5.5.1 Introduction
Questions 15-17 intended to explore examples of how deep reading was dealt with in the English classroom. As explained in section 2.3.1, imagery and perspective taking are
considered vital part- processes of deep reading, thus being especially relevant for the reading of literary texts. The five teachers all shared examples of teaching situations where they worked with these processes. Here, I will discuss some teaching situations that I believe have managed or failed to maintain deep reading processes. I will also discuss whether the
examples align with the theory on the reading of literature as well as relevant competence aims in The Knowledge Promotion (2006/13).
5.5.2 Deep reading processes
In question 15, I was particularly interested in how the teachers promoted and worked with deep reading in general. Qualified examples of how to cultivate deep reading processes (Wolf, 2018) were given by Informant A and B. In Informant A’s example, they read a modernised
100 version of “The Good Samaritan.” Informant A demonstrated how she activated her pupils’
background knowledge by using a plot that was familiar to them. The example also
demonstrates how they get to practice perspective-taking, imagery and empathy, as they were distributed different roles to dramatize the text after reading and discussing it. There are also opportunities to practice their critical thinking where they are to interpret the situation and the different characters. Informant B’s example from reading The Underground Railroad
suggested the activation of similar part-processes. She activated her pupils’ background knowledge when she asked them to investigate whether their state was for or against slavery.
She also invited her pupils into critical thinking and to make educated guesses when asking them “Why do you think they didn’t teach the slaves to read?” The teaching situation also demonstrated perspective-taking and empathy as underlying premises for the reflection around the text.
One of the examples I found less successful was shared by Informant D, who explained how she read an extract from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings with her pupils. After the reading, the pupils were asked to answer questions aiming at “checking how much they understood from what they read.” In my opinion, this teaching situation implies an instrumentalist view of the task, as the pupils were expected to document how much they understood, not how they processed and interacted with the text. It should however be added that Informant D did not say anything about what kind of questions they were answering. Thus, the questions could potentially have been open and reflective, inviting for deep reading processes to be activated.
For example, assuming that this textbook is an updated one, Fenner and Ørevik (2018) explain how after L97, textbooks tended to focus more on the individual learner’s
“experience, understanding and reflection” (p. 84). Furthermore, considering that The Knowledge Promotion (2006/13) had moved in a communicative and social constructivist direction, this could mean that the questions that Informant D’s pupils were asked to answer were inviting for such reflections.
5.5.3 Imagery
In question 16, I investigated how the teachers worked with imagery (see section 4.3.5 for complete examples). Informant B let her pupils write their own continuation after reading an extract or let them dramatize or make a film. Informant C let the pupils talk about their
101 images. Informant D could not think of anything. In my view, the best examples of how to create awareness on the process of visualisation were shared by Informant A and E.
Informant A, who discussed the appearance of Bella in Twilight, had her pupils reflect upon why Bella’s looks were not as thoroughly explained as opposed to Edward’s. Edward was described as dark, mysterious and handsome. Informant A would suggest that a possible explanation was that the reader should be able to identify with Bella, something which according to Informant A, many of the girls intuitively understood. I believe this is a good example of how a literary text may open up to self-reflection and self-knowledge. According to Fenner, when worked with in the right way, literature “open doors to gaining
self-knowledge and personal insight” (Fenner, 2018, p. 225). This is also highlighted in the The Knowledge Promotion (2006/13). However, it is less likely that the boys would identify with Bella or Edward, and thus, the choice of text could perhaps be questioned. Nevertheless, Informant A demonstrated how she endeavoured to give her pupils scaffolding in order to connect their internal images to their own lives.
Informant E assisted his text with an atmosphere-creating picture while reading a
“grotesquely described” extract from Wilbur Smith. He showed a picture of a vulture allowing the pupils to take this as the starting point for their own personal imagery. In my opinion, the choice of text can be questioned, for example, was this a text suited for everyone?
Nevertheless, I believe that how he chose to teach imagery demonstrated a structured and thought through approach. Informant E’s reasoning was that young people yearned after entertainment and that he therefore chose a dramatic story about death and despair in order to catch and keep his pupils’ attention. I also believe his reasoning is a good example of how a teacher endeavours to bridge the gap between what he considers to be his pupils’ needs and the demands of the curriculum.
5.5.4 Perspective-taking
In my view, Informants A, B and E acknowledged the classroom discussion when
investigating perspective-taking and different perspectives in literary texts (see section 4.3.5 for complete examples). I have chosen to discuss Informant A and E’s cases. However, it should be mentioned that Informants B, C and D both acknowledged perspective-taking.
Informant B promoted it through classroom discussions, Informant C through roleplay and
102 Informant D, who was largely fact-oriented in her selection of teaching material, used literary texts to add new perspectives on a topic her pupils were already working on.
Informant E emphasized that the pupils learned a lot from each other explaining that “around texts dealing with empathy where maybe some pupils don’t manage to see the message, you may have other pupils who manage to put it into words.” This suggests that the sociocultural dimension is maintained in the after reading activity (Vygotsky, 1978; 1986). Ørevik (2018), who also refers to Vygotsky, explains that “Texts are read, interpreted, discussed, reflected on, and related to other texts together with peers and teachers, which is conducive to a deeper understanding of curricular topics” (p. 95). Similarly, Informant E explains how pupils can assist each other in acquiring other perspectives and a deeper understanding through classroom discussions.
Informants A, B and E demonstrate how they facilitate welcoming “the Other as a guest within ourselves” (Wolf, 2018, p. 44). Informant A and B focused on how to ask good questions in order to activate thoughts and not just re-tell a story. Informant A’s pupils had read a story about a car accident and asked her pupils how they believed it felt for the different people involved in the accident. These questions would invite the pupils to reflect upon the different roles in the story, help the pupils to shift perspectives in time and to reflect on reasons why the most important event in the story, the accident, was not described.
In order to maintain deep reading as a whole, Wolf declares perspective-taking “one of the most profound, insufficiently heralded contributions of the deep reading processes” (2018, p.
42). Both Fenner (2001) and Wolf (2018) claim that literary texts give readers valuable
insight into other people’s lives. Laird Iversen (2014), who did field work in Norwegian lower secondary school, found that those classrooms with the highest level of tolerance were
classrooms where pupils openly communicated disagreement. He followed classroom discussions in the KRLE-subject where pupils with different beliefs and values would often discuss opposing value systems. These classrooms were called “communities of
disagreement” and his study concluded that such communities raised tolerance and understanding and were important building blocks in democratic societies. This is very relevant to the overarching aim “democracy and citizenship” which has a goal to develop the pupils´ “ability to think critically, learn to deal with conflicts of opinion and respect
disagreement” (Core Curriculum, 2017). By organising group conversations, contrasting
103 perspectives may be revealed. Group discussions may even uncover strong disagreement and argument, but may in turn cultivate enhanced understanding. Informant A’s teaching example shows how to bridge the pupils’ self with other pupils’ selves and opinions in the classroom, as well as the different characters in a text.
5.5.5 Summary
In this section, I have discussed and problematized teaching situations that I believe have managed or failed to maintain deep reading processes. I have also illustrated how some teachers’ examples from the EFL classroom align with relevant competence aims and theory on the reading of literature.
5.6 TEACHERS’ EXPERIENCES WITH LEARNERS’ PERFORMANCES, HABITS