Before anything else, we should ask ourselves if our students still read and if they need books of fiction in their lives. At the beginning of their careers, teachers of English in Romania wonder why they have to study and take exams in English literature if they do not teach literature to their students. Another important question we should ponder is whether (only) teachers still have bookshelves at home and, more importantly, how many books in English they have in their library.
From a bird’s eye view, literary CLIL (Content Language Integrated Learning) has the following main aims: enjoyment of literature; interest in reading widely; critical appreciation of the student’s own culture and that of others; understanding of the different ways in which literary texts are constructed; ability to read closely and critically; interpretive skills such as hypothesizing, questioning, drawing inferences from texts and the capacity to present analytical, critical and creative responses to texts. (Klewitz 2021: 229) CLIL can be successfully used to teach both (world/English) literature and English. On the one hand, some might argue that (world/English) literature is a “luxury” item, not essential for social or work-related communication. (Ur 2012: 223) On the other hand, learning English is mandatory since it has become an international language, a global “lingua franca” used for global communication.
Regardless of the opponents of literary CLIL, one cannot deny its numerous advantages. Apart from being enjoyable and motivating, it widens students’ horizons, encourages empathetic, critical and creative thinking, and raises awareness of different human situations and conflicts. In terms of contributing to the development of other skills, literary CLIL provides examples of authentic usage of the language and various writing skills, thus expanding students’ vocabulary, developing reading skills, and paving the way for speaking and writing.
It is true that literary CLIL also comes with a series of problems. Still, an experienced teacher can anticipate them and help their students overcome them. For example, some authors may use complex language, which can make it difficult for children to understand words or phrases or follow the plot easily. Simplified or adapted versions of the book, along with the use of glossaries, might solve such a problem. Additionally, literary texts such as novellas or novels can be lengthy and time-consuming to read and teach. In this case, advanced planning and the use of relevant sections, scenes, or chapters may facilitate the student’s access to and understanding of the literary texts in question. Last but not least, students may have difficulties relating to the target culture so that the teacher can make correlations, associations, or parallels with the source culture.
In conclusion, upon studying the few literary texts included in the English textbooks for secondary and high school students in Romania, we notice a lack of unity and cohesion, as well as fragmentation and activities that are not always relevant or motivating for students. Taking all things into consideration, English teachers should plead for a change of the current curriculum, use the content of the current curriculum to teach literary texts while developing language, choose fiction that is both educational and entertaining, find a balance between the pleasure of reading and the need to teach grammar and vocabulary, do not avoid the classics but also welcome students to contemporary literature, do not over-analyze and reread at the end, and do not be afraid of using audio-visual materials.
References
1. Dale, Liz, Tanner, Rosie (2013) CLIL Activities. A Resource for Subject and Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
2. Dalton-Puffer, Christiane (2007), Discourse in Content and Language Integrated (CLIL) Classrooms. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company
3. Deller, Sheelagh, Price, Christine (2013) Teaching Other Subjects Through English. Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. Grieveson, Margaret, Superfine, Wendy (2017) The CLIL Resource Pack. Delta Publishing
5. Klewitz, Bernd (2021) Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL): A Methodology of Bilingual Teaching. Stuttgart and Hanover: ibidem Press.
6. Ruiz de Zarobe, Yolanda, Jiménez Catalán, Rosa Maria (2009) Content and Language Integrated Learning. Evidence from Research in Europe. Bristol. Buffalo. Toronto: Multilingual Matters
7. Scrivener, Jim (2019) Learning Teaching. The Essential Guide to English Language Teaching. Macmillan Books for Teachers. Glasgow: Bell and Bain Ltd.
8. Ur, Penny (2012) A Course in English Language Teaching. New York: Cambridge University Press.