Literature for Better English Language Teaching in Indonesia: A Genre-based Language Teaching Perspective

Literature for Better English Language Teaching in Indonesia: A Genre-based Language Teaching Perspective

Denny Nugraha

English Language Teaching Department

The State Institute of Islamic Studies Syekh Nurjati Cirebon

denny.nugraha9@gmail.com

Introduction

This paper will highlight the role of language teachers in utilizing literature to improve the quality of language teaching in English as Foreign Language (EFL) for Indonesian learners’ classroom. Literature, based on the principle of the existing language teaching policy (genre-based language teaching), is the recent topic to be explored as it is used by English teachers in Indonesia. However, to promote language with the use of literature is not an easy task for language teachers. They should be well-prepared first and fully understand about literature before introducing it to their students. Nevertheless, it has been recognized by most of them that literature is included in language curriculum to humanize students with the good manners.

Teaching Literature

Regarding to this topic, Alwasilah (2014) stated that teaching literature is commensurate with recognizing and valuing students’ subjective experience. In this way, students are encouraged to organize their own experience through literature works guided by the teacher. However, it cannot be said that students are fully aware of the experience during reading such literary works. They need to fulfill the requirement of the sense of enjoyment in reading the literature. In addition, it is also supported by the statement of Alwasilah (2014) that literary reading skills comprise reading for aesthetic purposes and enjoyment. The students’ experience of aesthetic reading has to be emerged first. Thus, this makes the teaching of literature more challenging for language teachers.

In the significance of literature as a part of language teaching, language teachers should have the competencies that strongly support the teaching of literature. The competencies are namely literature attitude, literary reading skills, and literary teaching skills. According to Alwasilah (2014), literature attitude is evident among others in the number of literary works read, written, and discussed in literature circles in the school and beyond. In addition, literary circles have seemed as an alternative model of teaching literature where the perspective is shifted from traditional text-centeredness to reader-centeredness. Then, literary reading skills are skills that comprise reading for aesthetic purposes and enjoyment. And literary teaching skills are skills of creating literary engagements for aesthetic appreciation which is emotionally pervasive through readers’ experiencing, thinking, and feeling. Through these competencies, not only the teacher, but students can also feel more engaged to comprehend literature works and the importances to the humanization.

Furthermore, reading and writing are the main skills when teacher utilizes literature to teach students. However, students’ attitude towards literature determines their interest to these skills. Teacher should have this attitude first before he starts to bring literature works in his class. He can promote to them that literature is a useful media to learn English. This emphasizes that the goal of teaching literature is to develop the students’ awareness that every single literary work is the unique creativity of a certain unique author and thus such work is relative for a number of people in different context. Therefore, the genre-based approach will make sense if both student and teacher are aware of the literary attitude.

Conclusion

            In conclusion, there are some important things as the requirements to be beared in mind of English teachers in Indonesia. First, teaching literature is not about delivering a simply short story to students. It needs a considerable efforts to make it acceptable for them in the context of learning language. Second, the literary awareness should be built by the teachers since that they are about to teach language learners with the different interests and potentials. They have to be prepared mentally and physically in the classroom. The last is that the three competencies-literary teaching, literary reading, and literature attitude-are a set of priority for the teachers to use literature in learning process. So that, the genre-based approach in English language teaching can work effectively in order to make a better language education for Indonesian learners.

Reference:

Alwasilah, Chaedar. 2014. Islam, Culture, and Education: Essays on Contemporary Indonesia. Bandung: PT Remaja Rosdakarya

Literacy Engineering: Shifting The Language Teaching Approach from Conventional to Literacy

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Literacy Engineering: Shifting The Language Teaching Approach from Conventional to Literacy

Denny Nugraha

English Language Teaching (ELT) Department

IAIN Syekh Nurjati Cirebon

Language Teaching (language arts) in Indonesia is still far from satisfactory. This is evidence of the failure of language education that does not provide students with the complete knowledge and skills of language. No wonder that Indonesian students’ literacy are rated the lowest in Asia. The paradigm of language teaching should be shifted from conventional approach to literacy approach. Language teachers should realize that language teaching is not to teach students only about reading and writing skills, but it is also the part of life skills and individual empowerment in order to improve the nation’s literacy quality. In other words, it is high time to shift our language teaching approach through literacy. In Indonesian context, there are four different dimensions of literacy approach that should be included in language teaching: linguistics (text), cognition (mind), growth, and socio-culture.

First, teaching language in common means to teach about reading and writing. Both reading and writing need wide knowledge and understanding about linguistics (text). For example, the system of language to establish meaning (morphology, syntax, semantics etc), similarities and differences of written and oral language, and language diversity that is used in various contexts (group, ethnic, religion etc). Particularly in reading, literature is also considered to enhance understanding of problems faced by humankind. Then it is language teaching’s goal to produce human functionally which is able to read and write, literate, and showing appreciation in literature.   

Second, language teaching should include the cognitive dimension. This dimension contains knowledge about text analysis and critical thinking skill. For instance, the behavior of being active, selective, and constructive in reading and writing (also literature), using schemata to establish meaning, and using mental process and strategy to produce meaning (predict, monitor, evaluate, revise, respond, conclude, build coherence etc) that are adapted with text type, purpose, and audience. Thus, establishing literacy means to apply those skills.

Third, the next dimension of language teaching is the growth of human to be literate. Being literate is the process of learning “to be” continuously through long life education. Literacy approach as the growth assume that literacy achieved in the first level is the foundation for literacy development in the next level. Thus, language teaching should view the language functionally to help students in every level of education. Literacy growth from elementary to university is different psychologically. So that, language teaching should consider the growth aspect of students.

Fourth, teaching language means to teach textual and socio-cultural awareness of diversity. In Indonesian context, multicultural understanding should be comprehended well through language teaching. In addition literature gives the best example of multicultural education. It is because literature is something from which students get moral education. Tolerance, mutual respect understanding, cross-cultural understanding, caring, responsibility, and cooperation are moral education offered by literature. These virtues are universally recognized as essentials of human beings. Finally, to teach language is ultimately to develop true language literacy, which can only be achieved through social and cultural literacy.

In conclusion, language teaching (language arts) fundamentally is to create literate and cultural human that are able to use the four dimensions above simultaneous, active, and integrated ways. In other words, they can functionally read and write and show high appreciation towards literature. Language teaching through literacy approach is expected to be able to change the old paradigm that literacy only teaches about language skills and marginalize the appreciation against literature. Precisely through the literature students can understand multicultural or socio-cultural context of life. Finally, they are able to improve the quality of literacy.

References:

Alwasilah, Chaedar. 2012. Pokoknya Rekayasa Literasi. Bandung: PT Kiblat Buku Utama

2014. Islam, Culture, and Education. Bandung: PT Remaja Rosdakarya