Learning by Heart in L1 Pedagogy: Envisionment-Building through Memorisation and Recitation of Poetry in English in Singapore
Submitted by:
Wai Kit Ow Yeong
Abstract:
While educational orthodoxy in the twentieth century historically criticised memorisation as ‘rote learning’, regarding it as an outmoded or anachronistic pedagogical technique (Sedgewick, 2003), recent studies have suggested that memorised poetry constitutes a vital repository which enhances the quality of individuals’ lives (Brandreth, 2021). Furthermore, although the case for poetry memorisation—as a source of intellectual enrichment and emotional consolation—is well-established (Jaques & Whitley, 2022), its pedagogical potential has hardly been explored (Pullinger & Whitley, 2016). Based on Judith Langer’s framework of envisionment-building (2011), and drawing upon Maya Pindyck and Ruth Vinz (2022)’s “poetry pedagogy for teachers”, this qualitative study focuses on the case of the inaugural National Poetry Recitation Competition held in Singapore in 2023, which featured a pre-competition workshop and a recitation competition for 180 primary and secondary school participants. Based on the analysis of video-recorded performances, interviews, and survey responses from participants, this study’s findings reveal that poetry memorisation and recitation can support envisionment-building (Langer, 2011), sparking renewed interest and instilling the joy of poetry precisely through learning by heart. Far from signalling mere rote learning, memorisation and recitation can serve as a promising means to connect with a broader discourse community (Brandreth, 2021). In addition, this interdisciplinary study—which is informed by the results of a national online survey, in-depth oral history interviews, as well as national and school archives—presents a theoretical framework that identifies, streamlines, and organises the factors involved when Literature students learn poetry by heart, integrating elements from both literature education and the science of learning based on three main areas: purposes, prerequisites, and processes of learning (Sweller et al., 2019). Hence, this study offers cause for optimism by challenging and disrupting pre-conceived notions about the value of memorisation, and showing how poetry memorisation practices can be adapted productively as pedagogical activities that endow students with choice and agency in contemporary L1 classroom contexts. Through such processes of adaptation, L1 teachers can extend opportunities to motivate students’ deeper engagement with poetry beyond mere analysis on the page, and by extension, sustain their passion and enthusiasm for English/Literature.