27. Didactics - Learning and Teaching
Paper
Democracy and Attunement in Literature Education
Emma N. Tysklind, Linn Areskoug
Uppsala University, Sweden
Presenting Author: N. Tysklind, Emma;
Areskoug, Linn
In this paper, we shed light on the concept of attunement in literary reading (Felski, 2020) and its role in a school that is focused on becoming. Attunement is an emotional process, in which text and reader become in sync. In education, we are exposed to things that make us rethink, re-experience and remake perceptions. What seemed insignificant, or impervious, might become valuable, and appear transparent. For this reason, we argue that attunement can be understood in scholastic terms. When school is understood as free time (Masschelein & Simons, 2013) – time that a teacher and her students use together to found something new in relation to subject matter – then there is space for attunement. And when attunement occurs, it is in a process of becoming. It is not the sedimentation of preconceived student identities, it is the opportunity to come into being as someone in relation to the literary text. Furthermore, this is a process in which the text has its own agency, and at the same time becomes something new. The aim of the paper is to explore attunement in the teaching of literature, from a democratic angle. The fusion of democratic theory, scholastic theory and theory of literary reading is central to the reasoning, but theory is presented in light of an empirical example. The research questions are firstly, how can attunement be understood in students’ meeting with a text that they are assigned to read in school, and secondly, what is the democratic potential of attunement?
The theoretical underpinning is Chantal Mouffe’s idea of liberal democracy as a tension between two logics – the liberal logic and the democratic logic (Mouffe, 2009). Her critique of the current state in west European and American liberal democracies is that democracy has increasingly come to be identified with liberal values. She identifies the situation as post-democratic. It is insufficient to treat democracy as a set of liberal values, and consequently, to treat democratic education as socialisation into a liberal value system. In a Mouffean, agonistic understanding of democracy, identity formation is central; democratic politics is concerned with the formation of collective identities that fight each other on political issues.
For this reason, we explore a way of approaching democracy in literature education that differs from the liberal arts tradition. We regard the classroom as democratic in its own right (Biesta, 2011), and thus as concerned with collective identity formation. Masschelein and Simons trace school back to its Greek origin scholè, meaning ‘free time,’ that is, time that is free from work, non-productive time. In school, the world is suspended, turned into subject matter and freed for novel use. The teacher presents subject matter, brings it into the present tense. She puts it on the table, without telling students how to react to it. But she does not only suspend the world by transforming it into subject matter, she also suspends ideas of who students are, by bringing them into the present tense. The scholastic ideal is thus that preconceived student identities are not sedimented, but suspended, so that school becomes a place where the students get a chance to become someone. But not only must school be a time and a place for students to become someone, it must also be a time and a place for the future generation to form its own generation, in relation to the subject matter that the teacher presents. We explore this as a democratic process.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedIn this paper, we propose a way to view democratic literature education as a space of becoming someone in relation to the presented text. The theories used are expanded in the section above. The empirical example comes from a collaborative study in which a teacher and researchers worked together to design the teaching. A class of thirty students in their last year of upper secondary school in Sweden read the short story ‘Farangs’ by Rattawut Lapcharoensap. The story centres on a young man in Thailand, whose mother runs a beachside motel, and whose father is a long gone American soldier. Before leaving, the father gave his son a piglet from the food market. The son and the pig are now fully grown and the pig is named Clint Eastwood. The students discussed the story in small groups, with the aim of coming up with a joint interpretation, answering three questions, and they were later to present their interpretations to the rest of the class. In focus here is one of the groups and one of the questions; it is a group of four male students who discuss the question: ‘What does the pig symbolise?’ The group discussion was filmed, as was the whole class discussion, and eleven students, including these four, were interviewed in focus groups a week later. The design of the study was approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority.
