Learning from teachers and pupils in literature: case-based aesthetic reading in EFL teacher education

Claims for the value of literature in EFL teaching and learning traditionally centre around three models: the cultural, language, and the personal growth model (Carter & Long, 1991). In the context of EFL teacher education, the core question is: can literature also contribute to the professional development of EFL trainee teachers and, if so, how? Based on the assumption that school-related English-language literature can be used for professional case-based work this paper reports a context-specific interdisciplinary model of literature in education which synthesizes case theory (Steiner, 2004) and the theory of dialogic aesthetic reading (Delanoy, 2002), thus providing an educational setting for both literary experience and professional learning in EFL teacher education.