Literature circles: a door to students’ life experiences in the classroom

Abstract

This article describes students’ interaction process as they explored and built their aesthetic responses in literature circles. Participants constructed meaning of each piece of literature through the reading and discussion of books with their classmates. This project was carried out with 10th and 11th graders in a public school in Bogotá. They attended three hours of English class as a foreign language per week and it was through this time that the project was carried out. The students’ discussions in the literature circles were conducted in Spanish. Data collection sources for this project include students’ journals, audiotapes and video recording. The analysis of the participants’ responses showed their critical reflection upon human nature according to both their own set of values, and the context in which they were immersed. Interaction played a relevant role since all these responses were manifested when participants worked together to share their ideas and life experiences.