Can Young Adult Literature Promote A Better Understanding of the Classics? #bookhenge

Romeo and Juliet, Beowulf, Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby, these are what high school English classes are made of. Most English teachers force feed the classics to their students in an effort to create young connoisseurs of classical literature. Perhaps that is why it is not unusual to find so many high school students who despise reading. Instead of providing students with texts that engage, we serve up traditional adult fare that does not appeal to young adolescent appetites. By offering a more palatable assortment of novels, such as those found in the young adult literature genre, we can entice both experienced and inexperienced readers to become more enthusiastic about reading. Including young adult novels in the English literature repertoire will result in a more immersed, receptive reader. 

Gibbons, Dali, and Stallworth (2006) point out that among the research that supports

 this notion is Reed's (1994) conclusion that the young adult novel specifically:

·         helps improve the reading skills of adolescents and allows all readers to read good books;

·         allows adolescents to interact with books as equals, thereby developing both reading skills and critical and creative thinking abilities;

·         encourages adolescents to read more books, thereby improving their abilities to read;

·         allows teachers to incorporate more books of interest to adolescents into the curriculum, thereby avoiding the non-reading curriculum or workbooks and lectures;

·         allows teachers to organize classrooms into reading workshops in which students respond to, experience, and share books; and

·         facilitates the development of an inclusive curriculum in which a variety of books on a variety of themes and in a variety of genres introduce students to themselves, their world, and the worlds of other cultures. (p. 53)

Developing Critical Literacy Skills

With Reed’s observations in mind, it is easy to imagine how far we can stretch our students’ willingness to read, interpret, question, and connect to not only young adult literature but canonical literature as well. Young adult novels can help develop critical literacy skills, which allow students to view critically and evaluate modern societal issues and institutions (Coffee, n.d.).  King (2000) supports Coffee’s theory noting that “if the goal is to teach critical thinking skills in the language arts classroom, research shows it is more effective to begin with young adult literature (YAL) and use it as a bridge into the classics. Furthermore, experienced and inexperienced readers many times disengage when presented with classic literature, further alienating them from the reading experience” (p. 6). I am guilty of disengaging my students with classical literature. For example, while teaching Lord of the Flies as a student teacher in a tenth grade World Literature class, I dutifully stopped at significant points in the novel to point out symbols, themes, motifs, Biblical references—you name it. I covered every base. While most of my students were able to discern the literary conventions, they were unable to truly contextualize them. They had no frame of reference for understanding them; furthermore, students had no interest in understanding them. However, had I paired a young adult novel containing similar ideas with Lord of the Flies, students may have been better equipped to comprehend the novel.

Building on Critical Literacy—the Snowball Effect

Once students have mastered critical literacy through young adult novels, they can build on those skills by empathizing with the characters and circumstances in classical literature. Daniel Pink (2005) maintains that empathy is important because it:

·         Builds strong working relationships.

·         Develops leadership skills.

·         Can be used persuasively.

·         Increases intuition by perpetuating one’s ability to “see” inside the mind of another.

·         Helps us develop interpersonal relationships.

·         Allows us to learn from others by understanding an alternate point of view.

At the same time teachers are constructing critical literacy and empathy, they are also creating prior

knowledge, or schemata, a foundation that can be drawn on later to solve relational problems in

classical literature. R.C. Anderson (1977) describes his schema theory as a way in which one

 understands the world through an organized yet abstract mental structure of concepts. The concepts,

 or schemata, are continuously changing as new knowledge is attained. Some features of schema are

 as follows:

• Schemata are always organized meaningfully, can be added to, and, as an individual gains experience, develop to include more variables and more specificity.
• Each schema is embedded in other schemata and itself contains subschema.
• Schemata change moment by moment as information is received.
• They may also be reorganized when incoming data reveals a need to restructure the concept.
• The mental representations used during perception and comprehension, and which evolve as a result of these processes, combine to form a whole which is greater than the sum of its parts. (n.p.)

 Young adult literature can deepen readers’ understanding and build their schema; thus it has the ability to act as a transition to the classics. When students have the opportunity to read and comprehend a novel, they are better able to both synthesize and question its messages. The synthesis of the reading culminates in a reader response. Louise Rosenblatt’s (1938) theory of reader response relies on engagement and fosters text-to-self, text-to-world, and text-to-text connections. Using YA lit as a bridge to understanding the classics relies heavily on these connections. All are important, but text-to-text is the starting point. Students should be able to make specific text-to-text connections, and then broaden their understanding by making text-to-self and text-to-world connections between both the classical and YAL selections.   

Why YA Lit?