The concepts of free time and attunement are used to examine a change in the attitude of these four students toward the literary text – from disapproval to appreciation. We view this in light of the scholastic ideal of school as a place for becoming, both as an individual and as a collective. We examine how the question asked offered the students free time with the text, and how this free time provided the opportunity for attunement. We also examine attunement as a collective process, as the students’ joint effort at interpreting the text changes their collective position toward it.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsWe argue that a literary discussion understood as free, non-productive time, can create a space for students and text to become attuned. Preliminary results show that attunement happens in this student group, when the students are collectively given time with the text, and a question that invites them to spend time with the text. Through their words and through body language (smiling, energetically flipping through pages), they show a transition from disengaged disapproval to appreciation. They start by announcing that the story had a bad ending, and end the discussion by stating, while smiling broadly, that their own interpretation of the ending is ‘not too bad,’ and that it has changed their opinion of the text as a whole. This transition happens as the students are working collectively to interpret the symbolic value of the abovementioned pig. We argue that the democratic potential of literature in education thus becomes dependent on how the literary text is presented by the teacher. School must give students free time, and questions that encourage them to use that free time. In this way, the literature classroom can become democratic in its own right, as it becomes a place where students are allowed to become someone, and become a collective, in relation to the presented text.
ReferencesAlkestrand, M. (2016). Magiska möjligheter: Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl och Cirkeln i skolans värdegrundsarbete. [Magical possibilities: Teaching fundamental values with Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl and the Circle]. Makadam.
Arendt, H. (1961). The Crisis in Education. In Between Past and Future: Six Exercises in Political Thought (pp. 173–196). The Viking Press.
Biesta, G. (2011). The Ignorant Citizen: Mouffe, Ranciere, and the Subject of Democratic Education. Studies in Philosophy and Education; Dordrecht, 30(2), 141–153. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11217-011-9220-4
Biesta, G. (2013). The beautiful risk of education. Paradigm Publishers.
Borsgård, G. (2021). Litteraturens mått: Politiska implikationer av litteraturundervisning som demokrati- och värdegrundsarbete. [Literary measures: Political implications of literature teaching as democratic and value based education]. Umeå University.
Felski, R. (2020). Hooked: Art and attachment. The University of Chicago Press.
Höglund, H., & Rørbech, H. (2021). Performative spaces: Negotiations in the literature classroom. L1-Educational Studies in Language and Literature, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.17239/L1ESLL-2021.21.02.07
Lapcharoensap, R. (2005). Farangs. In Sightseeing (1st ed, pp. 1–23). Grove Press.
Lyngfelt, A., & Nissen, A. (2018). Skönlitteraturbaserad etikundervisning och fiktionalitet. [Literature based ethical education and fictionality]. Utbildning & Demokrati – tidskrift för didaktik och utbildningspolitk, 27(3), 119–137. https://doi.org/10.48059/uod.v27i3.1111
Masschelein, J., & Simons, M. (2013). In defence of the school: A public issue. E-ducation, culture & Society Publishers. https://cygnus.cc.kuleuven.be/webapps/cmsmain/webui/_xy-11617872_3-t_8iZAq0nv
Molloy, G. (2002). Läraren, litteraturen, eleven: En studie om läsning av skönlitteratur på högstadiet. [The teacher, the literature, the student: A study of reading and fiction in lower secondary school]. HLS Förlag.
Mouffe, C. (2009). The democratic paradox (Repr). Verso.
Mouffe, C. (2013). Agonistics: Thinking the world politically. Verso.
Nussbaum, M. C. (2003). Cultivating Humanity: A classical defense of reform in liberal education (7. print). Harvard Univ. Press.
Nussbaum, M. C. (2012). Not for profit: Why democracy needs the humanities (16. printing, and 1. paperback printing, with a new afterword). Princeton Univ. Press.
Persson, M. (2010). Att läsa Lolita på lärarutbildningen. [Reading Lolita in teacher education]. Tidskrift för litteraturvetenskap, 40(3), 4–15.
Sant, E. (2019). Democratic Education: A Theoretical Review (2006–2017). Review of Educational Research, 89(5), 655–696. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654319862493
Sjödin, E. S. (2019). Where is the Critical in Literacy?: Tracing performances of literature reading, readers and non-readers in educational practice. Örebro University.
Smith, Z. (2012, December 9). Some Notes on Attunement: A Voyage Around Joni Mitchell. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/12/17/some-notes-on-attunement
27. Didactics - Learning and Teaching
Paper
Inquiry Dialogue to Promote Comprehension and Interpretation. Effects of an Intervention to Improve Teacher-led Discussions About Complex Literary Texts.
