ENHANCING THE SPEAKING SKILLS THROUGH NOVELS
Francis Borgias Alip
Abstract
With the explicit specification of teacher-training college English departments into English education departments, the place of literature in its curriculum has been narrowed. In the past, literature was included in the core curriculum along with language skills (listening, speaking, writing, and reading) and linguistics. The simple reason why literature has been put aside is that teacher candidates must acquire competence not only in language but also in language teaching. The allocation of more credits for teaching skill courses has resulted in the limited portion of courses outside teaching and language courses. In addition, the demand of students’ acquisition of soft skills has left even fewer hours for exposing literature courses.
Literature as a core study in humanities has been part of education tradition in many countries. Literature also exposes readers to the authentic use of language for different purposes (self-expression as seen in poetry, narration in prose, and performance in drama). Therefore, literature teaching introduces more functions of language to students. Language is not only a means of communication but of many other functions in human life. In addition, literature also exposes human values which should be part of their soft skills. Acquisition of human values improves the quality of their life and equips students with more understanding and compassion of others.
Based on the above, literature should be an integral part of language education, including in the department of English education. The limited portion of available credits should not be an obstacle because literature can be integrated in language teaching too. Drama can be conveniently introduced in speaking, reading, writing, and, even, listening. Students can be assigned to rewrite prose and poetry into conversational scenes, which they can act out in their speaking class. Thus, when properly designed, no particular literature courses are required in order to make students familiar with literary works and exposed to the values in them. This paper will specifically highlight how novels can be integrated in teaching of oral skills.
Introduction: literature and language teaching in the past
The worth of literature as a human product of civilization and culture is beyond any doubt. Therefore, it is not the object of this presentation. Another thing which is seldom mentioned in the argument is that literary knowledgeability is an important aspect in being educated. Many educated jargons, idioms, and metaphors are taken from literary works. In Bahasa Indonesia, people readily will mention fictitious characters like Siti Nurbaya and Datuk Maringgih, characters Marah Rusli’s Hikayat Siti Nurbaya in when talking about forced loveless marriage. We also mention Don Quixote, similarly the namesake of Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote when referring to an anachronous person fighting for a certain ideal. In English literature, familiarity with Charles Dickens’ Lady Chatterley’s Lover leads us to the discussion on the issue of the role of active sex life in healthy families. However, the main concern of this paper is more on the practical, rather than theoretical, merits of literature in language teaching.
Not long time ago when people were dwelling on grammar-translation approach, literature was the core of language learning. It was because “being able to read and appreciate the major British writers is the ultimate expression of literary in English, and thus, the ultimate goal of English language instruction” (Stern 1991: 329). Soon after learners were able to understand basic sentences, they would be presented with literary works. They had to translate the literary works into their mother tongue. Such translation required not only the necessary translation skills but also intensive understanding on the language through close reading. Close or analytical reading was even more dominant considering learners’ limited mastery of the target language. To a certain extent, it was also positive for learners’ understanding on the content of the texts, which were usually literary works. Thus, indirectly learners were exposed to literary works and, hopefully, also benefited from the literary merits.
The above was particularly true when the languages being studied were classical languages like Latin and Classical Greek. The reason of presenting literary works was perhaps something more down to earth rather than philosophical considerations. Surviving texts written in Latin and Classical Greek are mostly literary works or philosophical works. Thus, by studying Latin and Classical Greek, language learners were introduced to Julius Caesar, Helen of Troy, Hercules, and the likes. However, as we know the grammar-translation approach has been buried deep in the practice of language teaching.
Before the introduction of the Sarjana Pendidikan Program in teacher-training colleges/faculties, literature was a major component in their English department curriculum. Students had to read a lot of novels, not only as part of their literature subjects, but also as materials for courses like reading and writing. In certain English departments, students were assigned to read no less than 6 books every semester, which basically were extensive reading assignments. In addition to courses on novels, there were also courses on poetry. Thus, when graduating with a bachelors’ degree, the graduates’ familiarity with literary works was not much less than those graduating from English letters departments of non-teaching programs. More literary courses were presented in what was called ‘program doktoral’, which would award them the doctorandus degree upon their graduation. In this beyond-bachelor program, students were also permitted to write a thesis on literature, sometimes with no mention whatsoever about its relevance with language teaching.
