Blathnaid Burns, an English Literature BA(Hons) student, recently helped deliver the university’s Read to Succeed programme.
As part of the degree’s placement module, Blathnaid who is a student ambassador, worked with Year 8 pupils at The Hastings Academy. Gaining hands-on experience is an element of all degrees at Brighton to ensure students can apply their classroom learning to the real world.
Laura Towers, Outreach Coordinator, said: “It was really lovely to work with Blathnaid, who was always organised and great at adapting to the needs and personalities of the students to create really engaging sessions for them.”
Blathnaid reflects on their experience of taking part in the programme:
“As an English Literature student, gaining experience is integral to creating pathways for me to access a career in higher education. Fortunately, I was able to take part in the University Outreach Team’s “Read to Succeed,” programme as a part of my Professional Practice and Placement module.
“In this blog, I am going to share my experience as a Read to Succeed Ambassador!”
The Goals of the Programme
In January, I attended a training session where I was able to understand the key aims of the programme and what my role would be within that. Over the course of six weeks, I would work with a group of students to help them enjoy reading. The team was incredibly helpful, as they taught methods of reading aloud which could remove the difficulties associated with reading, as we targeted students who had previously struggled to meet their literacy goals. I was shown ways to enunciate my voice through volume, tone and pace to involve the students with the story being told.
We chose books for their age group, with the intent to create an atmosphere where any answer is valid. By removing the analysis catered towards their exams, we were able to engage their own opinions and ideas in a comfortable and relaxed environment.
The First Three Weeks
Before attending, I read the book in advance and made notes on where I thought we could stop to discuss our ideas and what had happened so far. I also was given a helpful guide which could support me in asking questions and keeping up with our progress.
Initially, my group did not seem keen on missing out on their class time with friends to be read to. So, I began our first meeting with some discussion. Following my training, I asked about the book cover and praised any response with my primary aim being to build confidence in their abilities. We began reading, and while initially it feels difficult, I was able to fall into a steady rhythm.
I allowed the students to know which words I did not know, telling them how I found the definition and pronunciation. While it initially does not seem impactful, allowing students to see that even as a literature student, I still struggle with new words can create an environment in which asking questions and being curious is highly encouraged. I would also tell them about myths mentioned in the novel, such as Remus and Romulus, or even the Andromeda galaxies, which they could relate to media they already knew.
When we couldn’t focus on the book, I allowed our conversation to drift. Sometimes we’d discuss our shared dislike for books they had to read in class, our favourite subjects and hobbies. Surprisingly, this was easy to relate back to the novel. By interweaving their lives with the book, they could relate to it more and apply their feelings to the characters. I often liked to mention that when I was their age, I disliked my literature classes but that by allowing ourselves to enjoy reading, we can change our lives. As if it weren’t for my personal engagement with literature, I wouldn’t be studying it today.
The Final Weeks
Through positive reinforcement, humour in our discussions, and a slow, purposeful reading voice, their confidence grew. By week four, I did not hesitate to begin discussions around the novel’s themes or plot as they had become less afraid to answer. I was shocked by how in such a short amount of time, they were able to recognise patterns in the novel, relate it back to passages we had read weeks before, then create meaningful analysis of the characters and themes.
We would often try to guess the next plot point, and often, their guesses were correct. By eliminating the difficulty of reading, I was able to see all the skills and abilities they had gained over the years which weren’t able to come to light. Students opened up about the reasons they do not read so that while they wanted to have good reading skills, their fears often held them back.
In the final week, one of my students even volunteered to read a few paragraphs herself. The other members of the group listened just as attentively and fostered the environment we had worked to create together. Of course, we still struggled in certain areas, but considering it was only six weeks of reading together, they had proven to themselves they could follow and enjoy a story created for them.
Final Thoughts
My time with this placement is not over yet, but I miss it already. The programme, while helping the students, also helped me! I proved to myself that my goals of working within education is something I am truly passionate about. Witnessing their growth and building confidence only inspired me to do better the next week. I was able to observe the students’ character and cater questions to their needs, create an environment of active listeners and intriguing discussions.
Some grew excited for the next session, and while it was not the favourite time of the week for all of them, each of the students put in the effort and made my role immensely enjoyable. I highly recommend any university student who can take part in this programme to do so, as being able to foster the enjoyment of reading is motivational for the student, but for us as well. I was able to grow more excited to develop my career in higher education, as being allowed to witness the growth of a student who is eager to develop their passions is exactly what drew me to this career in the first place! This is why I highly recommend any student take on this role, as if you want to work with young people in any capacity, this will allow you a true insight to the challenges and achievements you can influence.
Find out about studying English Literature at the University of Brighton.
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