Using the literature based approach in the classroom

The goal of every teacher in the classroom is to enrich his/her students' literacy skills and to instill in them an appreciation of literature. Too often students' attitude to literature is negative and they see the act of reading a novel as a task rather than an experience, something to enjoy or indulge in.
By using the Literature Based Approach, students are given the opportunity to read as writers and vice versa. The aim of the Literature Based Approach is to promote active engagement and colloborative work so that the learners contribute to class activities through direct interaction with either the teachers or their peers.Fontas and Hannigan (1989) argue that once students understand the general meaning of the whole text, they are better prepared to deal with the analysis of the parts.
It is therefore the teachers' responsibility to utilise strategies in the classroom to enable students to read as writers and eventually write as readers.
In using the Literature Based Approach, the selection of novels is a crucial element. The novels should interest the students and have some connection to their personal lives, which is why it is recommended that students have a say in the selection of novels. It is also recommended that the novels selected contain several themes and perspectives as to maintain the students' attention.
One of the strategies the teacher can use to engage students in reading as writers is to have them look for the style, tone, literary devices and other tools of the writer's craft. Students can then comment on the effectiveness of the writer's craft, saying what they would do differently. They can also partake in writers' workshops, where they discuss their views on certain parts of the novel.
The students can also encouraged to reflect on the characters' actions and choices, and then discuss whether they agree with them. In this way, students are interacting with each other by sharing ideas, asking questions and reflecting on their understanding.
Another strategy the teacher can employ is to encourage the students to connect the novel they are reading to their personal experiences, as well as to other novels they have read.
In an article edited by James Flood and Diane Lapp, having students to read aloud is also another strategy. in this way, the novel is turned into a performance, making the story alive for the students. ' Students don't want teachers to read books aloud. They want them to act the books aloud.' (Lesesne 1996).
A further attempt to have students read as writers is to have students read alone in order to construct their own meaning of the text and to  instill in them the habit of reading for pleasure.
in having students write as readers, the teacher can make them write their thoughts or reflections on aspects of the novel. After reading a part in the novel also, students can write a predication as to what they think will transpire next, or what they want to happen, justifying their responses.
If done effectively, the Literature Based Approach can integrate all four skills of the Language Arts to the cognitive benefit of the students.

Welcome

Hello everyone. I hope that this blogging experience will prove beneficial to all of us as we course through the teaching of adolescent literature. May it make us more efficient and responsible teachers, dedicated to making our students appreciative of the art of literature.