Michael Tengberg1, Maritha Johansson2, Margrethe Soenneland3, Gustaf B. Skar4, Marie Wejrum1, Anders Biörklund5
1Karlstad University, Sweden; 2Linköping University; 3University of Stavanger; 4Norwegian University of Science and Technology; 5City of Karlstad
Presenting Author: Tengberg, Michael
The quality of teacher-led text-based discussions is essential to students’ reading engagement and comprehension. Qualified implementation of discussion can foster an explorative and cooperative attitude in students that promotes interpretation and analysis of more complex texts (Murphy et al., 2009). However, studies show that such discussions are largely absent from today’s classrooms, partly because many teachers experience that to lead open-ended, probing discussions about complex texts is a challenging task, they distrust their ability to do it, and ask for support in terms of useful discussion models (Fodstad & Gagnat, 2019; Murphy et al., 2016).
This study assesses the effects of a year-long intervention designed to improve the quality of teacher-led discussions about complex literary texts in lower secondary school. Through repeated sessions of criteria-based observation and feedback to teachers, the intervention aimed to promote the enactment of a specific type of talk called “Inquiry Dialogue” (ID) (Reznitskaya, 2012; Wilkinson et al., 2017). In ID, teachers facilitate students’ explorations of text-based problems by encouraging peer-cooperation and critical examination of alternative understandings. The study tried to answer the following research questions:
1) What are the effects of the intervention on the quality of teachers’ classroom enactment of literature discussions?
2) What are the effects of the intervention on students’ explorative and interpretive cooperation during literature discussions?
3) What are the effects of the intervention on teachers’ self-efficacy related to classroom enactment of literature discussions?
4) What are the effects of a year-long implementation of ID on students’ reading ability (comprehension and literary interpretation) and reading-related self-efficacy?
The intervention was implemented in 25 eighth grade language arts classrooms in Sweden. Teachers taught a selection of short stories and received criteria-based feedback (using RIDL) at four occasions across the school year. Feedback was followed up by team group discussions for debriefing and sharing experiences.
To assess effects on quality of discussions, teacher-led literature discussions were videotaped and analyzed before and after the intervention, using a target-specific observation protocol (Rating Inquiry Dialogue about Literature, RIDL). Teachers’ and students’ self-efficacy was measured using questionnaires before and after the intervention. Students’ reading ability was measured before and after the intervention using two different tests (general comprehension and literary interpretation). In addition, complementary data was gathered to provide in-depth explanations of how and why the intervention activities contributed to teachers’ gradual professional development, and what kind of challenges they faced. These data consisted of videotaped teacher-led literature discussions and audiotaped team group discussions between teachers during the intervention, and interviews with teachers after the intervention.
Findings from the study indicate overall positive effects of the intervention. There was a statistically significant and medium-sized increase of quality of discussions at both teacher and student level. Teachers’ self-efficacy related to classroom enactment of literature discussions increased significantly, whereas neither students’ reading-related self-efficacy nor their self-efficacy related to participation in discussion changed. Students’ reading ability (general comprehension and literary interpretation) increased significantly, but the increase was not significantly different from students in control classrooms, whose teachers had not participated in the intervention.
In previous studies, ID has been shown to engage students in careful and cooperative consideration of text-based arguments, and prepare them to make well-reasoned judgments (Wilkinson et al., 2017). The specific pedagogical objective of this study was to foster students’ ability to meet complexity in literary texts, including both ethical dilemmas and aesthetic challenges, with exploration and cooperation instead of with debate and conflict. Detailed qualitative and quantitative analyses showed that both teachers’ and students’ ability to formulate and explore open-ended problems in the stories improved across the school year.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe study was designed as a single-group pre-/posttest intervention implemented from Oct through April in 25 eighth grade classrooms. Teachers volunteered to participate, and were invited to comment and help develop details of the intervention (e.g., the discussion model to be implemented). The finalized intervention design contained: i) two start-up days with all teachers; ii) a discussion model (ID); iii) an observation protocol (RIDL) to be used for feedback and analysis of discussion quality; iv) a collection of stories (eight short stories and two picture books) to be read and discussed; and v) a plan for repeated feedback, including four individual feedback sessions with each teacher, followed by team group discussions.