The above practice was observed not only in an English department of a teacher training college but also in foreign language academies, though by design they did not offer a degree beyond the bachelor’s.
It was not really clear why there were so many literary courses in those programs, but the practice of the grammar-translation approach might be speculated as the culprit. In the grammar-translation approach, as Stern (1991) states above, ability to appreciate literary works was the ultimate goal of language teaching. Thus, even when the grammar-translation approach was already officially abandoned in the teaching of English in secondary school as early as 1960’s, the curricula of many English departments in teacher-training colleges remained stable until 1979, when the Sarjana Pendidikan program was started. It was not surprising too that many teachers graduating from those colleges did have a lot of difficulties in applying the audio-lingual approach which was then the nationally-sanctioned approach through
Incorporating Literature in Language Learning Experience
The present writer’s holds three important assumptions regarding literature and language learning. The first is that literary works are basically produced for being read rather than being studied. The second is that that studying literature is different from reading literature. The third is that a lot of learning can be experienced through reading literature. Thus, the fact that in the current curricula of teacher-training English departments (English education study programs!) literature receives much less allocation than before should not be an obstacle for reaping the merits of literature. Similarly, though literature has been much ignored in more recent approaches to language teaching (Brumfit 1987:182), with some creativity on the part of the teachers, language learners still can learn a lot from literature.
There are a lot of non-literature courses where literature can be parts of the materials.
In writing, literary works are good models for narratives. By examining literary works, language learners learn about not only the grammar and vocabulary but also the writing mechanics and organization. They can see how correct punctuation is applied, how ideas, events and facts are organized into good paragraphs and finally how the paragraphs are combined into captivating stories. Nash (1987) presents techniques for teaching the paraphrasing skills using poems. Literary works are perfect examples of good written language because they are published only after they are subjected to intensive reviews and editing.
Stern (1987) elaborately describes how literature can be integrated in teaching of English as a second or foreign language. She exemplifies how literary texts can be used for developing learners’ vocabulary. By asking learners simplify, restructure, restate and paraphrase utterances, learners also improve their grammar. For reading, based on literary works learners not only improve their comprehension on explicit details or facts but also make inferences and produce personal evaluation. As for the writing skills, the learners can use literary quotes or texts for exercises in controlled writing, guided writing, paraphrase, adaptation, and imitation.
Stern goes further detailing how literary works can also be used to enhance the learners’ oral skills. The easiest application is by assigning oral reading exercises. (It should be realized here that the emphasis of this exercise is on the oral language rather than the comprehension. A good oral reading, however, requires good comprehension on the text. Otherwise, what will happen is not reading but ‘barking’ at letters.) At the intermediate level, dramatization, improvisation and role-playing of what they read in the literary work can improve the learners’ oral skills. At a more advanced level, students can be assigned to have discussion on some aspects of literary works, both at class and group levels.
Using Novels to Improve Learners’ Speaking Skills
In the above, Stern has shown that literary works can be integrated in the teaching of ESL or EFL. The present writer here will elaborate more on the benefits and practical techniques of using novels for enhancing learners’ speaking skills. In the present writer’s opinion, novels are the most potential other among the literary works. The first reason is because most literary works are published in the form of novels, or its shorter version: short stories. Therefore, it is not difficult to access them. Secondly, more perspectives are also offered. A novel might be written in a third-person or a first-person perspective or a mix of both. Manipulation of different perspectives in the story can be an engaging learning experience and trains students to foster pluralistic attitudes. Thirdly, novels are usually well-developed in terms of their narrative stages. They encompass all levels of the narrative development (introduction, conflict, climax and denouement), present a number of characters with their intricate characteristics, have identifiable settings, and contain several methods of characterizations (dialogues, comments, and descriptions).
For the speaking skills, a novel is also richer than a play because a play is fixed with the live dialogue. As classroom activities, what learners can do is reading the dialogue aloud or perhaps simplifying or paraphrasing the text. A novel allows much more freedom for dialogue creation and story interpretation. Thus, students are trained to make use of a main feature of language learning as creative construction (Duley and Burt, 1973), not only repetition or analogous construction.
Below are some practical techniques where teachers can benefit from a novel to improve their students’ speaking skills:
a) Dramatization
Stern (1991: 338) mentions that “dramatic activities are invaluable for ESL/EFL”. She argues that those activities “facilitate and encourage the development of the oral skills”. Reciprocally, dramatic activities also help students to understand the plot and the characters of the literary work they read better.
