Teaching literature is not the same as the teaching of English language. While teaching English language helps us connect our surroundings into the lesson, others are teaching about other cultures such as the English culture during the 1920's era in The Great Gatsby. In teaching literature, there are several approaches that can be used by teachers in order to teach literature to students. Several studies have been made in Malaysia to identify the types of approaches that have been used by Malaysian English teachers to teach literature in their lesson. From these studies, some were widely used but some were the less favorable.
According to Carter (1998), Rosli (1995) and Lazar (1993), they have discovered several approaches used by some teachers in Malaysia. There are; (1) information-based approach, 2) personal-response approach, 3) language-based approach, 4) paraphrastic approach, 5) moral-philosophical approach, and 6) stylistic approach as pointed out by Diana Hwang and Mohamed Amin Embi (2007). In their study, they have clarified the approaches method in order to make the readers understand the details of the approaches.
Information-based approach is a way of teaching the background of the literature and often been done by teachers who provide all the information about the literature to the students. Lazar (1993) stated that this approach tends to be teacher-centered as that the focus is on content that would require the students to examine the cultural background of a text, thus demanding a large input from teachers. Activities that can be done through this approach are lectures, explanation, note-reading and criticism by using workbooks or activities designed by teachers. Carter and McRae (1996) added that this approach and activities are usually done for the purpose of examination that fits the purpose of teaching literature in Malaysia.
Personal-response approach is more to elicit the students' personal opinion on the text that they have read (Hirvela, 1996). Hirvela (1996) also added that the students would interpret the meaning that the author' intention in the text when using the personal-response approach. It is also said that this approach is associated with Personal Growth Model as proposed by Carter and Long (1991) which aims to draw out students' personal response and foster students' personal development.
Language-based approach in simple word is using the literary texts as a resource for stimulating language activities (Maley & Duff, 1990). The studies have identified that this approach is the least approach that teachers used to teach literature. Reasons were given that this approach did not teach the literature to the students but it is more to improve the students' language proficiency.
Paraphrastic approach is one of the approaches that I have used during my teaching practice in school. This approach basically deals with the surface meaning of the text. This approach enables the teachers to paraphrase the text in simpler words to get the students to understand the text. I usually use this approach with the weaker English proficiency students as they tend to get lost in the original literary text language which are a bit advanced or higher level of English language. Some activities that can be used using this approach are re-telling the literature using simpler words, translation into other mother tongue (L1) and reading paraphrased version or notes provided in the workbooks or from the teacher.
Moral-philosophical approach makes the students search for moral values found in the literary text while reading it. This approach fulfills one of the purposes of teaching and learning literature, to instill the moral values in the students. From this approach itself, students can elicit their personal response about the values that they get from the text and elicit heir evaluation on what they should do or not do based on their readings (Parwathy et al., 2004).
Lastly, the stylistic approach is an approach which guides the students to understand better and appreciate the literary text using the combination of the linguistic analysis and literary critics (Lazar, 1993). This means that the students are taught on how the author conveys the messages to the readers through the linguistic forms in his/her literary text. Lazar (1993) said that there are two reasons for using this approach. Firstly, it enables the students to make meaningful interpretation and look beyond the surface meaning of the literary text, or in other words, think outside the box. Secondly, it helps to expand students' knowledge and awareness of the language used in the literary text.
Now that we have been familiarized some of the approaches used by some teachers in Malaysia in teaching literature, I hope that teachers who are teaching literature can implement these approaches in their literature class in order to make the most out of the literature teaching and learning among the Malaysian students.
Moral-philosophical approach makes the students search for moral values found in the literary text while reading it. This approach fulfills one of the purposes of teaching and learning literature, to instill the moral values in the students. From this approach itself, students can elicit their personal response about the values that they get from the text and elicit heir evaluation on what they should do or not do based on their readings (Parwathy et al., 2004).
Lastly, the stylistic approach is an approach which guides the students to understand better and appreciate the literary text using the combination of the linguistic analysis and literary critics (Lazar, 1993). This means that the students are taught on how the author conveys the messages to the readers through the linguistic forms in his/her literary text. Lazar (1993) said that there are two reasons for using this approach. Firstly, it enables the students to make meaningful interpretation and look beyond the surface meaning of the literary text, or in other words, think outside the box. Secondly, it helps to expand students' knowledge and awareness of the language used in the literary text.
Now that we have been familiarized some of the approaches used by some teachers in Malaysia in teaching literature, I hope that teachers who are teaching literature can implement these approaches in their literature class in order to make the most out of the literature teaching and learning among the Malaysian students.
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