What Literature Should Adolescents Be Reading?

Fuente: ERIC Institute of Education Sciences
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Main Author: Bernstein, Harriet
Format: Recurso educativo Open Access
Language:en
Published: 1984
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author Bernstein, Harriet
author_facet Bernstein, Harriet
Bernstein, Harriet
collection Education Resources Information Center
contents What Literature Should Adolescents Be Reading? Bernstein, Harriet Adolescent Literature Censorship Curriculum Problems English Curriculum English Instruction Literature Appreciation Literature Reviews Reading Material Selection Reading Research Secondary Education Basic skills versus free reading for comprehension, classics versus contemporary novels, and ethnic literature versus a common core of literary culture are among the hotly debated arguments in teaching today. Even among educators and specialists in the field, there is no agreement. However, the National Council of Teachers of English Commission on Literature has surmised several trends in literature instruction. That classics are being taught contrasts with the notion that students need more current or popular works, and despite the persistent rumor that low-track readers are given substandard works, the general trend is toward giving them classics. In addition, teachers may be teaching children to dislike classic literature because they themselves have not been through adequate teacher preparation programs. It also appears that there is an overall decline in the exposure of students to literature at all levels, in part because fewer literary works and more nonfiction works are being published. A related trend is the increased emphasis being placed on the teaching of the sociological content rather than the aesthetic values of a work. Paradoxically, there is a decline in the use of world and ethnic literatures. Other trends include less use of trade books and more reliance on anthologies in schools, and the continued efforts of special interest groups to censor reading lists, textbooks, and library materials. (CRH)
format Recurso educativo Open Access
id eric_ED245228
institution ERIC Institute of Education Sciences
language en
publishDate 1984
record_format eric
spellingShingle What Literature Should Adolescents Be Reading?
Bernstein, Harriet
Adolescent Literature
Censorship
Curriculum Problems
English Curriculum
English Instruction
Literature Appreciation
Literature Reviews
Reading Material Selection
Reading Research
Secondary Education
What Literature Should Adolescents Be Reading? Bernstein, Harriet Adolescent Literature Censorship Curriculum Problems English Curriculum English Instruction Literature Appreciation Literature Reviews Reading Material Selection Reading Research Secondary Education Basic skills versus free reading for comprehension, classics versus contemporary novels, and ethnic literature versus a common core of literary culture are among the hotly debated arguments in teaching today. Even among educators and specialists in the field, there is no agreement. However, the National Council of Teachers of English Commission on Literature has surmised several trends in literature instruction. That classics are being taught contrasts with the notion that students need more current or popular works, and despite the persistent rumor that low-track readers are given substandard works, the general trend is toward giving them classics. In addition, teachers may be teaching children to dislike classic literature because they themselves have not been through adequate teacher preparation programs. It also appears that there is an overall decline in the exposure of students to literature at all levels, in part because fewer literary works and more nonfiction works are being published. A related trend is the increased emphasis being placed on the teaching of the sociological content rather than the aesthetic values of a work. Paradoxically, there is a decline in the use of world and ethnic literatures. Other trends include less use of trade books and more reliance on anthologies in schools, and the continued efforts of special interest groups to censor reading lists, textbooks, and library materials. (CRH)
title What Literature Should Adolescents Be Reading?
topic Adolescent Literature
Censorship
Curriculum Problems
English Curriculum
English Instruction
Literature Appreciation
Literature Reviews
Reading Material Selection
Reading Research
Secondary Education
url https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED245228