Beyond Words: A Case Study Exploring Visual and Audio Strategies in the Poetry Classroom

Abstract

This paper reports a case study that explores ways to improve Saudi students’ engagement with poetry in English by providing them with alternative opportunities to analyse and express themselves using technology and multimedia. It is a strategic implementation of a culturally appropriate pedagogy that utilises visual language to interpret poems in English. Independently constructing their own videos provided students with a chance to replace traditional written interpretations of poems in the classroom. Allowing L2 students to communicate and express emotions visually gives them access to their creative potential, from which they can construct more meaningful interpretations. This supports the concept of no wrong answers in the reading and analysis of poetry and allows the students to create an exploratory relationship towards reading poetry. This is important for Saudi students in particular since they are not as proficient in written English as native English students. This article also reports the students’ perceptions to determine the effectiveness of visual poetry as an alternative to written analysis of poetry. I investigate the relationship between poetry and pedagogy to allow for individualised attempts to present a particular framework as a medium for studying poetry. The study showed, through their personalised videos, that Saudi students are open to using technology and multimedia that liberate them from traditional teaching techniques and allow them to unlock their interpretive skills and represent their interpretations in original ways. These findings might also have greater relevance to wider debates on extending the use of technology and multimedia as a key element for educators hoping to engage L2 students with reading and responding to poetry in English.