Data collection procedures included pretesting and posttesting of discussion quality, self-efficacy, and reading ability. Teacher-led discussions before (two per classroom) and after (two per classroom) the intervention were videotaped and analyzed using RIDL, which captures features of qualities at both teacher and student level. All coding by RIDL was blind to pre/post conditions. Raters were trained and met regularly to calibrate. Approximately 50% of the videos were double coded. Interrater agreement was in the range 60–80% agreement. Three dimensions of teacher self-efficacy was measured through a pretested and validated questionnaire. Similarly, three dimensions of students’ reading-related self-efficacy was measured using a validated questionnaire. The full dataset for measuring intervention effects consisted of 92 videotaped discussions, teacher questionnaire responses from 19 teachers, and self-efficacy and reading ability scores from 597 students (including student data from control classrooms whose teachers did not participate in the intervention).
In addition, complementary data was gathered to provide in-depth explanations of how and why the intervention activities contributed to teachers’ gradual professional development, and what kind of challenges they faced. These data consisted of videotaped teacher-led literature discussions (N=30) and audiotaped team group discussions between teachers during the intervention (N=15), and interviews with teachers after the intervention (N=11).
Estimation of intervention effects was analyzed using MANCOVA to allow for analysis of effects on subcomponents of both discussion quality and reading ability. Relationships between discussion quality, teacher and student self-efficacy, and student reading ability was analyzed through multilevel analysis (Goldstein, 2003) (two-level model) with reading ability as dependent variable, and student and class as units of analysis on level 1 and 2 respectively. Qualitative interaction analyses and content analyses of discussions and interviews were also conducted.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsFindings from the study indicate overall positive effects of the intervention. There was a statistically significant and medium-sized increase of quality of discussions at both teacher and student level. Teachers’ self-efficacy related to classroom enactment of literature discussions increased significantly, whereas neither students’ reading-related self-efficacy nor their self-efficacy related to participation in discussion changed. Students’ reading ability (general comprehension and literary interpretation) increased significantly, but the increase was not significantly different from students in control classrooms, whose teachers had not participated in the intervention. Detailed qualitative and quantitative analyses showed that both teachers’ and students’ ability to formulate and explore open-ended problems in the stories improved across the school year. Many of the teachers had adapted and improved their strategies for sharing responsibility for talk, engaging additional students in the dialogue, linking their ideas together, and for exploring the complexity of text-based problems in whole class.
The specific pedagogical objective of this study was to foster students’ ability to meet complexity in literary texts, including both ethical dilemmas and aesthetic challenges, with exploration and cooperation instead of with debate and conflict. In a time of increased polarization between ideas and cultural belief systems, the importance of qualified participation in problem-oriented dialogue has educational potentials well beyond the scope of literacy instruction. The study therefore contributes with unique knowledge about both the prerequisites for developing an explorative and cooperative discussion climate in the classroom, and about the impact of ID on students’ comprehension and interpretation. Knowledge in this area is scarce but significant for improving school-based professional development and teacher education.
ReferencesFodstad, L. A. & Gagnat, L. H. (2019). Forestillinger om litterær kompetanse blant norsklærere i videregående skole. Norsklæraren, 17, dec 2019.
Goldstein, H. (2003). Multilevel Statistical Models (3. ed.). Arnold.
Murphy, P. K., Firetto, C. M., Wei, L., Li, M., & Croninger, R M. V. (2016). What REALLY works: Optimizing classroom discussions to promote comprehension and critical-analytic thinking. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 3(1) 27–35.
Murphy, P. K., Wilkinson, I. A. G., Soter, A. O., Hennessey, M. N., & Alexander, J. F. (2009). Examining the effects of classroom discussion on students’ comprehension of text: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101(3), 740–764.
Reznitskaya, A. (2012). Dialogic teaching: Rethinking language use during literature discussions. The Reading Teacher, 65(7), 446–456.
