When introducing literature to a new class I ask two questions: "Why do we study it and what can we learn from it?" Now, if you're a teacher you'll know that it's not always a smooth ride to the final destination, which is all part of the fun, but the answer we usually get to, albeit with teacher sat-nav switched on, is that through literature, we can visit cultures impossible for us to experience ourselves. From our reading, we can begin to understand what it must have been like to live in a particular time, under certain conditions, in different parts of the world. But the best bit is that we can do all this while honing those oh-so-necessary and desired critical-thinking skills.
And that's the point: that the study of literature in the contemporary classroom is, perhaps, even more relevant today than it has ever been.
So, back in September when the Secret Teacher posted that the Alan Bennett monologue A Cream Cracker under the Settee was to be replaced in the curriculum by an episode of Waterloo Road, it's not unimaginable that English teachers stood poised, quills aloft, ready to defend the body of work that has shaped the modern world, to the death. Well, to the staffroom and the discussion forums at least.
One of the reasons cited for this usurping of a great British classic, in favour of a younger model, was that students just couldn't engage with the subject matter. Are they even called cream crackers these days? At a time when the common aim of those in education, certainly the majority of us, is to prepare pupils for a world that evolves at the speed of fibre-optics, the role of literature and its importance in equipping our pupils for the future has never been more apt.
But just what are the benefits to teaching literature to the young 'uns these days?
From the linguistic perspective, studying classic literature from the Western canon (Shakespeare, Dickens, Orwell and so on) affords students of English the opportunity to understand, analyse and evaluate language quite different from their own. Structures, trends in punctuation and in the way we speak have evolved through the ages and being aware of these developments really helps us to understand better, language in its current context.
If we didn't read and study texts from the past, and only looked to the best seller list, how would we know of this evolution? In my experience, pupils' creativity runs rampant when they can remix particular structures and styles with their own writing to lend authenticity to character, story and setting.
One of the challenges teachers face is the need to edge learners beyond their comfort zones but in doing so, we challenge their thinking and we bolster their confidence to become even more skilled in the use of their own language. Or as the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) might say, we're equipping them with essential skills for the real world.
There are more benefits to the study of literature. Understanding a story through the experiences of a character enables us to feel what it could have been like and helps us consider the impact of events, significant or otherwise, on ordinary people. Gaining a broad view of society, through the eyes of another, fosters understanding, tolerance and empathy and the value of these capacities cannot be underestimated in today's world.
Understanding the past does, we hope, prevent us from repeating the mistakes of our predecessors but, more than that, it helps us appreciate how attitudes have changed over time. This, in turn, promotes a deeper understanding of why we are who we are today.
While we must safeguard the teaching of classic literature or risk depriving our young people of the wealth of knowledge, enjoyment and sense of heritage and history to be gained from our classics, we should also be open to the idea that more contemporary texts, of varying titles and formats, have a justifiable place in the curriculum too.
Any text, if taught well, will engage on some level or another.
A few years ago I received a thank you card from a student at the end of her school career but it didn't convey the usual gratitude for helping her complete the course, or for getting her through the exam. It simply read: "Thank you for introducing me to beautiful literature – I have learned so much from it." And that golden moment is enough to convince me that great literature, from any time, is something that all our young people should be entitled to. That's the point.
Sally Law is the principal teacher of English at Marr College in Troon, Scotland, and is a member of the Guardian Teacher Network adviser panel.
View Sally's resource on the The Changeling by Robin Jenkins here.
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