Teaching literary theory to middle and high school students is a daunting task for Language Arts teachers. And if teachers attempt to assume the challenge armed with little more than a dusty stack of classic novels, the end result will likely not yield the anticipated learning outcomes. The key to teaching literary theory is, first and foremost, to engage students. If students have no passion for what they read, how can they be expected to take their level of comprehension beyond the words on the pages? Being literate does not mean that one can simply read the words on a page. Being literate means that a one cannot only read the words on a page, but put them together to construct a meaningful message meant to be analyzed and questioned. So, how can YAL accomplish this? King (2010) believes that “students make a stronger connection with YAL in part because it addresses issues pertaining to their own lives; therefore they are better able to relate to the subject matter” (p. 8).  Of course, I am not advocating that Language Arts teachers abandon the classics. I am simply suggesting that they consider using young adult literature to strengthen comprehension and connections before introducing classical literature. King (2010) goes on to explain that, “research shows students are responding to young adult literature therefore a more effective approach when teaching critical literacy would be to introduce YAL first and then use it as a bridge into classic literature” (p. 4).

Taking it Digital

Henry Jenkins’ theory of participatory learning promotes an environment where students can pool their knowledge, collaborate on theories, and construct a common body of knowledge. Less than twenty years ago, this model of learning seemed improbable if not impossible. But, students today are experts in the participatory culture, so educators need to tap into their students’ capacity as digital creators and sharers of knowledge. Jenkins’ (2009) argues, “our students are already appropriating information from the Web and turning it into new knowledge. They are already learning from each other and participating in the learning of their peers. They already connect, create, collaborate, and circulate information through new media” (n.p.).  Based on Jenkins’ notion that students are hard-wired to share and create information on the web, taking class discussions digital seems a logical step in helping students identify with literature.

Implications for the ALP

Based on text-to-text connections, and built around three core theories, critical literacy, schema theory, and participatory learning, my ALP project is designed as an inquiry into building connections and critical thinking through YAL as a vehicle for comprehension. Many proponents of YAL argue that the genre should be recognized for its own literary value, not just for the meaning it brings to a piece of canonical literature. My ALP does not discount the literary quality or relevance of YAL; in fact, it does just the opposite. My ALP utilizes literary theory in a more relatable, engaging environment—YAL—so that students get comfortable with literary analysis. The very same principals applied to the traditional teaching of classical literature are applied to the YA novel. So, while YAL is used as a bridge to the classics, this is not its sole purpose. Commencing with the novel Nothing by Jann Teller will not only help students to read through a more critical lens, but it will simultaneously build schema; more specifically, it will create prior knowledge of literary theory using a more relevant novel so that students will then have a frame of reference for applying literary theory to William Golding’s classic novel Lord of the Flies. Sharing this knowledge and reframing it can be accomplished through a class wiki or blog where students can engage in dialog about both novels, adding links to applicable articles, blogs, videos, and more. This participatory culture will help students collaborate to create a unified body of knowledge and make cohesive text-to-text connections. Concurrently, through schema and participatory learning, students are constructing critical literacy skills. These skills will allow students to broaden their understanding of both texts, compare their similarities, question the issues raised in both, and examine the larger themes. This process, in turn, influences students to rationally evaluate modern sociological and political institutions while situating themselves within the context of these constructs. The end result is that students will be able to make thoughtful correlations between themselves, the novels, and the world around them.

References

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the classics?” (1999). English Journal, 88(3), 27. Retrieved March 10. 2011from EBSCOhost.

Coffee, H. “Critical Literacy.” Retrieved March 12, 2011 from

 http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/4437.

Crowe, C. (2000). Young adult literature: Using YA books to teach students to love what

we love. The English Journal, 89(6), 138-141. Retrieved March 5, 2011 from

http://www.jstor.org.www.lib.ncsu.edu:2048/stable/821289

Gibbons, L., Dali, J., & Stallworth, J. “Young adult literature in the English curriculum today:

classroom teachers speak out.” (2006). The Alan Review, 53-61. Retrieved March 12, 2011from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/v33n3/gibbons.pdf.

Jenkins, H. (2009).http://www.henryjenkins.org/2009/05/what_is_learning_in_a_particip_1.html

King, K. (2010). “Using young adult literature and literacy theory to teach middle school

students how to read through critical lenses.” Online Submission, Retrieved from EBSCOhost March 5, 2011.

Knickerbocker, J. & Rycik, J. (2002). “Growing into literature: adolescents' literary

interpretation and appreciation.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy
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Koss, M. & Teale, W.  (2009).”What's happening in YA literature? Trends in books for

adolescents.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52 (7 ), 563-572. Retrieved on March 12, 2011 from http://www.jstor.org.www.lib.ncsu.edu:2048/stable/20468410

Pink, D. (2005). A whole new mind: why right-brainers will rule the future. New York, NY:

 Penguin Publishing.

 “Schema theory of learning.” (1999). LinguaLinks Library. Retrieved  March 14, 2011 from

http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/literacy/implementaliteracyprogram/schematheoryoflearning.htm

Stallworth, B. (2006). “The relevance of young adult literature.” Educational Leadership, 63(7),

 59. Retrieved March 5, 2011 from EBSCOhost.