Wilkinson, I. A. G., Reznitskaya, A., Bourdage, K., Oyler,, J., Glina, M. et al. (2017). Toward a more dialogic pedagogy: changing teachers’ beliefs and practices through professional development in language arts classrooms. Language and Education, 31(1), 65–82.
27. Didactics - Learning and Teaching
Paper
Unleashing Students’ Reading Interests: Integrating Learning Community with Literature Circle in Reading Class
Xinjie Yan, Jieyu Lin, Ziyin Xiong
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
Presenting Author: Lin, Jieyu
Introduction
Reading literacy becomes particularly significant when we are now in an information age. International organizations such as OECD conduct large-scale assessment of students’ reading literacy. Evidence indicated the reading interests of adolescents can positively predict their reading literacy (OECD, 2019). Exploring effective teaching methods to enhance reading literacy and interests is recognized as an important issue globally (Liu & Jin, 2006; Costa & Luisa, 2018). In line with international trends, the National Chinese Curriculum Standards pointed out the importance of fostering students’ reading interests in order to support their development on core competencies (MOE of the PRC, 2020). However, current reading class reveals deficiencies, including the solidified teaching strategies (Luo, 2021), identical teaching modes (Liu, 2022) and students’ insufficiency of participation (Yang, 2019). More research attention is needed on exploring how to unleash students’ reading interests through effective teaching methods.
Literature circle (LC), recommended by the International Reading Association, is a collaborative learning method for increasing reading literacy. LC has been widely used in the language and literature curriculum in western countries such as the UK (Stien & Beed, 2004; Allan et al., 2005). The benefits of LC is multifaceted, encompassing fostering deep exploration of literature works (Blum et al., 2002), mutual understanding of diverse viewpoints (Ali, 1993), and stimulation of students’ reading interests (Zhu & Liao, 2013). However, the application of LC in teaching native language in China, particularly in high schools, remains under-explored.
This study presents how to design LC activities tailored for Chinese high school students’ needs to stimulate their reading interests. To do this, the research builds on the concept of “Communities of Practice” (CoP) and uses action research as an empowerment approach. This study provides a real-world example of how Chinese high school teachers implement LC model to unleash students’ reading interests in novel reading. This case study is designed with the dual purpose of theoretically refining and optimizing the LC strategy in a manner that more precisely aligns with students’ learning needs; and secondly, to provide native language teachers with practical insights regarding instructional design, specifically tailored to cultivate students’ reading interests.
Theoretical Framework
Harvey Daniels (1994) firstly introduced the concept of “literature circle”. LC integrates various learning strategies, and combines independent learning, collaborative learning, and inquiry-based learning. The key steps of LC are as follows: (1)selecting reading materials (2)forming reading groups (3)assigning student roles (4)establishing group reading rules (5)completing reading tasks (6)facilitating communication and sharing (7)concluding with summarization and evaluation.
“Communities of practice” (Lave & Wenger, 1991) is a social learning system based on the theory of situated learning. Through sharing information, knowledge, and experiences, members of CoP learn from each other and attain advancement. Wenger (1998) identified three requisites for building an effective CoP: (a) mutual engagements (b) shared repertoire of negotiable resources (c) and joint enterprise.
The fundamental principle underpinning both LC and CoP is rooted in cooperative learning. The activities in LC, such as reading and discussion, could be seen as “practical activities”. Reading groups organized around a shared text, and role groups centered on similar reading functions, form two types of “communities”. The knowledge accumulated in LC constitutes the “shared knowledge domain”. Meanwhile, the three structural elements of CoP correspond to the LC learning practices. “Mutual engagements” points to members’ collaborative involvement. “Joint enterprise” is exemplified in students’ collective reading assignments and “shared resources” symbolizes a platform for disseminating outcomes. This study uses CoP as a broad theoretical umbrella to refine and innovate the traditional LC mode. Furthermore, we utilize the modified LC model to guide novel reading practices in native language teaching in Chinese high school.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe research design stems from a school-based curriculum in Shanghai that aims to develop high school students’ reading interests in Chinese language class. A teacher educator and one master student from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, with a Chinese teacher from Jianping high school, participated in the design of this course programme. The master student also worked as the teacher and researcher in the course, participating in the data collection and data analysis. In total, 18 students in senior one from 9 different class participated in this programme.
