their own participation in this dilemma, they may catch sight of an aspect of themselves—a blind spot—that may increase their awareness of their own role and responsibility in acts of othering not only within literature but also beyond. Using Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw as a case study, this essay explores how literature can be taught and read with an emphasis on the student’s own implication in the creation of the other. Such an approach can facilitate the development of empathetic and critical citizens.
The paper follows the numerous debates on the importance of philology that have started to emerge in the 1980s, beginning from Paul de Man’s essay Return to Philology. The assumption is that despite obvious devaluation of its importance and institutional ruination, philology survives precisely because the idea of a return is inherent in it. However, as the return is in this context grasped as the return of the repressed, it is claimed that philology survives as a paradoxical discipline whose epistemological power seeks to be represented bythe figure of a specter and within hauntology, as Derrida introduced it in his works. It is argued that philology today draws strength precisely from its openness to disciplinary hybridity, institutional uncertainty, and continuous rethinking of itsown social role. In conclusion, the work of Vatroslav Jagić, one of the greatest Croatian philologists and world-renowned representative of Slavic philology, whose understanding of the task of philology relates to the theses presented in the paper, is included in the discussion and introduced in the dialogue.
This article presents the results of five open-ended surveys administered to two Advanced Placement classes in a primarily White high school in upstate New York. Surveys sought to explore how students make sense of the course diversity selection, Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, which was inserted into a primarily White textual canon. Responses were coded and analysed via a Critical Discourse Analysis methodology. Analysis revealed that while many students replicated the discursive patterns of White innocence, characterised by an obliviousness to their complicity in White supremacy, some students, often coming from marginalised social positions, registered more nuanced reactions to the power dynamics represented in the text. The study concludes that while diversity insertions like Things Fall Apart can be mechanisms that actually reinforce White supremacy due to a perceived social disconnect, modest insights can also be generated by students seeking to better understand the dynamics of contemporary social oppression.
Using literature in multilingual and second language classes promotes literacy skills and helps children to adapt to second language instruction. This chapter presents the theoretical framework and practical implementations for enhancing the use of literature in multilingual environments employing Stories Make Readers (StoRe)–project as an example. StoRe concept helps to promote the use of fictional literature and to increase the reading materials and reading time at school and at home. An important aim is to offer, in multilingual groups, reading materials that correspond to the reading abilities and interest of the readers, and to connect different collaborative, child-centered, and multidisciplinary activities in reading. The multilingual line of the StoRe project, called Creating Innovative Approaches to Language Education (IKI), identifies and promotes innovative models for the use and development of language in education and creates research-based, pedagogical maps that help teachers develop and improve their pedagogical practices.
The first chapter of the paper summarizes the devaluation process of the humanistic values that has begun in the West a few decades ago. The question is why and how the so-called knowledge societies marginalize humanistic knowledge. The second, third, and fourth chapters are the proposal of the mission of the humanities today: pushed out to society’s periphery, the humanities have the task of preserving skills, experiences, and knowledge that so-called knowledge society considers needless. Thereby, the paper advocates the importance of returning to philology, as Paul de Man puts it in his article Return to Philology, and tries to show the extent to which philology, ceasing to be national, becomes a communal, political and ethical force.
In an increasingly violent world, reading literary works and the teaching of literature in school may play an important part in shaping students' personality as human beings. Turning literature classes into an effective way of cultivating ethical values in learners should be an educational goal of the curriculum irrespective of the level of study. Starting from the data provided by a focus group organized with Philology students within the Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti, the present chapter aims to highlight how literature classes may increase their moral awareness and develop their ethical skills. More precisely, the study investigates students' perceptions of literature and its role in developing mutual respect and non-violent behavior inside and outside the academic environment.
In an increasingly violent world, reading literary works and the teaching of literature in school may play an important part in shaping students' personality as human beings. Turning literature classes into an effective way of cultivating ethical values in learners should be an educational goal of the curriculum irrespective of the level of study. Starting from the data provided by a focus group organized with Philology students within the Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti, the present chapter aims to highlight how literature classes may increase their moral awareness and develop their ethical skills. More precisely, the study investigates students' perceptions of literature and its role in developing mutual respect and non-violent behavior inside and outside the academic environment.
