Using literature in CLT classroom

Using literature has come back to the process of teaching language for the last several years in some parts of the world.  Many teachers think that the emergence of Communicative Approach  has narrowed the scope to use literature in the language class. Actually thing is not that, rather literature can be used as a stimulus for discussion and genuine communication in language class. Still many   language teachers may show reluctance to use literature because of certain cultural implications. “In fact, one of the advantages of using literature is that it can serve as a medium to transmit the culture of the people who speak the language in which it is written “ –said by   Valdes, a researcher of bilingualism  . Valdes also warns us however, not to use literature only as a means of imparting cultural information.  In another language it means that we can use it in the language classroom to make it really interesting. All languages and cultures have some form of literature. Christopher Brumfit, the author of Communicative methodology in language teaching, states that any work of literature is a language act which exploits the resources of the time and place in which it is written.  A literary work can transcend both time and culture to speak directly to a reader in another country or a different period of history.

Now let us see what the benefits we can derive through using literature in a language class. Using literature   enhances the learning situation and forms an integral part of the learning process as a whole. Literary texts provide opportunities for multi-sensorial classroom experiences and can appeal to learners with different learning styles. Literary texts can be supplemented by audio-texts; music CDs. Literary texts offer a rich source of linguistic input and can help learners to practice the basic skills of language such as listening, speaking, reading and writing in addition to amplifying grammatical structures and presenting new vocabulary.

Literature can help learners to develop their understanding of other cultures, awareness of difference and to develop tolerance and understanding. At the same time literature texts can deal with universal themes such as love, war and loss that are not always covered in the sanitized world of course books. Reading Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Byron, Somerset Maugham does not necessarily mean reading only for the purpose of acquiring scholarly literary view. They can be used to teach language. When it is done, it undeniably adds taste and interest of the learners. They remain curious to learn what is going to happen next and thus opportunity is widened to practice language. Reading ‘The Luncheon’ or ‘A Mother in Manville’ makes us acquainted with original conversational situation which we cannot deny to use in our everyday life. How Jerry tells a series of lies to arouse motherly feeling in the authoress keeps the readers busy to make the quotations of him/her. When Jerry says, “My mother lives in Manville. She comes up here whenever she can. She doesn’t have a job now” The authoress says ‘When you came here, you were only four. Have you remembered how she looked all these years?” These are the language which we use in our conversation. What’s the harm when a reader makes this language for himself/herself for their own use? The purpose of language is communication and the means of communication can be derived from literature.  When the lady guest in the Luncheon says, “ I see you are in the habit of eating a heavy luncheon. “ Why don’t you follow my example? “ “ I never eat more than one thing for luncheon.” These ironical situations give amusement to the learners and they learn language through amusement.

Literary texts are representational rather than referential. Referential language communicates at only one level and tends to be informational. The representational language of literary texts involves learners and engages their emotions, as well as their cognitive faculties. Literary works help learners to use their imagination, enhance their empathy for others and lead them to develop their own creativity.

Certainly language and literature are used by people in everyday activities. When people speak, read literary works of any form or newspapers, language is being used to express their thoughts and experiences. Language is a system of communication by written or spoken words which are used by the people of a particular country or area. This definition shows that the language of a people reflects their peculiarity as a country or area or society, which is reflected in their customs, culture, beliefs, traditions, norms and expectations. All these are usually expressed in the literature texts, especially in the fiction. The interpretation of this is that language does not develop in a vacuum and therefore is part of the culture of a people and the chief means by which the members of a society communicate. “A language therefore is both a component of a culture and a central network through which other components are expressed” – said by the famous linguist Lado. The general belief is that the knowledge of literature prepares the foundation for language learning. Apart from entertainment literature enhances students’ general use of language as communication takes place all the time in literature. Literature helps learners develop their understanding of other cultures. Through literature universal themes such as love, war loss etc that are not always covered in language development competence. It can be seen that literature has become an important window   through which we can reach the stage of fluency in English.