In 2023, the action research project was conducted over a 4-month period, encompassing three distinct rounds. There were three types of literature circles used in different sessions: “same book same roles” “same book different roles” and “different book different roles”. In this research, the teacher investigated students’ situational reading interest, reflected on her own practices and explored the potential ways of building an effective learning community that addresses the dynamic literature circle needs. The work was inspired by the action research spiral, including planning, acting, observing and reflecting.
Seven-point Likert scales were conducted with all students in class to collect information on their situational interest in reading longitudinally. Five dimensions of situational interest were used to analyse and describe the qualities of interests of these students, including reading emotion, attention attraction, information acquisition, positive thinking and goal competition. The scale contains 30 items in total, with the first 20 ones positively worded and the last 10 ones negatively worded. There were three sequences of scales from three teaching sessions throughout the entire semester. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 9 students recruited by purposive sampling before and after this programme. The whole class was divided into three levels according to the Chinese reading level of students: high, middle and low, and 3 students were selected from each level for interview.
To complement the interview data, this study also collected the artefacts that the teacher and students have produced throughout this course programme. Artefacts can convey lots of messages in which the cultural and contextual dynamics are manifested (Schein, 1992). These artefacts include the reading materials the teachers used and designed on their own; the group learning resources and outcomes provided by students; the lesson observation notes and personal written reflections produced by the teacher; the textual feedback and exchanges among all the participating students.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThe results of this paper are summarized into three strands.
Firstly, the research showed that Literature Circle under the guidance of CoP can be an effective approach to support senior high students in Chinese class to enhance their interest in reading. LC moves beyond the limitations often experienced with traditional teaching methods, such as method of lecture and mechanical drill. The implementation of LC granted students learning autonomy, thereby enhancing their motivation and fostering enjoyment in the classroom. This approach has been shown to transform students’ attitudes towards reading materials, augment their focus and depth of thought while reading, and facilitate efficient information acquisition.
Secondly, this study observed that, adopting the theory of CoP did lead to changes in teaching strategies in LC and improvements in students’ learning outcomes. By combining LC with the concept of CoP, both teachers and students took initiative to explore abundant and innovative reading resources, and tended to develop a more open mind towards reading methods. Meanwhile, in this study, learning community supported the students succeed in reading regardless of reading level or ability, utilize cooperative learning strategies and satisfy their social needs through the entire learning process.
Thirdly, this paper revealed that the effectiveness of the learning community in LC is largely dependent on students’ engagement through the action research project. To build an effective learning community in LC, this study argues that it is crucial to design role sheets with specific and explicit learning objectives. This approach ensures that every student gains a clear comprehension of their roles and responsibilities within the community. Meanwhile, it is essential for teachers to provide scaffolding supports in clarifying students’ roles, offering personalized guidance and encouragement during group discussions while implementing the LC.
ReferencesOECD(2019). PISA 2018 Reading Framework. OECD Publishing, Paris.
Liu, M., & Jin, Y. (2006). Literature Circle - The Transformation of Reading Teaching Methods. Language Planning (08), 45-47. (in Chinese)
Costa, P., & Araújo, L. (2018). Skilled students and effective schools: Reading achievement in Denmark, Sweden, and France. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 62(6), 850-864.
The Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China.(2020).The National Chinese Curriculum Standards for High Schools.
Luo, X. (2021). Difficulties and Coping Strategies in High School Chinese Reading Teaching. Proceedings of the 2021 Summit Forum on Basic Educational Development Research. (in Chinese)
Liu, Z. (2022). Current Analysis and Teaching Enlightenment of High School Chinese Reading Teaching - An Empirical Analysis Based on Survey Questionnaires. Chinese Teaching and Research (11), 93-97. (in Chinese)
Yang, Q. (2019). Issues and Suggestions of High School Chinese Novel Teaching. Famous Teachers (36), 68-69. (in Chinese)
Stien, D., & Beed, P. L. (2004). Bridging the gap between fiction and nonfiction in the literature circle setting. The Reading Teacher, 57(6), 510-518.