Dramatization is the performance of scripted materials, which can be developed from not only novels but also short-stories and readily available in plays. After reading and understanding the assigned reading, they proceed with writing their own dialogues to dramatize. Then, they should really understand the dialogue they will perform and check the pronunciation of each word in order to produce acceptable spoken English. The value of dramatization rests more on the rehearsal sessions where they practice the oral skills: good pronunciation of every single word, appropriate intonation for each utterance, and suitable non-linguistic elements of communication, such as gestures, mimic and body language.
To have a clear example, let us take the first chapter of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. Though first published in 1811 in
The first chapter of Sense and Sensibility consists of only four pages or approximately 1300 words, so it was not terrifying for students with hectic days. However, it presents a very complicating but interesting situation. Mr. Henry Dashwood’s death brings anxiety and worries for his wife and three daughters because according the deceased’s wish only the son inherits the property. The son, John Dashwood, comes home to which he rightly belongs with his infant child and his wife, who “is never a favourite of any of her husband’s family” (p.41). Therefore, the readers might expect the potential conflicts between Mrs. Henry Dashwood and her three children (Elinor, Marrianee, and Margaret) on one side and Mrs. John Dashwood on the other. Different characters in the three sisters will present also various interactions with Mrs. John Dashwood.
After students have read and comprehended the very first four pages, they can write notes on the events and outline each character’s dominant personal qualities. Then, they can write a brief scenario of any imaginable event in the story. For example, they can write a scene where Elinor, the smartest of the three sisters, welcomes Mrs. John Dashwood. Another group of students might be assigned to write a similar scene but with Marriane, the most amiable, welcoming Mrs. John Dashwood. Finally, they produce scripted dialogues. With different characters, the dialogues should present different utterances and atmospheres.
When the above preparation stage is done, the students are required to rehearse the dialogues both in and outside class hours. Students are encouraged to rely on good dictionaries not only for the lexical dictions but also pronunciation of every single word they have in the dialogue. When they are ready, they are required to perform their scripted dialogues in front of the class.
b) Improvisation
Unlike dramatization, in improvisation students do not need any script. They are required to understand the characters and their qualities, the plot, and the setting. Based on the understanding, they perform the dialogue. Stern (1991: 339) mentions that improvisation should have “an identifiable plot with a beginning, middle, and end”. Such requirement will prevent an improvised scene from being amorphous.
c) Role-Playing
Like dramatization and improvisation, in role-plays students must understand the internal aspects of the literary works: the plot, the characters, and the theme. In a role play, “students portray characters from the work being read and participate in a speaking activity other than dramatization” (Stern, 1991: 339). A student might be assigned to assume the role of a character, for example Mr. John Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility. Then, another student is assigned to interview him on his feelings and reactions when finding his deceased father’s wish, which brings the Dashwoods’ fortune into his hands.
Other than the above, other techniques might be employed, such as story-telling, group discussion, and debates. These have been all too familiar to us, so no further explanation will be necessary.
Final Remarks
Considering the benefit of reading literary works in human social and personal development, it will be naïve to exclude them from the teaching of language, which is its sole tool for their existence. The fact that literary works provide ample opportunities to improve the learners’ oral skills should be another encouragement for language teachers to make use of literary works such as novels in their instructional activities.
Cited Sources:
Austen, Jane. 1969. Sense and Sensibility.
Brumfit, C. J. 1987.
Literature and Language Teaching edited by Christopher Brumfit and Ronald Carter.
Duley H. C. & Burt, M.K. 1973. Should We Teach Children Syntax? Language
Learning 23, pp. 245-58.
McKay, Sandra. 1987. Literature in the ESL Classroom. In Literature and Language
Teaching edited by Christopher Brumfit and Ronald Carter.
University Press, pp. 191-198.
Nash, Walter. 1987. The Possibility of Paraphrase in the Teaching of Literary Idiom. In
Literature and Language Teaching edited by Christopher Brumfit and Ronald
Carter.
Pickets, G. D. 1987. Reading Speed and Literature Teaching. In Literature and Language
Teaching edited by Christopher Brumfit and Ronald Carter.
Stern, Susan L. 1991. An Integrated Approach to Literature in ESL/EFL. In Teaching
English as a Second or Foreign Language (2nd Edition) edited by Marianne Celce-Murcia.
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