This article reports on one undergraduate student's journey toward critical literacy about rape culture as a result of reading and discussing a young adult novel in a book study with peers. Using ethnographic and case study methods, the author examines the personal and cultural resources the student brought to the experience, the critical stance she developed, the critical social practices in which she engaged, and the contextual resources that supported her critical literacy growth. The study described herein brought together research about critical literacy and young adult literature to better understand the nature of critical literacy in practice and its effects upon young adult students, with the goal of providing literacy educators with a rich description of what it looks like as a student develops critical literacy. This study also demonstrates the potential of young adult literature as a lens for contending with complex social issues in a college classroom.
Sammendrag
Norskfaget har et hovedansvar for å gi barn og unge meningsfylte
møter med skjønnlitteratur. Men hvilken litteratur leses egentlig
i norsktimene? I denne artikkelen utforsker vi hvilke skjønnlitterære
tekster som blir lest i løpet av en uke med norsktimer i 47 ulike
klasserom. I de 178 norsktimene vi har videofilmet og analysert,
finner vi begrenset og lite repertoar av skjønnlitteratur. Læreboka
har enorm definisjonsmakt, da så å si alle skjønnlitterære tekstene kommer
fra en lærebok. Unntaket er elevtekster innenfor skjønnlitterære
sjangre. Vi finner utstrakt bruk av utdrag, og de få hele romanene
vi finner, er selvvalgte bøker til individuell lesing, ikke romaner
klassen leser og diskuterer sammen. De litterære tekstene har til
felles at de oppfyller – og aldri utfordrer – sentrale sjangerkonvensjoner.
Dette kan øke avstanden mellom samtidslitteraturen og norskfaget.
Artikkelen som helhet kan leses som et argument for å revurdere
hva vi vil med litteraturundervisningen i skolen.
As the title of the novel suggests, what “all-American” means—and those who are
excluded from it despite the seemingly encompassing term—becomes an issue. The narrative shows the apparent similarities between the two boys to further emphasize the underlying differences in their situation. This novel did not present racism in essentialized terms. Rather, the internal conflicts that Rashad and Quinn experience are central to the ways in which they work through understanding their own racial identities. Rather than blaming an entire group or community, the narrative encourages readers to see how prevalent and pervasive issues of racism are and to act to make a difference. The book stresses the importance of each person recognizing his or her role in these problems and taking a stance. Being “neutral” is an option that is discouraged.
Because spiritual life and religious participation are widespread human and cultural phenomena, these experiences unsurprisingly find their way into English language arts curriculum, learning, teaching, and teacher education work. Yet many public school literacy teachers and secondary teacher educators feel unsure how to engage religious and spiritual topics and responses in their classrooms. This volume responds to this challenge with an in-depth exploration of diverse experiences and perspectives on Christianity within American education.
Authors not only examine how Christianity – the historically dominant religion in American society – shapes languaging and literacies in schooling and other educational spaces, but they also imagine how these relations might be reconfigured. From curricula to classroom practice, from narratives of teacher education to youth coming-to-faith, chapters vivify how spiritual lives, beliefs, practices, communities, and religious traditions interact with linguistic and literate practices and pedagogies. In relating legacies of Christian languaging and literacies to urgent issues including White supremacy, sexism and homophobia, and the politics of exclusion, the volume enacts and invites inclusive relational configurations within and across the myriad American Christian sub-cultures coming to bear on English language arts curriculum, teaching, and learning.
This courageous collection contributes to an emerging scholarly literature at the intersection of language and literacy teaching and learning, religious literacy, curriculum studies, teacher education, and youth studies. It will speak to teacher educators, scholars, secondary school teachers, and graduate and postgraduate students, among others.
Experiencing Fictional Worlds is not only the title of this book, but a challenge to reveal exactly what makes the “experience” of literature. This volume presents contributions drawing upon a range of theories and frameworks based on the text-as-world metaphor. This text-world approach is fruitfully applied to a wide variety of text types, from poetry to genre-specific prose to children’s story-books.
This book investigates how fictional worlds are built and updated, how context affects the conceptualisation of text-worlds, and how emotions are elicited in these processes. The diverse analyses of this volume apply and develop approaches such as Text World Theory, reader-response studies, and pedagogical stylistics, among other broader cognitive and linguistic frameworks. Experiencing Fictional Worlds aligns with other cutting-edge research on language conceptualisation in fields including cognitive linguistics, stylistics, narratology, and literary criticism. This volume will be relevant to anyone with interests in language and literature.
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