Explore a strategy, exemplified with a digital text, that will encourage teachers and/or students that would support literary learning.
Spinner, in his 2006 German article (translated into English by Anders, 2019), distinguished between the use of texts to support literacy development and the use of literary texts to support conceptual learning – what he termed literary learning. He argued that 11 aspects define effective literary learning:
- Developing the imagination when reading and listening
- Using the interaction between subjective involvement and accurate perception
- Active awareness of linguistic composition
- Understanding the perspectives of characters in literature
- Understanding narrative and dramaturgical logic of action
- Dealing consciously with fictionality
- Understanding metaphorical and symbolic language
- Engaging with the inconclusive nature of the process of constructing meaning
- Becoming familiar with literary discussion
- Understanding genres as prototypes
- Developing an awareness of literary history
I found this resource https://www.sbs.com.au/kgari/ on the English Teachers Association NSW Facebook group. It explores the story of Eliza Fraser, who was shipwrecked on K’gari (now more commonly known by its colonial name, Fraser Island). By presenting extracts of her sensationalised account alongside the perspective of the Butchulla people whom she portrays as “savages”, this interactive documentary encourages participants to “erase the myth that influenced history” by literally sweeping Eliza’s damaging lies off the page.
This would be a great resource for secondary students (some of the content may be a bit inappropriate for younger audiences). It presents Eliza Fraser’s story as Australia’s first example of ‘fake news’ and would therefore be a great resource to hook students into a study of news media or philosophical discussions about the nature of truth and representation. The dual perspectives challenge traditional narratives and representations of Australia’s First Nations peoples, which would serve a stage 4-5 English or History class well and develop students’ historiographical understandings, especially when contrasted with other primary and secondary sources. It presents strong links to the HSC Texts and Human Experiences Common Module, and could function as a potent related text. The importance of cross-cultural understanding and the issue of Native Title are also addressed, and at the end of the text it encourages participants to add their voice to the call to recognise the traditional name – K’gari – over the colonial name imposed in honour of a woman who lied about her treatment by the local Butchulla people.
This is a short resource; SBS states that it takes 10 minutes to view. Teacher notes, created by SBS in partnership with Reconciliation Australia, can be found here: https://www.sbs.com.au/sites/sbs.com.au.home/files/kgari_teacher_notes.pdf. In these teacher notes it provides a ‘mock trial’ activity where Eliza’s account is put on trial. Having conducted many of these in my past life as an English/History teacher, I can vouch for their incredible ability to engage even the most reluctant students. By using this interactive, multimodal documentary, teachers and teacher-librarians can explore many of Spinner’s 11 aspects of literary learning and develop their students’ conceptual, curriculum, and multiliteracy understandings.
Hi Danielle,
I really appreciate the connection you have made between Spinner’s (2006) article and K’gari (2017) in relation to what literary learning means. I believe the literary techniques used in K’gari as literary non-fiction are strengthened for such learning by its digital form. The digital form invites the Stage 4 or 5 History student to participate in the counter-storying and decolonisation process, an essential learning outcome as defined by literary learning.
Karlene Irving
I agree – the active participation required by the interactive digital text does a great job of immersing the students in the process of decolonisation. It’s something that probably would be harder to achieve in a traditional print narrative.