This post summarises the article “‘Nostalgic’ classics, or edgy contemporary texts? What books are kids reading in Australian schools – and does it matter?” published on The Conversation while giving a short musing on the topic for language educators. Read on to find out more.
If you are a language educator teaching large classes in schools, chances are you have to deal with reading instruction and reading as a skill in general. One frequent question often comes to mind: what books should be included in a reading programme?
In the article “Nostalgic’ classics, or edgy contemporary texts? What books are kids reading in Australian schools – and does it matter?” as published on the Conversation (29 Jan 2023), Dr Alexander Bacalja takes the issue on a higher level and presents debates about what books students should read as part of their journey to become an educated person. It transcends language learning and engages with reading as a route to cultural and national identities.
Summary of the Article
The choice of literature in Australian schools has become a contentious issue for parents and teachers alike. Dr Bacalja illustrated a few examples from social media where parents and other netizens debates on the “right kind” of literature to which children should be exposed. Parents generally worry about whether their children are being exposed to literature that resonates with their experiences or simply being instructed to read classic works that appears detached from their lives.
Teachers, however, find themselves in a precarious position when they must select the literature they consider most suitable for their students since many opposing forces come into play. Dr Bacalja presented examples of significant opposition and resistance when educators attempt to incorporate texts into the English curriculum that represent the variety of people in the Australian society.
According to Dr Bacalja, there is no credible information about the specific literature that students are actually reading – those that reflect real choices and become the actual language input to which students are exposed. However, he cited data that suggested that traditional literature still overwhelmingly occupy most of the official reading lists used in schools. Reading lists should strive for, as much as possible, to facilitate representation of groups and voices.
Last but not least, Dr Bacalja provided a perspective that is less about the content that is actually transmitted, but the way it is – linking to reading pedagogies and the lack in digital forms of literature.
My Musing
Choosing books for reading is a perennial problem faced by many language educators who are in schools. As illustrated by Dr Bacalja, the controversies surrounding the choice of texts go beyond the benefits or suitability for language learning, and interface with several other facets of education such as the teaching of culture and nurturing of identities.
We must, however, still consider how the selection of literature might either help or hinder language acquisition in order to contextualise for language educators. What are the benefits and drawbacks of including classic literature on reading lists rather than contemporary works? How should we situate literature in language teaching? Does it really aid in language acquisition? Of course, to step back even further, what exactly is the literature we’re talking about? I’ll get into some of these issues in my next article.
Notwithstanding such, Dr Bacalja’s revelation that language educators may not know exactly what students are reading serves as a sobering reminder for many of us. We could be making a lot of assumptions about the reading habits and interests of our pupils. Since that they solely represent our views and aspirations—which we impose on our pupils—institutional top-down reading lists can occasionally be demotivating for students. Taking a step further to discover what our students wish to read can be important to maintain their motivation to read – and be nurtured.
In addition to reading lists, school libraries offer additional channels within our sphere of influence to affect what students read. Apparently, this has also become a area of contention within the USA, where “school libraries have become a key battleground in contemporary culture wars over public education”. Depending on operating contexts, selecting books for a school library may involve the entire institution or may only be up to the language department. Regardless of the approach, we – the language educators – can play a vital role in the selection of books in an easily accessible location that can shape our learners’ reading exposure.
Dr Bacalja’s final reminders come to the very core of language education – reading pedagogies and digital reading. On reading pedagogies, the first question we ought to ask ourselves is that do we even have a systematic reading instruction or programme in our curriculum? In my article on the Science of Reading, I emphasised how important reading instruction is, as students do not simply become expert readers by mere exposure to texts. In that sense, handing reading lists without an ecosystem of reading instruction may just be a mere exercise of going through the motion.
On the same vein, digital reading has virtually become a need in today’s reading culture. However, there are several reasons why we should be concerned about digital reading, particularly in light of findings from studies on the negative effects like decreased comprehension and text engagement. Yet, because digital reading is so ingrained in our students in this day and age, our reading instruction must also shed light on optimal digital reading, with specific guidance on the choice of texts, the additional affordances and the pitfalls to avoid.
Conclusion
In summary, reading is an important facet of education – within and beyond language learning. On one hand, we should have a good sense of how literature should be positioned within the system and as a component of language learning since this will also influence our choice of literature in schools. On the other hand, we should also be mindful of the way we implement reading instruction – not just the mere provision of reading lists, so that our learners can eventually achieve reading success and become lifelong learners themselves.
The original article of “‘Nostalgic’ classics, or edgy contemporary texts? What books are kids reading in Australian schools – and does it matter?” can be found on the Conversation as linked: https://theconversation.com/nostalgic-classics-or-edgy-contemporary-texts-what-books-are-kids-reading-in-australian-schools-and-does-it-matter-198234.
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