Literature represents a written test about a culture over a period of time which is preserved as a literary heritage. The close connection between literature and language is obvious from the fact that former is usually written in a language. Thus, because of this close link, people’s culture cannot be separated from the language. The use of literature often promotes motivation in the classroom. Through literature learners’ sense of involvement is developed as the affective domain of the learner is strengthened. The domain of the educational development of the learner cannot be taken care of in the English language course books. Literature enhances the emotional involvement of the learners and gives them  the pleasure of using it more.  

Another benefit from literature is exposing the learner to the culture of the native speakers of the language. Since literary texts often reflect practices, culture , attitudes and beliefs of the native speakers of the language, the learner has no option other than assimilating the culture. Literature in this context enables the students to develop the own perception as to how people of different cultures are related to their experiences and assess them. Such perceptions help students to see the core of human situations that can occur cross-culturally.

Though we derive benefits    from using literature to teach language, there could be some problems if certain precautions are not taken. Some students find literature very difficult because of the choice of literary texts. If difficult authors are chosen, students will not enjoy reading their works. If such kind of literature is chosen where the students are to rely on word-for word translation, they will lose their interest in reading them and the purpose of using literature in the language class will be marred. Another problem could be the teaching strategies adopted by the teacher.  The manner in which the teacher handles the literature class goes a long way in giving the students the right attitude towards the subject. The attitude of the teacher and his competence in handling the text will determine his output in the class. The teacher in using literature in his/her language class should relate the class activities to real life situations.

So, literary texts should be chosen carefully so that they bear relevance and rouse interest of the learners. In Bangladesh English teaching curriculum witnessed literature before the present curriculum and the teachers used literature in teaching language and the students also enjoyed the class.  Still it can be done along with communicative language teaching. Using literature in language class will definitely bring novelty in English teaching.

Masum Billah

Program Mangar: BRAC Education Program , PACE and Vice-President: Bangladesh English Language Teachers Association ( BELTA)

Cell: 01714-091431. Email: mmbillah2000@yahoo.com

Pre-schooling in Bangladesh

Pre-schooling in Bangladesh

Pre-primary education stands as a critical strategic intervention for promoting the quality of primary schooling for children.  It helps children transition from home to formal schooling. Participation in pre-school education has been increasing in Bangladesh at the rate of 0.06 percent per year and the net enrolment rate was found to be 13.4 percent in 2005. Enrolment of over-aged children in pre-school education made the gross-enrolment ratio as high as 30.4 percent. However, over half of the four to five year old at school were actually enrolled in primary school and not in pre-school. Moreover, 71 percent of the four to five year group was out of school. Only a third of the four-to five year old children enrolled in schools had the opportunity to attend English medium kindergartens or NGO run non-formal school, both of which provide better quality pre-school education. Urban children especially those with educated parents and from more privileged socio-economic backgrounds, were more likely to have access to pre-school education. The lack of a common pre-school curriculum seems to have created further inequity among children at this early age.

The first years of life are particularly important because vital development occurs in all domains as Shonkoff & Phillops2000 research reveals. Many studies suggest that early learning contributes to the brain’s developing architecture.  ( Blackemore& Frith 2005) and the earliest interactions between child and careers provide the cultural structure that underpins the development of intellectual schemes.It has been estimated that over 200 million children under the age of five are not fulfilling their developmental potential and these disadvantaged children are likely  to do poorly in school and subsequently  have low incomes, high fertility, and provide poor care for their children, thus  contributes  to the intergenerational  transmission of poverty according to the research of  Grantham- MeGregor 2007)

The positive effects on cognitive development at school entry-promote children’s positive social adjustments, which facilitates improved learning in adolescence and beyond. Apart from significant cognitive and non-cognitive benefits to children, research also indicates that long-term effects of early education will occur as program participation enhances family functioning and parenting practices. Pre-school programs can also help reduce social inequality by compensating for disadvantage resulting from factors such as poverty, gender, ethnicity, caste or religion as the report  UNESCO 2007.Although not much attention was given to pre-school education at the Jomeien conference in  1990, the Dakar forum in 2000) did so with great significance . One of the six goals of the Dakar Framework of Action was on early childhood care and education. It urged the expansion and improvement of comprehensive ECCE, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children. However, UNESCO Education for All  monitoring report  observed  that progress  towards  wider  access remains  slow as children from disadvantaged  backgrounds are more likely  to be excluded  from ECCE. Comparing the children from various regions, it stated that a child in sub-Sharan Africa can expect only .3 years of pre-primary schooling compared to 1.6 years in Latin America and the Caribbean and 2.3 years in North America and Western Europe. In many developing countries ECCE programs suffer from teachers with low qualifications as well low rates of enrolment.

