English Language Teaching through Literature A New Paradigm to Promote Social Intelligence in the Context of Technical Education

Abstract

The success of education is directly proportional to the impact it has on the quality of one s life and society. As a teacher the researcher feels that incorporating literature and creative writing to the syllabus of technical education is imperative for the success of students in their personal, social and professional field. The void created by the exclusion of creative writing and literature from technical education courses has to be filled up. It is the duty of the ELT teacher to introduce the profits of creative writing and literature knowledge, enjoyment, life experience and sense of past to the students. The undergraduate period is the time when one blooms into an adolescent. During this phase students spent most of their time away from parents for the first time. Serious social and emotional relationships develop during these years. Social intelligence is the ability that is to be nurtured in students to successfully survive in this world. It is the dexterity to resolve conflict, to make good decisions and negotiate that determines success. According to psychologist Nicholas Humphrey it is social intelligence, rather than quantitative intelligence, that defines humans. The investment required to awaken this social intelligence has to be made at this point in life. newlineThe present syllabus concentrates on the communicative aspect of language and is restricted to report writing, letter writing, memos and précis writing. Here we fail to consider the significance and advantages of reading and discussing literature in the classroom. Critical reflection, a tryst with complex and ambiguous life situations, generating awareness, curiosity and insight are the rewards of exposure to literature. Reading can increase one s attention span, which in turn is the glue that connects people. It is this connection that is the basis of all relationships. This research aims to accomplish a strategic alliance of English Language Teaching with Social Intelligence through literature. Education that transcends materialism and appre