"Literature inspires, challenges, motivates and comforts us. It offers us companionship, validation, insight, knowledge and understanding. But perhaps most important: literature can provide a glimpse of life beyond our own experiences and offer us hope!"
The above citation taken from the preface of "Using Literature to Promote Cultural Competence - A Bullying Prevention Companion Bibliography" written by Nancy L. Mullin says it all; from a bullying prevention perspective, literature provides an excellent teaching tool when addressing broader underlying themes related to bullying such as friendship, peer pressure, gender issues, sexuality, prejudices or intolerance. Carefully chosen literature can promote the development of understanding the world around us and contribute to the development of sensitivity and empathy towards people who are different or who behave and think differently from ourselves. According to Goleman (1995) , empathy develops as a result of experience and interaction with others and can thus become a lifelong skill through appropriate learning skills (Ghosn 2001). Good literature has the potential power of changing our attitudes and fostering tolerance for differences. These values are essential for helping students resolve conflicts.
However, on a more personal level, literature can help students discuss sensitive issues related to their own lives and their own emotions. It's important to learn to identify our own feelings and also express these feelings to other people. By analyzing fictional characters, their emotions and their relationships, students may find consolation and develop skills for dealing with their own emotions and conflicts.
2. OUR EMB EXPERIENCE
Young people should have access to literature that broadens their horizons and helps them reflect on their own life, their relationships and their experiences. We think literature is a very effective teaching medium and that's why we decided to include literature as a good practice for bullying prevention.
In the 5th Module all partners tried to find novels or short stories, preferably literature representing their own country, relating to the issues of bullying, isolation, discrimination or violence in order to create reference lists with recommended literature. Each partner school chose a novel or short story to represent their country and wrote a review for it. The chosen literature was presented in the 5th short-term training session in Belgium, January 2016.
The students in all partner schools used the same worksheet and answered the same questions when discussing their chosen novel or short story (see worksheet):
Which are the main characters in the story? Which are the situations they face?
How do the different characters deal with the issues of bullying, isolation, discrimination or violence?
Describe different emotions people felt
Why did you choose this book to represent your country? What made you like it so much?
The stories chosen by the EMB partners portray different types of bullying or hardships: physical bullying, emotional abuse, isolation, cyber bullying, human condition in troubled times. Many stories give us a realistic picture of contemporary problems young people face around the world. This makes us realise that even though young people live in very different realities, the basic feelings and our human needs are the same. However, many of the stories also emphasize the importance of friendship, kindness and hope for the future. It's important that young people with the help of fiction can find consolation and develop social skills for real-life situations.
3. SKILLS ACQUISITION
By using literature related to bullying issues we can develop
intercultural awareness
tolerance for differences
critical thinking skills
sensitivity and empathy
ability to express and manage feelings
4. OVERALL BENEFIT
In most countries, literature is part of the curriculum for mother tongue and foreign language instruction. But also other subject teachers (history, religion, health education, pupils' councelling...) should be encouraged to use authentic literature as a tool of bullying prevention. By developing critical thinking skills and the ability to feel for and with other human beings we help build a positive class climate which can result in promoting respect and kindness in the whole school community. Isn't our goal as educators to ensure that our students will grow up as socially responsible citizens?
5. WHEN TO USE BOOK REVIEWS AND REFERENCE LISTS
The book review worksheet can be used with any novel or short story which deals with issues related to bullying in order to promote critical thinking skills and develop emphatic skills
The ten book reviews written by the EMB partners represent very different works of literature and may therefore give an insight into the diversity of European culture but at the same time show similarities in thoughts and feelings regardless of nationality
The listed book reviews and reference lists facilitate the choice of books that deal with bullying issues from many different perspectives
As the reference lists are arranged according to country and language, it's easy to find literature in the preferred language.
Bibliography
Ghosn I.K. 2001. "Nurturing Emotional Intelligence through Literature", English Teaching Forum, Vol. 39, No 1.
Goleman, D. 1995. "Emotional intelligence", New York: Bantam Books.
Mullin Nancy L, M.ED, 2014. "Using Literature to Promote Cultural Competence - A Bullying Prevention Companion Bibliography", Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention.