The Second Primary Education Development Program ( PEDP II) of Bangladesh  has now included  the establishment of a baby class, in all primary schools through a school and community partnership. The National Curriculum and Textbook Board do not prove any curriculum for this stage of schooling. However,  kindergartens and English medium schools have been providing  pre-school education for a long time and as a result of growing demand from parents  and the community , some government primary  schools  and other formal schools have also introduced  pre-school programs  in their institutions.  There are no government statistics on the number of children receiving pre-school education overall or any breakdown according to type of institutions.

The Education Watch school survey date also show  that on an average each baby class  contained 52 children with 48.5 percent  girls. Jahan ( 2005) observed that these baby classes  were often poorly organized and crowded  with children aged three to five/six years . she also  observed  that the young infants  did not understand what was being taught, and appropriate  play materials  were rarely  found in the classrooms. The kindergartens and English –medium schools provide pre-school education more seriously than the above-mentioned formal schools. Eighty-six percent of the kindergartens and the English medium schools have such provision. Course duration ranges from one to four years depending on the community’s demand and the school authority’s decision, but most  schools provide  one-to two-year courses using local textbooks of varying quality. English medium schools, however, are the expectation by providing three-to four year courses using overseas textbooks, as their long-term objective is to prepare students for British O-Level/A Level or Junior /Senior Cambridge Examinations.

BRAC pre-primary program organizes pre-primary classes for young children aged five to six years. Some of these programs are established in the campuses of the formal primary schools both at government and non-government but many about two-thirds are conducted outside. It is a one-year program where each class contains 25 children who are taught by two local school girls with minor training and classes take place two  hours a day and six days a week. Although the official age for primary education is six, a sizeable proportion of the pre-primary aged children were found in primary school, 18.2 percent in 1998, followed by 16.7 percent in 2000 and 15.5 percent in 2005. This shows that the majority of pre-primary classes instead of pre-school classes, though the gap has been narrowing over time. On the other hand, the opposite case was also found with many primary school-aged children enrolled in pres-schools instead of primary school. 12.6 percent in 1998 and 2000, increasing to 17.1 percent in 2005. The gross enrolment ration in pre-school education increased from about 22 percent 1998-2000 to over 30 in 2005. It is stressed here that this ration includes over-aged in pre-school places.

Over 70 percent of the pre-school aged children were not enrolled in any educational institution, 85 percent of four year olds and 57 percent of five year old. And only a minor improvement of .2 per year was found in this respect over the seven-year period. Furthermore, according to the latest national census in 2001, there were around 7.7 million Bangladeshi children of pre-primary age and if the population growth over the last five years is taken into account, at least over five million children in this age group would be currently out of school. In both 1998 and 2000 about 9 percent of rural children and 11.4 percent of urban children aged four to five years were enrolled in preschools and the difference between the two groups was significant. A wide age range was found among the children who were enrolled in pre-schools, namely from four to eleven years of age. For example, in 2005 the proportion of children of different ages enrolled in pre-school was as such: 13.7 were aged four, 30.1 aged five, 24.4 aged six, and 20.3 percent aged seven in 2005 were of pre-school age.

