Adapting literature to the language classroom

Abstract

Very often we hear teachers arguing and complaining that today, thanks to the era of technology we live in, our students are not only no longer interested in reading but many have even lost the love for learning languages. In fact, notwithstanding all the efforts done by schools, parents and teachers, most students fail to understand the real benefits of language learning and prefer dedicating their efforts to other subjects like sciences and IT. A very good way of motivating students to love both reading for its own sake as well as languages is by adapting literature to the language classroom. This can be very challenging for the language teacher as it requires the implementation of various important concepts and strategies but at the same time very rewarding for students since literature very often deals with feelings, emotions, personal issues and has the ability to potentially enlarge a reader’s sense about the many possible ways to live. Many people still consider literature as a separate subject that has nothing to do with language learning, an assumption which is based on a reductive interpretation of the concept of language teaching and learning. Regardless of the difficulties the practitioner can encounter, using literature exposes students to different themes which textbooks usually do not include and consequently motivates students. Even more so if we consider literature as just another word for written or spoken media. Indeed, literature is one of the best tools to master a language as it is used in a real life context.