Monday, 22 September 2025, 8:00 PM SGT, via Zoom

In an age of AI and digital devices, why would students bother memorising poems? This seminar will examine a pedagogical intervention in a Singapore neighbourhood secondary school where students practised learning poetry by heart. Findings show how memorisation, framed through Judith Langer’s envisionment-building theory, can enrich learning, foster competencies, and revitalise Literature classrooms.

Ow Yeong Wai Kit is an educator, writer, and PhD candidate (Nanyang Technological University) researching poetry memorisation in Singapore classrooms. With a background as a secondary school English Literature/Language teacher, he is the organiser of Singapore’s National Poetry Recitation Competition. His work has been published in journals such as Pedagogies.

Discussant

Julie Blake, Manchester Metropolitan University