Exploring my enactment of teaching literature in the English second language classroom as a novice teacher: a self-study.

Abstract

The focus of this study was to explore how I enact the English second language literature curriculum as a novice teacher. I embarked on this research because I was concerned with my learners’ performance, which could be the result of my teaching. This led me to explore my enactment of literature with the purpose of improving my practice. The transactional theory was used to direct the study. Using this approach taught me that literature can be learned in diverse ways. Through, reading and listening. I was the main participant in this self-study research. Other participants included my grade eleven learners and my critical friend whom I work very closely with, my Head of Department (HOD). He was able to enrich my professionalism; thus, he would say in order for growth and encouragement to occur, I must ignore negative influences from people. For purposes of this self-study, data was collected through the use of seven data generation sources: Journal writing (learner and myself), memory drawing, Artifacts, Lesson plans, curriculum document (CAPS), taking photographs and collage making. Reflecting on my personal literature experiences helped retain and retrieve information that was interesting to me. Through memory drawing, I was able to remember my life experiences and present my memories using mental pictures in the form of drawings. Drawing sketches of my memories helped me gain entry to the personal experiences I had perhaps ignored or suppressed. The first research question that guided my study was: What can I learn from my personal history about how I learned to enact the teaching of English second language literature? I addressed this question by journeying back on personal history memories from my life at home, early schooling years up to my tertiary education level. The second question was: What can I learn through exploring my enactment of teaching English second language literature as a novice teacher? In responding to this question I drew learnings from my personal history learnings with the purpose of developing my teaching of the literature content: (a) learning through memorizing and drawing (b) learning through story-telling (c) learning through music (d) learning through code-switching (e) learning through groups. I designed lessons with the purpose of exploring how I might improve my teaching of literature influenced by my learnings. During the research process, the following themes emerged as key to improving the enactment of English curriculum to second language speakers: (a) Curriculum versus Context (b) The need for African literature (c) The use of technological resources and demonstration as a teaching approach (d) Language barrier and code-switching.