Values and Judgements
Theory is an
uncomfortable and uncomforting thing, for by seeking to explain what we might
otherwise have thought was obvious, it draws our attention to hidden problems.
We usually get along quite well by assuming things to be true that we really
know to be quite untrue; for example, that we know how people read, and what
happens when they do; that the perceptions of adults and children are much the
same; that we know how and why stories work. Theory may not solve any of those
problems directly, but it forces us to confront them. (Hunt, 1991 p.1)
A
good introduction to the teaching of literature is to examine and challenge
existing perceptions about literature and children. It is not uncommon for new
st s udent teachers to voice opinions
such as: 'children's literature uses simpler language than adult literature';
'children's books should not be frightening or too sad'; 'classics are
irrelevant to children today' or 'series fiction is poor quality writing and
requires little thought on the part of the reader'. Student teachers may
need to be guided to consider the cultural influences that underlie these
assumptions. The problematising of issues that may hitherto have been
unexamined is essential, as these judgements reflect value systems which will
underpin the way stu dent teachers interact
with children and their books. While complete objectivity is probably
impossible, it is important that they are able to recognise their own
subjective positions. Through critical examination of their personal reading
histories, practices and preferences (Gamble and Yates, 2008 2007), student teachers can
explore key issues about literature and be guided to understanding the
implications for their professional practice. By engaging in discussion about
values and literature and developing critical awareness, student teachers will
address specific requirements for them to respect the social, cultural,
linguistic, religious and ethnic backgrounds of their pupils. Furthermore,
this understanding will enable them to think critically about the selection of
resources taking account of pupils' interests, background, language and
culture.
Activity
Before
talking in any depth about children's literature, it is worth the student
teachers reflecting on their personal reading histories. You might ask
them:
- What is their earliest memory of reading?
- What
books can they remember from when they were young? What pictures do they
recall?
- Who
read with them? Did anyone read to them? Was this a different kind of
experience from reading alone?
- What
kinds of reading did they enjoy when they were about 8 or 9 years old? As
teenagers? How did their reading tastes
change as they grew older?
- What
about comics, magazines and newspapers? Did they read any of these when they
were young?
- What
about reading at school? Was that different from reading at home?
- If
they had to select one or two favourite books which would these be?
After each
individual has reflected on these questions, small groups might compare their
experiences. You may want to use this as an opportunity to consider differences
in responses to children's literature and the implications this has for
teaching.
Ina recent survey of teachers'
reading - as adults and as children - (Cremin et al 2008), 1200 teachers
responded to a question about their favourite childhood reading:
The overwhelming majority of respondents (over 60%) recorded popular
fiction as their favourite childhood reading. Blyton and Dahl were by far the
most mentioned authors with over 200 mentions each of various titles. 10% of favourite childhood books were 20th
century classics such as Black Beauty
(with 23 mentions), Heidi (19
mentions), Little Women and What Katy Did (13 mentions each). High
numbers were also recorded for 21st century classics such as The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe,
with over 50 mentions, The Hobbit (16
mentions), Swallows and Amazons (15)
and Winnie the Pooh (14). 9% of the total were picture books with The Very Hungry Caterpillar topping the list
with 13 mentions. (Cremin et al, 2008 p. 14)
These responses suggest that favourite
reading may cover a wide range of texts - both popular fiction and what are
regarded as classics. The differences
between the kinds of books chosen emphasise the importance of acknowledging the
complexity of the field, including issues of values and reading children's
books.
The following iss ues will be considered
when discussing values and literature:
- What is literature?
- What is children's literature? Which implies a further question:
what is a child?
- How can the implicit values in a text be detected?
- Are classic books the very best examples of literature? What makes
a book a classic?
