Literature of high school in the voices of letter academics: an experience report

Abstract

In this article, we present the perceptions of scholars of Letters, regarding their experiences with literature classes in high school. To this end, we consider the theoretical contribution of the theories of Literature Teaching and Literary Letters, in order to confront classical and current perspectives, and to give voice to those who most need a critical formation as literary readers, the former students and future teachers: trainers of generations of critical readers. With this research, we aim to bring out methodological successes and gaps from the worldviews of future teachers of language and literature, visions that are based on their experience and their school formation. By contrasting motivating and non-motivating practices in high school literature classes, from the analyzed reports, we conclude that there is a great divergence between pedagogical practices in the classroom and what is advocated by the theories of teaching literature. Of the fourteen accounts analyzed, nine are negative literary memoirs. Only five interviewees pointed out positive memories of High School Literature classes. In addition, this work reinforces the importance of the teacher as a motivator / mediator of the practice of reading by young citizens in training, aiming at a continuous critical literacy process.