TABLE OF CONTENT

NO. CONTENT PAGE

1. TABLE OF CONTENT 1

2. ACADEMIC WRITING 2-4

3. REFERENCES 5

1
 Language arts classes play a crucial role in the literacy development of elementary-
aged children. Something about how students learn about the elements of literature, how it
pertains to their culture, and how learning about their culture through this specific lens can be
used in processes such as bibliotheraphy. Literature plays a role as foundation for
communication and lifelong learning. In the realm of linguistic development, many students do
not have the fundamental knowledge necessary for higher-level learning and general
communication. A large number of students have little to no educational background in
common literature elements such as characterization, plot development, similes and
metaphors, and inferred meanings. Without these subjects being taught explicitly, students
lack the background that would otherwise better equip them for 21st century learning. Building
this knowledge through Language Arts classes is necessary, and further assists primary
school students in many valuable skills; including but not limited to reading, comprehension,
spelling, vocabulary and text writing (SBELC, 2017)

The definition of multiculturalism often invites controversies regarding self-

representation, including in the representation of other cultures. Gayatri C. Spivak (1993), in
an interview about the definition of multiculturalism, asserts the importance of problematising
the notions of tokenism and representation, because “tokenism forces us all into positions in
which we are distanced both from dominant ideology and from our own cultural heritage.”
Issues relating to multiculturalism are seen as important aspects in the construction of national
identity. Thus, we read children’s literature as one of the cultural sites through which to
understand how cultural representation is conceived by these writers and the kind of
multiculturalism captured in such works.

By the year 2020, one of every two students in Malaysia will be a person of colour
(Banks, 1991). Education must reflect this change by creating classrooms that encourage
students of all ethnic and cultural groups to develop their talents to the fullest. Multicultural
education should not, however, merely address literacy and academic achievement (Banks,
1994). To promote equity, educators should help students explore their own cultures and
contribute to intercultural understanding. Too often students are limited by their own cultural
boundaries as they read and evaluate literature. Language arts teachers, therefore, play an
important role in the creation of classrooms without borders. In order to do this, educators
need to deconstruct the myth that Malaysia is homogeneous by re-examining traditional
literature and selecting literary works that reflect the perspectives, experiences, and values of
all ethnic and cultural groups. Teachers must be willing to meet students on the students'
cultural turf. In order to do so, teachers should become students, willing to re-examine the
materials that animate Malaysian history and willing to engage in discussions that challenge
their own cultural perspectives.

2
 Teachers must first help students examine and identify with their own cultural
backgrounds (Banks, 1994). Some students are knowledgeable about their ethnic cultural
heritage, but oftentimes, students identify strongly with mainstream culture and are unaware
of how their own cultures are reflected in their behaviours, attitudes, and beliefs. Providing
access to multicultural literature offers opportunities for personal reflection and identification
with various cultures, promoting inclusion and diversity

In introducing literature to students, teachers need to delicately balance giving the

students background information prior to reading the text with allowing students to first connect
with the literature. Too much background information inhibits the student from seeking a
personal response to the text. Too little background information fails to entice the reader into
the richness of the cultural world of the literary work. For learning of the desired kind to occur,
students must be given the appropriate support, and it must be made available at the relevant
time. Instead of disconnecting the background information, it should be provided judiciously
throughout the sessions with the literature. Accurate background information prevents the
students' prejudices and stereotypes from colouring the text and encourages them to attempt
literary works that are slightly beyond the borders of their current capabilities.

Inclusivity, however, is not limited only to cultural differences, and it is important that
language arts classes also focus on those who are disabled and special. The concept of
healing through books is not a new one. This use of literature in this way can be traced far
back in history, to the days of the first libraries in Greece (Bibliotherapy, 1982). The first
documented use of bibliotherapy as an intervention technique was recorded in 1840 (Afolayan,
1992). In 1916, the term "bibliotherapy" was used in a published article in The Atlantic
Monthly to describe the process of presenting books to medical patients who needed help
understanding their problems (Crothers, 1916). Today, bibliotherapy is the term applied for
the use of fiction to explore; a) children's feelings about self-esteem; b) the experience of living
with a chronic condition including disability, and c) the ability to relate to a main character with
a similar condition.

The rise in popularity of bibliotherapy may be due to the societal and familial problems
in Malaysia; a rise in divorce, alienation of young people, excessive peer group pressure,
alcohol, and drug abuse. Tu (1999) provided the explanation that: Through literature, children
can understand that they are not alone in encountering problems. In using literature to help
children cope with problems, teachers recognize that children today encounter many problems
and they can then better understand and relate to children's feelings (p.2). Bibliotherapy has
thus been used to enhance understanding, self-esteem, and adjustment to a developmental
crisis (Morris-Vann, 1983).

3
 Teachers can use bibliotherapy in the inclusive classroom as a tool to promote
understanding of disabilities for both the challenged and non-challenged students. Pardeck
and Pardeck (1994) explained a perspective of interest to this study when they claimed that:
literature has developed in recent years which is concerned with the pedagogical and
curricular issues raised, for example, in connection with the "urban school," minority ethnic
groups, disadvantaged and handicapped groups, and children who live apart from their
families (p. ix). By providing non-fictional and fictional characters who have comparable
disabilities, students can feel that there are others in similar situation.

In conclusion, language arts are important in nowadays diverse community that

Malaysia is made up of. Language arts classes play a crucial role in the literacy development
of elementary-aged children. Something about how students learn about the elements of
literature, how it pertains to their culture, and how learning about their culture through this
specific lens can be used in processes such as bibliotherapy.

4
REFERENCES

Afolayan, J.A. (1992). Documentary perspective of bibliotherapy in education. Reading

Horizons. 33, 137-148.

Banks, J. (1991). Multicultural education: For freedom's sake. Educational Leadership, 49 (4),
32-36.

Banks, J. (1994). Multi-ethnic education: Theory and practice. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Crothers, S. (1916, September). A literary clinic. Atlantic Monthly, 118, 291-302.

Morris-Vann, A.M. (1983). The efficacy of bibliotherapy on the mental health of elementary
students who have experienced a loss precipitated by parental unemployment, divorce,
marital separation, or divorce. Dissertation Abstracts International, 47, 676A. (University
Microfilms)

Pardeck, J.T., & Pardeck, J.A. (1994). Bibliotherapy: A clinical approach for helping children.
Yverdon, Switzerland: Gordon and Breach Science Publishers.

Spivak, C.G. and Gunew, S. (1993), Questions of multiculturalism. In During, S. (ed.) The
Cultural Studies Reader. New York: Routledge, p.193-202.

Standard-based English language curriculum (2017) Malaysia Ministry of Education.

Tu, W. (1999). Using literature to help children cope with problems. Bloomington, IN. (ERIC
Document Reproduction Service No. ED436008)