Try a New Lens: A Pedagogical Framework for Student‐Centred Literary Criticism Through Role‐Play

Although many teachers aspire to help their students become literary critics, implementing student‐centred literary criticism in the secondary classroom remains challenging. Given the potential for critical thinking, literary criticism is an activity that many secondary English teachers aspire to bring to their classrooms. This article begins by reviewing existing research on the topic, which largely includes case‐based and theoretical arguments for teaching specific interpretive lenses to secondary English students. It then presents a pedagogical framework for combining interpretive lenses, literary criticism actions and role‐play design to facilitate student‐centred literary criticism activities. The article proposes that teachers can develop role‐play activities in which students try new lenses or ways of ‘seeing’ and interpreting a text. Drawing on practitioner‐based examples, the Pedagogical Framework for Student‐Centred Literary Criticism supports teachers in designing multiple‐perspective curricula using role‐play as a creative pedagogy. This article concludes that this framework offers English teachers an accessible approach utilizing creative pedagogy and facilitating student‐centred literary criticism lessons in the English language arts classroom.