Children receive pre-school education in various types of institutions e.g. government primary schools, registered and non-registered primary schools, NGOs run non-formal schools, madrasa, kindergartens, and the primary section of high schools. At the national level in 2005 the majority of children received pre-schooling in government primary schools, followed by kindergartens and English –medium schools and non-government and NGO-run non-formal schools. Analysis by year shows that the dominance of government primary schools in providing pre-school education has weakened over the years, from comprising almost 62 percent of the provision in 1998 to 43.5 percent in 2005 which represent a reduction of 18.5 percent points. NGO non-formal schools, kindergartens and English medium schools have experienced considerable growth over time with NGO provision growing nearly six-fold in 1998 to 15.9 in 2005. In rural areas, government primary schools played the major role in pre-school provision, whereas in urban areas it was the kindergarten and the English medium schools are the dominated scene. The present education policy of the government attaches importance to pre-schooling. How the gaps will be minimized remains a question. (This write- up has been developed on the basis of the report published in the ‘ International Journal of Early Years Education by Samir Ranjan Nath and Sylva, Kathy)

Masum Billah

Gender sensitive education

Gender sensitive education

Now it has crossed the boundary of doubt that investment in education for both boys and girls stands as one of the most important determinants of development having positive implications for all other measures of progress. Sending only boy children to schools does not occupy the thought of rural guardians as happened two decades ago. The present scene of rural secondary schools where the number of girl students outnumbers the boys makes us optimistic about a bright future generation. Educating the boys and girls proves a single and most powerful vehicle of self-advancement and holds the prospect of development for future generation. It undeniably makes a strong foundation of national development.  

Does the   educational reality of girls and boys and factors that affect their educational achievement satisfy the criteria of ensuring a gender-sensitive education environment in our schools and colleges? Are gender sensitivity in school management, learning environment, strategies for monitoring and evaluation and gender-sensitive practices exercised in our secondary and higher secondary educational institutions? Still a variety of reasons prevent girls from completing primary education level. Socio-economic, socio-cultural, and school related factors still stand as big barriers to ensure gender-friendly environment.  Effective and equitable investment in education with sound economic policies promise poverty free nation as the examples of the developed nations. Education enables people to sue and extend their capabilities, develop skills, improve their livelihoods and increase their earning potential. And it also empowers them to participate in decision-making and in the transformation of their lives and societies. Education is central to the achievement of greater quality in society including men and women. 

Boys and girls face different issues in educational institutions. Their dealing with emotions also goes differently. Sometimes their   goals for life also prove different. Teachers, school management, curriculum should introduce a balanced way to deal with these issues and the teachers who directly deal with the students must have clandestine and transparent ideas about the different issues of boys and girls and our curriculum should reflect the same. When teachers remain aware of these  issues they can reach their students in the best possible ways.  

 Until and unless teachers know their students all the studies in the world about different genders and lives of teenagers are meaningless .Relationships are especially important when it comes to gender sensitivity. Teachers must know their hearts and needs and have to realize that each student is unique.  It is a wrong notion that all the students are bad and again girl students cannot do the same as boys do.  Girl students face various barriers in the family, on the road, on the way to school. But classroom must be a place where they must feel absolutely safe and this is the duty of the teachers first to ensure it. Then come school and surrounding environment. If not, drop out of girls and giving the girls marriage at tender age  due to security reasons cannot be narrowed down let along stopped. At the moment, the monitoring and evaluation tools address various aspects of curriculum implementation and school organization with no clear indication to measure gender sensitive strategies in the schools.

It is true that significant progress has been made at policy level to have gender sensitive education. The attitude towards the role of gender in language has been one of progressive change as more establishments, publishers and indeed society aim for gender neutral pronoun use and terms as opposed to gender specific. If we read books of various subjects, there will be many more references to ‘he’. However, nowadays it is more likely that he/she, he or she or even they plural they are used. Job titles have also gained gender neutrality for example, the transition from ‘fireman, to firefighter,  ‘ policeman to police officer. Still many things remain to be done. School is the learning center where gender-sensitivity must be practiced otherwise the whole society will continue observing and experiencing male dominated phenomenon. Now is the time to go hand in hand rather than particular gender domination. Our education and curriculum are holding its key and this key must be used to open the lock.

Masum Billah

Program Manager: BRAC Education Program, PACE and Vice-President: Bangladesh English Language Teachers Association ( BELTA)

Cell: 01714-091431Email: mmbillah2000@yahoo.com