ESSENCE OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE – SIGNIFICANT ASPECT OF EDUCATION

 

NELI CHAMBURIDZE^*

 

 

Summary

 

Children’s literature is an original and specific part of adult literature. Special attention is drawn towards didactic demands during the creation of children’s literature. Hence it is characterized with specific signs. In the process of personality formation, namely in the process of teaching and education research of fiction and pedagogical approaches, usage of children’s literature as a goal-oriented source acquire the greatest importance. The history of literature aims to define the creative character of the writer and to determine which aspects of human life the writer reflects and in which manner. Two factors should be taken into consideration while choosing teaching methods: Text mood and a reader’s psychological mood and motivation. As the comprehensive skill is formed in childhood, because children are sensitive towards this process.

 

Keywords: Children’s literature, adult literature, didactic, personality formation, Text mood, a reader’s psychological mood, motivation.

 

Today’s youth live in the age of fast changes. Economy globalization and powerful informational technologies push them towards the virtual world. That’s why education faces a lot of problematic tasks. Today it is more difficult to maintain humanity like Great Iakob used to say to maintain “honesty”. That’s why it is important to define the place and importance of fiction, namely children’s literature in the process of the formation of the modern, educated citizen. Personal improvement is carried out with common, high conscious criteria. The important aspect of the education process is what we teach, when and how we teach. It is important to convey properly specific literature and to use modern teaching methods in an oriented way in the educational process. John Dewey notes: “We will achieve the progress more persuasively and faster when we will dedicate ourselves to research what education is and which conditions should be met for the education to be real and not an empty name and slogan.”[1.]

 

Due to the ideological-esthetical moves in the field of literature and arts, reassessment of fiction and the whole processes, they have been evaluated with new esthetic criteria. Education system has required changes which occur permanently. The consistent research and proper analysis of children’s literature is important in the process of mentioned changes. In the process of personality formation, namely in the process of teaching and education research of fiction and pedagogical approaches, usage of children’s literature as a goal-oriented source acquire the greatest importance.

 

The history of literature aims to define the creative character of the writer and to determine which aspects of human life the writer reflects and in which manner. History of spirituality of the mankind has always been distinguished with spirituality and romanticism. As Michel Monten admits, a person for the age of twenty is completely formed and shows own potential. If a person is not able to show own strengths, then will be late. Because this is the age when our personality and qualities are completely shown up. Children’s literature is an original and specific part of adult literature. Special attention is drawn towards didactic demands during the creation of children’s literature. Hence it is characterized with specific signs. Georgian writer Vaja-Pshavela was right to say: “Don’t think that it is easy to write children’s poems and stories. It is most difficult and only one with special talent gifted from God and rich soul can become a children’s writer.” [2,25]

 

Children’s literature has the greatest importance in the life and development of the nation. Every developed nation has a powerful children’s literature. Its culture is temporary and baseless without children’s literature. Georgian enlightener Iakob Gogebashvili had thoroughly realized the greatest importance of children’s literature: “This is the best basis on which people’s whole literature and science are built. Mental movement of the nation is built on sand if it lacks children’s literature. It makes stable steps forward and succeeds only when its children are surrounded with lots of talented works.” [3,337]

 

Children’s literature is the first source for the esthetical education of the young generation. Poetic-imaginary thinking has always been typical for children. Till today the phrase “if a child does not live inside a poet, there is no fantasy in his poetry” represents the truth. A child is a poet by nature. His frankness, moving imagination creates individual poetic world which is unknown for others. Nature of a child, his spiritual world is various and is full of strange visions. These visions are genuine as when a child gets to know the world for the first time, he tries to try everything by himself, be convinced, see, and feel. Direct didactics and mentored teaching irritates a child. Therefore, children’s writer should comprehensively and deeply know child’s nature and his psychological world. Children’s writer should be a great teacher who thoroughly understands a child and tries to encourage child’s imagination.  It is obvious that what we have read in our childhood is more deeply engraved into our memory, and what we have liked has followed us long with pleasure on the life road. This analytics forms human awareness, ideology and character. Moral education is the main aspect for child development. Children’s works should be distinguished with high educational principles.

 

Children’s literature is generally considered as the means for children’s esthetic education which arouses interests of better understanding of the world in youths, promotes and introduces moral norms and ethical values. Children’s literature tasks are based on common goals of public education and are characterized with specific signs. Children’s literature requires the usage of literature skills as well as the deep knowledge of psychological and pedagogical-educational theories and methodology. Children’s writer should know child’s nature, modern and traditional theories of age psychology as well as he should take into consideration pupils’ variety and difficulties of teaching processes during the selection of compositions. Writer is a teacher with the only difference - writer’s arena is larger.

 

It is often difficult to draw a limit between adult and children’s literature. There are not few examples from classical literature which, after some time, have become a favorite reading for a youth while a brilliant children’s composition takes a distinguished place along with adult literature and it becomes esthetically acceptable and contextually actual among people of any time and age. Children’s literature should be considered according to methodology and specificity of the text of the work which adds sector specifics to the fiction.

 

Specific signs of children’s literature can be generally characterized in the following way:

·       Children’s works should be written with laconic, accessible, correct and light language- child should begin reading  children’s literature with light, easily understandable words and forms;

·       Moral-didactic and emotional-contextual aspect of the children’s literature is important;

·       Feature-esthetic value;

·       Light humor;

·       Easy plot and clear composition;

·       Dynamism, fast act turns and attraction;

·       Development of imagination in a reader;

Hence it follows that different factors make influence on teaching children’s literature and its correct understanding, but two of them should be mentioned:

·       Text (its logical structure, concreteness, clearness of the context, lexical characteristics);

·       Reader’s psychological mood and motivation (why the reader reads: formally, because of interest in plot, for pleasure, for practical information and etc.);

Both factors should be taken into consideration while choosing teaching methods. As the comprehensive skill is formed in childhood, because children are sensitive towards this process.

Didactic-cognitive aspect of children’s literature creates a basis for the straight literacy development of the future generation. Nation’s literacy is a basis for the formation of the sustainable civil society for building strong, united and democratic country. Development of children’s literature requires the development of children’s literature criticism which naturally should deal with translated as well as original literature. It is necessary to deepen children’s literature criticism and match its principles with traditional as well as modern requirements. It is necessary to make society think about the problems of this sphere which wholly concerns not only authors but readers (in this case- children) as well. The similar activity will promote the formation of the public opinion and attention activation towards certain issues.

 

 

Bibliography

1.      www.libofund.com

2.      Vazha-Pshavela, Works vol.5 I Tb. 1993 yr.

3.      Iakob Gogebashvili, Selected Works vol. I Tb. 1989 yr

 

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