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