From readers to teachers

Abstract

What is the difference between reading a literary text for pleasure, and reading it in order to teach it? This study explores the change in the experiences of 27 prospective literature teachers from when they read and respond to a story per se to when they read it with their future classes in mind. The teachers were asked to answer two questions concerning a story: (1) Do you find it good? and (2) Would you teach it? Their answers were analysed, and a considerable difference was found in both the criteria and in the language the respondents used. Their emphasis shifted from the sense of pleasure to the issue of relevance to the students; from the story's beauty to the literary devices that it used. They also elaborated more on the ethical aspects of the text, and began thinking about how to teach it. We conclude by recommending that in order to avoid the pitfalls involved in the move from recreational to pedagogical reading, the dilemmas concerning the appreciation and selection of literary texts should be discussed with prospective teachers.