Teaching English as a Foreign Language through Literature

Abstract

Literature in all forms and languages serves as a gateway for people to get introduced to culture, history, authors, and background of the period the literature piece was written in. In addition to giving people perspective of the above-mentioned elements of literature, studies have shown that literature could also be used as a means of teaching a foreign language to students, regardless of age or background. However, for the effective integration of literature in EFL classes teachers must be aware of their students’ needs, knowledge, culture, and linguistic capabilities. This will allow teachers to assess what pieces of literature would be most appropriate to use and they will be able to present the historical background for the piece/text chosen to their students. Moreover, one of the considerations for the effective use of literature in teaching EFL is choosing a piece that would be of interest to the class, in terms of cultural relevance so that students are engaged and motivated. Lastly, another consideration is age. Age is a significant factor in selection of the appropriate methods for students, as adults and young learners typically have different purposes and motivations, especially when learning a foreign language.