Allan, J., Ellis, S., & Pearson, C. (2005). Literature circles, gender and reading for enjoyment.
Blum, H. T., Lipsett, L. R., & Yocom, D. J. (2002). Literature circle: A tool for self-determination in one middle school inclusive classroom. Remedial and Special Education, (2): 99-108.
Ali, S. (1993). The reader-response Approach: An Alternative for Teaching Literature in A Second Language. Journal of reading, 37(4):288-296.
Zhu, X., & Liao, X. Enhancing Students’ Reading Literacy Through Theme Reading: Concept, Strategies, and Experimental Exploration. Educational Research, 2013, 34(06): 101-106+157. (in Chinese)
Harvey, D. (1994). Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in the Student-Centered Classroom.
Lave, J. & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: learning, meaning and identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Schein, E. (1992). Organizational culture and leadership. San Francisco: CA: Jossey-Bass.
27. Didactics - Learning and Teaching
Paper
Exploring Ethical and Moral Perspectives in Teaching Open and Ambiguous Literary Texts
Margrethe Soenneland1, Maritha Johansson2, Michael Tengberg3
1University of Stavanger, Norway; 2University of Linkoping, Sweden; 3University of Karlstad, Sweden
Presenting Author: Soenneland, Margrethe;
Johansson, Maritha
This study explores how teachers and students respond to ethical and moral themes in open and ambiguous literary texts. The core of our research lies in understanding the integration of ethical and moral perspectives within the framework of teaching literature, a practice gaining importance in today's complex global context (Nussbaum, 1997).
Open and ambiguous texts offer fertile ground for ethical engagement and moral reflection (Lesnick, 2006; Taylor, 2010; Campbell, 2018). This approach to literature education enables students to grapple with the intricacies of texts and life experiences - fostering a deeper level of engagement and understanding (Lesnick, 2006). The significance of such an approach is amplified in the current global landscape, encouraging a cosmopolitan hospitality towards diverse perspectives and cultures (Choo, 2017). Additionally, integrating these perspectives in literature classes facilitates the development of an ethic of care, promoting empathy and understanding among students (Hilder, 2005).
However, to include and incorporate ethical and moral discussions in literature classroom is not without challenges. One obstacle could be the presumption that this approach marks a regression to outdated teaching methods (Booth, 1998). Furthermore, the quality and effectiveness of teacher-led discussions on text-based, complex ethical topics are important for student engagement and comprehension (Sønneland & Skaftun, 2017; Johansen, 2022). Qualified implementation of such discussions could foster explorative and dialogic learning environment, enabling students to delve into and tolerate complex layers of meaning, including ethical and value-laden topics.
Preliminary research results find a notable absence of these discussions in contemporary classrooms . Many teachers find leading open-ended, probing discussions about complex texts daunting (cf. Tengberg et al., 2023). This apprehension often stems from a lack of confidence in their ability to facilitate such discussions effectively, leading to a call for support in terms of practical discussion models.
In response to this educational need, our project titled “Inquiry Dialogue to Promote Comprehension and Interpretation” investigates the effects of a targeted intervention designed to support language arts teachers in leading and facilitating classroom conversations about open and complex literary texts. The intervention focuses on enacting a pedagogical approach known as “Inquiry Dialogue” (ID) (Reznitskaya & Wilkinson, 2017). This method aims to enhance students' comprehension and interpretation skills through guided discussion and inquiry-based learning.
Despite the challenges faced, addressing the ethical and moral dimensions in teaching is important, especially considering the varieties of global challenges and results of technological progress (AI) the world is facing. Ethical dimensions are often overlooked in teacher education programs, yet they hold significant value in fostering a well-rounded educational experience (Osguthorpe, 2013). Literature-based moral education, especially in elementary settings, serves as an invaluable tool for teaching values, responsibility, and sound judgment (Lamme, 1992).
