Teachers' Beliefs
We are not always fully conscious of what we believe, or think, about a particular concept, nor why; we often have a rather vague perception of our beliefs simply because we see them as internal, internalised and a part of us - why reflect on them if we feel they're right? They become as natural as breathing...and who reflects on their breathing except very occasionally?
And so it is with literature - or is it Literature with a capital 'L'? What's the difference?
For example, what do YOU think about the statements down this page?
And more importantly, how would you substantiate and justify your beliefs about any of them?
And more importantly still: are you fully aware of the consequences those beliefs have on your literature classes? In terms of text selection, questions to ask, goals of the lesson, involvement of the teacher, and involvement of the learners? In terms of testing, of measuring - in terms of your expectations and those of the learners?
Teachers' beliefs matter because they often stand in the way of making choices for others as opposed to making them for ourselves: if I believe Literature really means 'Great texts famous for their authorship, style and place in the canon', it will necessarily have an impact on the texts I give my learners, how I handle those texts and what I do with them, and it will have an impact on the freedom I allow my learners to take with those texts (and on mine).
Consider your own beliefs carefully - many of them are so ingrained we hardly ever think about them. And make sure you realise the consequences of those beliefs on your teaching.
What I think about when I think about literature:
Where do you stand on the following statements?
Literature is a body of classic texts with superior qualities, renown and studied at the highest level
I believe that learning technical terminology is important because it enables the reader to analyse a text
Young Adult literature is not really literature - it's more entertainment and escapism, like Detectives, Thrillers, Romance of Science-Fiction.
Literature gives answers to profound questions, so it's important to read it.
Literature has a special place in our cultures, so it's important to expose learners to it - through whole texts, fragments, or even films.
I believe that a text is a reflection of its author, and so we should make sure to give biographical information about that author (where were they born and when, what was their life like etc.)
I believe Literature is important, and I want my students to read some of it so that at least they know what it looks like
I love reading, and I want my learners to read too, especially outside of the class
I believe I should make my literature classes fun, as that's the only way to make my learners read a bit
I think Literature is beauty, and I want to show that beauty (style, words, rhythms, narration) to my learners and make them understand it
I believe that the author knows best what their message was
I believe we must always ask ourselves: 'What did the author mean? What did they want to say?'
I believe texts have a particular meaning, and our job is to analyse the text to find that meaning
I believe texts are there as a means to an end: the end is not to analyse the text for itself, but to use it to elicit ideas, perspectives, differences.
I believe each text has - potentially - a large number of meanings: a text can be interpreted in a myriad ways
I believe that the more texts learners can choose from, the better: it's freedom to read that matters, even if I, as a teacher, cannot discuss all those texts nor help learners make sense of them
I believe that learners, even if they don't usually read, can make some sense of a text through talking it over with other learners who do not usually read
I believe Literature is great to teach pronunciation, English skills, grammar and vocabulary, so I use those texts to highlight those areas
I believe Reader's Response is what matters: how does a learner feel about a text? That's the only thing that really matters
I believe the only way to get my learners to read is to provide them with a text they will like because they can identify with the characters