Педагогические  науки/ Современные методы преподавания

Nurlanbekova Y.K.

Kazakh state women’s teacher training university, Kazakhstan, Almaty

Using the works of Kazakh writers in the classroom

In this article, I try to define what I mean by language learning through literature, outline some of the benefits it can bring to the English language learning classroom.

Collie and Slater (1987) focused on the positive contributions language learning through literature could make in that literary texts constituted valuable authentic material as it exposes the learner to different registers, types of language use [1].
Writers such as Maley and Duff, (1982) and Wessels, (1987) have pointed to the values and uses of drama: “Drama can help the teacher to achieve 'reality' in several ways. It can overcome the students' resistance to learning the new language:

· by making the learning of the new language an enjoyable experience

· by setting realistic targets for the students to aim for

· by creative “slowing down” of real experience

· by linking the language-learning experience with the student's own experience of life.
And drama can create in students a need to learn the language:

· by the use of “creative tension” (situations requiring urgent solutions);

· by putting more responsibility on the learner, as opposed to the teacher” [2; 3]

Literary texts taken from the works of Kazakh writers provide cultural and language enrichment by revealing insights into the Kazakh culture and presenting language contexts that make items memorable by placing them in a realistic social and physical context.

By allowing reading and the adding of some characterization to a drama / theatre text, learners became personally and fully involved in the learning process, in a context in which it is possible for learners to feel less self-conscious and more empowered to express themselves through the multiple voices of the differing characters [4;5].

The teacher can find valuable resources in the works of Kazakh writers. Literary texts taken from the works of Kazakh writers provide a shared experience for students in the class, a common base that lead to a variety of language activities. In addition, literary texts can be the basis for not just one task but many, such as sequencing of sentences to the writing of original dialogues, letters, reports, or essays. Literature is a valuable resource as it provides (1) a shared experience in the classroom, (2) a need for common language forms to use in the classroom, (3) a variety of task, and (4) a focus of interest for students.

Using the works of Kazakh writers in teaching English can draw students’ motivation and attention and make them participate in learning; (2) literary texts can create contextualized language learning activity; (3) may raise interpretation objectively and subjectively; (4) may refer to response of questions, or as controlled practices; and (5) can stimulate and give information in dealing with conversation, story telling and discussion. There are five practical criteria of literary texts to be applied in the classroom, (1) easy to prepare, (2) easy to organize, (3) interesting, (4) meaningful and authentic, and (5) sufficient amount of the language in order to justify its conclusion in the language lesson.

When selecting the literary texts from Kazakh writers’ works to be used in language classes, the language teacher should take into account needs, motivation, interests, cultural background and language level of the students. However, one major factor to take into account is whether a particular work is able to reveal the kind of personal involvement by arousing the learners’ interest and eliciting strong, positive reactions from them. Reading a literary text is more likely to have a long-term and valuable effect upon the learners’ linguistic and extra linguistic knowledge when it is meaningful and amusing. Choosing books relevant to the real-life experiences, emotions, or dreams of the learner is of great importance. Language difficulty has to be considered as well. If the language of the literary work is simple, this may facilitate the comprehensibility of the literary text but is not in itself the most crucial criterion. Interest, appeal, and relevance are also prominent. Enjoyment; a fresh insight into issues felt to be related to the heart of people’s concerns; the pleasure of encountering one’s own thoughts or situations exemplified clearly in a work of art; the other, equal pleasure of noticing those same thoughts, feelings, emotions, or situations presented by a completely new perspective: all these are motives helping learners to cope with the linguistic obstacles that might be considered too great in less involving material.

The teacher has an important role in teaching English through literature. First, he/she should determine the aim of language teaching in relation to the needs and expectations of the students. Giving a questionnaire or interviewing with the students orally, the teacher can set up the aim and the objectives of the language teaching. Second, the teacher should select the appropriate language teaching method, teaching techniques, and classroom activities. Then, the teacher should select the literary texts relevant to the aim and the objectives of his teaching. While selecting literary texts to be used in language classroom, the students’ language proficiency, interests, age, sex, etc. should be taken into account in order not to bore students with in appropriate materials.

Used literature:

1. Collie, J and Slater, S, 1987. Literature in the Language Classroom. Cambridge University Press.

2. Maley, A and Duff, A, 1982 (2nd Edition). Drama Techniques in Language Learning CUP Pergamon Press.

3. Wessels, Charlyn, 1987. Drama (Resource Books for Teachers) Oxford University Press.
4. Vygotsky, LS.1987 Thinking and speech. In Rieber and A Carton (eds). The Collected works of L.Vygotsky. New York: Plenum

5. Bakhtin, M M. 1981. The Dialogical Imagination: Four Essays. University of Texas Press: Austin, TX