In our project, teachers facilitated classroom discussions on complex literary texts, adhering to dialogical principles from RIDL (Rating Inquiry Dialogue about Literature) but with the flexibility to tailor each discussion to their classroom dynamics. The texts chosen for this study were selected based on criteria such as compositional complexity, thematic openness, poetic language, contextual distancing, direct shock, and the presence of ethical dilemmas (Tengberg et al., 2023).
A comparative analysis of classroom discussions pre- and post-intervention revealed a consistent underrepresentation of value dimensions, despite the rich potential offered by the selected texts for exploring such topics. This study analyzes and explores video sequences where teachers or students address value-related textual topics. We investigate how conversations evolve concerning the ethical aspects raised by events in the text and how these responses are managed. Furthermore, we explore the extent to which the selection of these topics correlates with the opportunities presented by the chosen texts.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe methodology employed in this study was meticulously designed to investigate the integration of ethical and moral dimensions in the teaching of open and ambiguous literary texts. We adopted a comprehensive approach to capture the nuances of classroom discussions and teacher-student interactions.
Participants and setting:
Our study engaged 19 teachers and their 25 eighth-grade classes, encompassing a diverse range of teaching experiences and educational backgrounds. These educators represented eight different schools across seven communities in southern Sweden, with settings varying from small towns to larger cities. The class sizes varied, providing a broad spectrum of educational environments for our analysis.
Intervention design:
The core of our methodology was a structured intervention aimed at enhancing the quality of teacher-led discussions on complex literary texts. Classroom discussions were video-recorded both before and after the intervention, providing a rich dataset for analysis. The recordings captured the dynamics of the discussions, the levels of involvement from students, and the pedagogical strategies and choices employed by the teachers and the students.
Observation protocol:
Participating teachers underwent a two-day training module, equipping them with the necessary skills and understanding of the observation protocol. This protocol, pivotal to our research, was based on the Argumentation Rating Tool (ART) by Reznitskaya & Wilkinson (2017), adapted to suit the specific needs of literature discussion analysis.
The video recordings were thoroughly coded by five researchers using the Rating Inquiry Dialogue about Literature (RIDL) protocol. RIDL, an adaptation of ART, is divided into four practices and eleven dimensions. This comprehensive protocol allowed for a detailed examination of various aspects of the discussions, focusing specifically on general aspects of discourse and elements unique to literature discussions. Of particular interest were the dimensions related to exploring and critically examining value dimensions in the texts.
Text selection:
The literary texts chosen for discussion played a crucial role in our study. Six short stories and two picture books were selected based on their complexity, openness, poetic language, contextual distancing, direct shock, and ethical dilemmas. These criteria ensured that the texts were rich in content and conducive to stimulating in-depth discussions about moral and ethical issues.
Through this methodological framework, we aimed to provide a thorough understanding of how ethical and moral themes are addressed in classroom settings and the impact of our intervention on these discussions.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThe main preliminary analysis is that both teachers and students might engage in moral judgment and ethical reasoning when discussing complex literary texts. This engagement aligns with the goals of fostering a more nuanced understanding of literature and enhancing ethical awareness among students. However, our analysis also reveals a tendency to avoid moral and ethical discussions, potentially due to a preference for staying within the confines of textual analysis rather than wandering into personal reflections or perhaps sensitive topics.
One of the reasons for this avoidance appears to be a fear of deviating from the text and getting caught up in discussions about personal life experiences. This suggests a need for strategies that enable teachers and students to explore ethical dimensions without feeling compelled to disclose personal views or experiences.
Despite these challenges, our research indicates that when teachers and students do engage with the moral and ethical aspects of the texts, the discussions are enriched. It is evident that the choice of text is of great importance in facilitating meaningful discussions about ethics and morality. Texts that are rich in ethical dilemmas and moral questions encourage deeper engagement and reflection, but there is a need for teachers and students to undertake the task of exploring such aspects.
Our study underscores the importance of carefully selecting literary texts and employing effective discussion strategies to bring ethical and moral dimensions to the forefront of literary education. In addition, it underscores the importance of bringing ethical and moral issues to the surface in teachers’ literary instruction as it may strengthen the bond between literature education and the students’ real life. The findings point towards the need for teacher training programs to include modules on facilitating ethical discussions.
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