Get Bored Learning English? Let’s Read Novel
In English language classrooms, students do not only learn through the material in books or just listen to explanations from the teacher. Bored! Yes, it must be very boring, but now students can learn English through various sources, such as literature. Who doesn’t love literature? Surely almost everyone likes to read novels, short stories, poetry, or listen to music of various genres. Literature is not only about reading and music but also about human beings. Geoff says that for many people, literature can mean being human and how people can live better (2005). We can learn from the literature we read about the character of a person who inspires us to become better human beings. Apart from human beings, Lazar states that literature can increase student motivation because literature is fun (1993). Students enjoy learning English more, and they can understand another culture from the literature. Utilizing literature in a language classroom helps the student interact, and it can be confirmed that an interactive class can obviously boost the interactional ability of the student while still leaving a lasting impression on their memories (Irene, 2015). In other ways, literature can help students focus on grammar (Picken, 2007). Grammar is indeed difficult to understand because it has to be precise in its use, so students have to learn more about correct grammar.
My experience when learning English using novels is that it can enrich my vocabulary, and I can learn correct grammar while writing. When I was in junior high school, I had to read novels because my teachers wanted their students to learn from the teacher and the material in books. The teacher recommends fairytale novels because they are easily attractive to junior high school students. We have to learn about correct word processing, note down words that are difficult to understand and also understand the elements in the novel, such as characters, plot, setting, etc. At first, reading novels is very boring because we don’t know what is being discussed, but over time, it becomes easier to understand because we are used to it.
As a teacher in the future, I want my students not to get bored of learning English through books and me as a teacher. I want my students to learn English from novels that are easy for beginners to understand, and my recommendation is For Keeps by Natasha Friend because I think this novel is easy to understand for beginners who want to learn English. My tips for choosing a novel are to use vocabulary that is easy to understand. When reading the synopsis, if the vocabulary is easy to understand, we will immediately fit into the novel. Students will be asked to read several chapters and then read them in front of the class to practice their understanding and speaking skills. After that, students will be divided into several groups and then discuss the novel they have chosen by themselves. Then, students were asked to write down difficult words in the novel and mention the expressions used in several dialogues. At the end of the material, students were asked to demonstrate one dialogue and its expressions to practice their speaking skills. With this learning method, it is hoped that students will be more interested in learning English through novels.
References
Geoff, H. (2005). Literature in language education. (p. 39). Palgrave Macmillan.
Irene, K. V. (2015). The Use of Literature in the Language Classroom: Methods and Aims. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 5(1), 74–79. DOI: 10.7763/IJIET.2015.V5.479
Lazar, G. (1993). Literature and language teaching : a guide for teachers and trainers. (pp. 14–15). Cambridge University Press.
Picken, J. D. (2007). Literature, Metaphor, and The Foreign Language Learner (1st ed., pp. 14–15). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230591608
