Abstract

SAMBOLIN MORALES, Astrid  and  CARROLL, Kevin. Using literature circles in the ESL college classroom: A lesson from Puerto Rico. Colomb. Appl. Linguist. J. [online]. 2015, vol.17, n.2, pp.193-206. ISSN 0123-4641.  https://doi.org/10.14483/udistrital.jour.calj.2015.2.a02.

This paper will use data collected from a case study of a Basic English course at the University of Puerto Rico where literature circles were used to promote understanding of a novel dealing with issues of race, class and privilege. The article will trace both the implementation of the literature circles and the use of students' first language to facilitate the reading of The Boy Without a Flag by Abraham Rodríguez Jr. Special attention will be paid to the use of literature circles to promote student participation, both orally and in written form, as well as in discussions of topics relevant to students. The implementation of literature circles in the classroom facilitated student participation, as they worked together to mediate meaning and discuss what they felt was important about the assigned reading. Findings suggest that students benefited from the use of their first language since it served as a cognitive tool that allowed them to collaboratively scaffold while also enabling the instructor to gauge reading comprehension. Moreover, selecting a text whose content tapped into students' funds of knowledge promoted classroom participation about topics and issues students deemed relevant both inside and outside the English classroom.

Keywords : adult learners; ESL; first language; literature circles; relevancy.

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