S. Indira Narayan
S. Indira Narayan is an educationist with more than 35 years of rich experience in the teaching field. She has held multiple portfolios. She has been associated with St. Ann’s High School, ICSE, ISC, Secunderabad, for over three decades, teaching English language and English literature for classes 10, 11 and 12. The last portfolio she held was as Academic Coordinator, St. Ann's High School, at Kompally Hyderabad, under the same management.
Indira Narayan has conducted numerous workshops for school teachers and continues to do so. She is also interested in writing and blogs regularly on http://vinplaksha.wordpress.com/
‘Literature is the Reflection of Society’ is a thought expressed by a British author. This, told in a simple manner, means that writers/authors often choose topics current in the society they live, the era; the lifestyles and then weave their stories or narrations on them. They write on what they see, observe and live.
Teaching literature, prose, poetry, drama can be very interesting because literature provides a vast scope for interpretation and analysis to a mind keen to do that. For me each time I teach, I discover more interpretations to that text, of course within the permissible and acceptable context. Every teacher has his/her own methodology to teach. I share below, how I go about teaching literature. The depth of interpretation, remember, will depend on the grade it is taught.
So, dear teachers -
Make a thorough reading of the text/lesson well before you have to teach it, even if it is a lesson repeated for the past few academic years or if you had taught it earlier.
While you are going through the lesson, check for new vocabulary, underline words that may be difficult, new or may have more than one usage. Ask the students to underline these in their books, while the teaching is going on and give the meanings of the words that have been underlined. Enhancing student vocabulary is of prime importance. As an exercise, a teacher may ask students to make sentences with these words. Application happens!
Make sure that before you start teaching, you are quite sure and thorough with the themes, word meanings, sentence structures, interpretation and analysis. Throw light on the mood set by the writer; happy, sad, humour, etc.
Identify, explain, define the metaphors, allusions, symbolism and such literary terms that appear in the lesson/text. These are both learning points and also additional knowledge for students as they help in the appreciation of the lesson, especially poetry. Do not give scope to be caught lacking proper preparation. Always be ready to answer a question or clarify a doubt of a student; bright or otherwise.
Start the lesson by giving a brief idea about what it is. Where possible help the class to create an image about it with a description that allows the imagination to flow.
After one reading of the lesson, ask students what they have understood from that one reading. Permit all interpretations.
I think now the class will be ready for the lesson to be taught. I suggest a slow reading and a detailed explanation, breaking lengthy sentences; paragraphs or stanzas into shorter or smaller bits as required.
Read, summarise, paraphrase, give meanings, analyse/give a critical appreciation.
To interpret literature, you need to unlock the meanings of words and terms, and this means some effort put in by the teacher to simplify and explain.
Avoid teaching in a monotonous tone. Intonation, voice tone, etc. makes the lesson interesting. If this is done well, a child can gather information about what is being taught.
Remember, variety is the spice of life. Be the teacher who is full of spark, enjoys teaching, loves her profession and her class and comes fully prepared with her lessons. Add life!