I teach English general education courses where many students struggle to have confidence in their reading and writing abilities. In addition, as a medievalist, I primarily assign medieval texts, and a lot of students come into class convinced they are in for a bad time. But nearly every student I have spoken to in office hours has told me they enjoy the class and understand the literature far more than they expected. I saw this progression most clearly in a student who told me they were too stupid to be good at English, and then, after active engagement in class, went on to write one of the best analytical papers I’ve read. As a teacher, I aim to create comfort and confidence in my students by emphasizing the validity and quality of their interpretations making them cocreators in the classroom.
I ask students to draw connections between their lives and the literature to increase their comfort with the reading. Medieval literature is difficult for students who have limited experience with the history, genres, and language. Even when I taught more recent texts like Dracula, students struggled to understand the language and historical context. In class, I compare Beowulf to a WWE fighter and King Arthur’s gift-giving to Mr. Beast, a famous YouTuber, providing exposure for other YouTubers. After this lesson, a business major wrote a paper about the leadership lessons they’d learned from Beowulf. These connections help students understand the text and the sillier comparisons provide them a freedom of interpretation and expression.
Students need time and practice to gain confidence when learning new skills. I spend a week introducing critical thinking and analysis, using Old English riddles as an example of a close reading of a single word. I first model breaking down a riddle, then we work on one together as a class, and finally students do them in small groups. This helps students visualize the final result and then practice on their own. Because the riddles are fun to solve, learning a new analytical skill does not feel as daunting. When I move onto poems, paired with a set of guiding questions, close reading feels more familiar. In evaluations, a student wrote, “The small and large group discussions facilitated critical thinking of the texts that we read.”
I use small group activities to help students practice essential writing skills by creating and processing questions about the literature. In one activity, students gather sets of related questions and synthesize them by explaining what the questions have in common. Then, students find a passage related to the questions and formulate an argument with their peers. This provides students practice in a group and concrete steps they can utilize when writing essays on their own.
After this activity, I encourage my students to trust their own interpretive abilities by asking them to direct the conversation. Students develop questions outside of class, which I put up on the projector for easy reference. I tell them it is up to them to determine what they want to talk about, and they are welcome to present more than one interpretation. This activity improves their ability to think through difficult moments in the text, not only through their own engagement, but by listening and responding to their peers. I also provide a stuffed whale for students to throw to the next speaker. This brings a fun and active element into the discussion, and it helps students who feel uncomfortable speaking up unprompted engage in the conversation. At the end of the discussion, I synthesize their ideas, provide historical context, emphasize important passages, and note the different interpretations that arose. A student wrote in evaluations, “She prioritized discussion and the emergence of new ideas rather than just preaching the course to us.”
I ask students to be cocreators in the final assignment, where they design their own projects. This signals to students that their interests are important and relevant to our class material, and they can bring what they are excited about into the classroom. In order to avoid error and to make the assignment simple and intuitive, I provide numerous examples, a short list of requirements, and a class period dedicated to designing their projects. During this class period, I direct students through a series of questions that help them determine a topic, their research, and the medium of their project. Students move through cycles of brainstorming ideas, sharing with peers, and reflecting on their own in order to make a final decision. This caused students to draw connections to their majors, draw personal connections, and learn new skills. One student researched the economics of knighthood, another compared their relationship with queerness to Fun Home, and another learned how to use media editing software.
I use flexible deadlines to center my students’ schedules and needs. Deadlines are an important part of keeping students on track and providing them a structured timeline. However, I work with students to shift deadlines as needed. If students fall behind on work and struggle to attend class, I reach out to set up a time to discuss how we can adjust assignments to get them back on track. For students who meet with me about accommodations, we go over the major assignments to readjust deadlines as needed and then I encourage the student to let me know as the semester progresses if they need to change anything. One student wrote in evaluations, “She is very kind and understanding when life sometimes gets in the way of assignments, and she worked with me to ensure I was in good standing with the class.”
In my classroom, I help my students build comfort and confidence in their reading abilities, their interpretation skills, and in themselves as learners. As I have implemented these strategies, students’ discussion and projects have become increasingly more thoughtful and engaged. In evaluations, students note the classrooms’ friendly environment, the clarity of assignments, and my willingness to work with them.