Wesleyan University – Philippines

THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija

MASTER OF EDUCATION IN LANGUAGE EDUCATION

Lecture Note for

Principles, Strategies, and Practices in Literature Teaching

Prepared by

FERDINAND BULUSAN, PhD

Course Facilitator

LESSON 3 : DIFFERENTIATED LITERATURE CIRCLES

The teaching paradigm has shifted from a teacher-centric classroom into a learner-
centered one. Communication and collaboration are also expected of us, teachers, to develop
among our learners while we raise their literacy level. With all these challenges and trends in
teaching, budding literature teachers like you should be creative and proactive to modify teaching
methods for your classroom. One methodology to ensure the engagement of learners while
focusing on improving their literacy is the use of modified literature circles. This lesson will help
you understand the building blocks, some principles, and emerging modifications of literature
circles in your class.

Multiple approaches to teaching have been studied and suggested by scholars. These
include approaches that will make the learners engaged in classroom discussion, achieve the set
outcomes, and accomplish the prepared tasks. One of the not-so novel teaching methodologies is
the use of literature circles. It aims to promote collaborative discussions to construct
new knowledge (Whittingham, 2014).

In the parlance of educational psychology, using literature circles banks on the idea
of Social Constructivism by Lev Vygotsky. Such a theory posits that learning exists through
socialization and the aid of a “more knowledgeable other (MKO).” The MKO does not dominate
the group; rather, he/she facilitates the learning of the other members by clearing mental blocks
like difficult concepts, vocabulary, themes, interpretation, and others. In the field of language
education, using literature circles has stemmed from Rosenblatt’s Transactional
Theory (1978). It aims to immerse learners in comprehensively understanding a text and
eventually responding to literary pieces in different ways. Researchers have likewise proven that
the theory develops the children’s positive attitude toward literature and reading.
Latendresse (2004) also believed that literature circles are enjoyed, especially in middle
elementary grades, because this methodology provides socialization opportunities that the
learners enjoy. Literature circle is the use of small peer-led discussion, involved in
reading the same piece of literature. The group members come together to share
interpretations and insights about what they read (Shelton-Strong, 2012).
 In literature circles, each member is assigned to perform a role to ensure complete
engagement in class. Teachers may modify the pupils’ roles accordingly. The following table shows
the common roles and functions of members in a group:

Many scholars have also proven that using literature circles is particularly beneficial for
learners with low to medium comprehension levels. Aside from improving the literacy of the
learners, using literature circles has other research-proven benefits:

1. It develops responsibility among the learners.

2. It engages learners in total participation by eliminating timidity in big group sharing.
Subsequently, it builds learners’ confidence to verbalize their ideas.
3. It promotes collaboration among the team members.
4. It provides scaffolding to break down reading difficulties and to improve reading
comprehension.
5. It rejuvenates excitement about teaching and invokes eagerness about literature
reading.
6. It helps the children learn appropriate responses to literature and basic
comprehension strategies used in group strategy discussions about the literary text.
7. It relieves the learners of the pressure to perform in large group conversations and
provides an environment promoting safety and intimacy.

For Daniels (2002), the focus of literature circles is to combine literary skills and
strategies, typically given in a non-threatening and supportive atmosphere. However,
implementing high-quality literature circles in the elementary is a herculean task. Beginning
teacher needs to possess elemental skills like providing proper modeling and sufficient
instructions. Here are some foundational procedures to ensure quality implementation of
literature circles:

1. Form a group of four to eight members.

2. Assign individual roles.
3. Select a literary piece and give each member a copy.
 4. Read aloud some parts of the piece. While reading, demonstrate the expected work or
function of each member.
5. Present thought-provoking or enduring questions to stimulate debate, to act as a
compass in their study, or to solve after the activity

As time progresses, modifications of literature circles have also emerged. One of these
modifications is differentiated literature circles. Another is online literature circles. Doing
differentiated literature circles is using the tenets of differentiated learning. In a differentiated
classroom, teachers engage learners in instruction through different approaches to learning by
appealing to a range of interests and by using varied range of instruction, mixed range of task
complexity, and different support systems (Tomlinson, 2014). In the Philippines, the Department
of Education, through the Department Order 42, series of 2016, lists that differentiation
is one of the major features of the K to 12 curriculum. Hence, every basic education teacher should
be equipped with the principles of differentiated instruction.

Remember, simply putting learners in a group is not differentiating. However,

the critical decision in grouping learners is a paramount key to successfully achieving
differentiated literature circles. Heterogeneous grouping is effective when the learners know the
routine and structure of the skills and strategies. Pairing high-low performing readers helps to
refine skills. Mixing up literature groups could also be another pairing option in order to present
a sense of novelty. Teacher-learner grouping may also be good in advanced classes.

With the fast-technological advancement, online literature circles have emerged. The use
of online literature circles is similar to the face-to-face version, except that learners talk
about the literary piece they have read in small virtual groups. Learners may use online programs
such as Moodle, Angel, Nicenet, Facebook, Skype, and other virtual classrooms. In this way,
geographical barriers in education can be addressed. Online literature circles are also an avenue
where exchanges of cultural learning take place, especially when done by different races from
various countries. Day and Kroom (2010) reported that online literature circles helped techno-
savvy learners to become more engaged in the classroom.