Poetry Fridays: Authorizing Readers in the High-Stakes, Testing-Oriented Classroom

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines the liberatory potential of student-led discussions in an increasingly neoliberal global context. More specifically, it will explore one such poetry-oriented practice as it embodies theories from scholars like Peter Rabinowitz and Michael Smith (as established in Authorizing Readers: Resistance and Respect in the Teaching of Literature, 1998) and Sheridan Blau (The Literature Workshop, 2003). Years after these authors first recommended locating classroom authority in students and the text rather than in the teacher, such practices remain rare; however, as both scholarship and student survey responses show, they are vital tools in cultivating genuine learning, student agency, and collaborative engagement. Although the article concentrates on student engagement with poetry as it exists in relation to the Advanced Placement® (AP) framework for English Literature and Composition, the commentary it provides is also relevant to alternative models such as International Baccalaureate® (I.B.) programs and college preparatory curricula more generally.