The Reading Experience for Children and Young Adults: A Territory of Transformation in TEFL

Introduction

In Spain, an English-language teacher in primary and secondary education eventually realizes that the use of literature in the EFL classroom is usually neglected in the Spanish curriculum for compulsory education. Unlike the old system that used literary texts as samples of grammar and writing through translations and memorization, literature is often pushed into the background, with little relevance for anything concerning the teaching of a foreign language. However, since 1990, with the advent of new directions in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and Bilingual Programs, researchers and scholars have developed programs and proposed approaches and resources that genuinely contribute to successful language learning. Thus, the use of literature has emerged as a valuable new resource for language teaching. Despite that recognition, nowadays, most textbooks integrate short paragraphs or excerpts from classic literary works, but always as extra activities in reading and writing preparation. Likewise, those excerpts are often abridged and decontextualized from the original source, usually creating a boring exercise for students, of little effective use to teachers. In short, literature is not considered a necessary tool in teaching a foreign language.

In the author’s case, the integration of authentic literary texts into the English syllabus made lessons more dynamic and interactive. Throughout years of experience, student participation has broadened, language acquisition has improved, and personal involvement has increased. However, the reluctance of colleagues at work to start implementing literature as a key element in their curriculum, and the limited knowledge of the benefits that literature could bring to students, led the author to embrace academic research for several years, culminating with her doctoral dissertation. Subsequent updates to that investigation have followed, and this chapter is based on those findings and revisions. Thus, if someone asked why teach literature in the TEFL/EFL context or in Bilingual Programs, reading this chapter would lead to a plausible response. The final part of this chapter shows an eclectic approach to the use of literary texts in primary and secondary education. Literature offers teachers a cross-curricular, interdisciplinary resource for instruction, and provides students with both real and imaginary situations (life experiences) that support many kinds of growth in academic foundation and character education.