Can drama be effective within the English classroom?

There are many benefits for the utilisation of drama within the classroom. Many students see these sorts of activities as an easy ride as they do not have to do any written work. But if they are not putting pen to paper, are they still learning? If utilised effectively by the teacher there is a solid argument for the benefit of drama within the English classroom.

Much of our English heritage is rooted in dramatics and has always, and still has, a substantial place within the English canon and within the classroom. The curriculum calls for a play to be studied within students’ education. But how can students have a true understanding of the play sat on their seat rather than performing and bringing the words to life, as was this not the purpose when initially written?

Drama does not have to be a full lesson either, there is many short drama activities that are of value to the students for any form of literature.  It can aid towards understanding and development.  Throughout my own experience I have found it to be of value, as these short activities such as freeze frames and hot seating aided towards understanding and helped students to stay on task as they are out of their seats for a short while and engaging and experiencing the text for themselves.

Does drama have a place within the English classroom? My personal response is absolutely, as long as the teacher has structured the lesson effectively to incorporate drama with clear aims, drama can certainly have a place within the English classroom and can help deliver an effective lesson.

What has Shakespeare done for me?

Shakespeare is an iconic figure within literature, so as a teacher of English I have come to have a real appreciation for Shakespeare and can truly enjoy the variety, drama and language of each individual play.

The challenge of the teacher is to initially engage their students with the text, if they are able to do this they have got the students' attention for the remainder of the play. Reflecting back upon my own education, my own connection with Shakespeare's work manifests itself within the classic play 'Romeo and Juliet'.  Widely known as his most famous play and regularly taught within schools, it can become a challenge for teachers to engage the students  with a text that they have had to deliver within their class for a number of years. However, the teacher I had during this time I studied 'Romeo and Juliet', very much wet my metaphorical taste buds for more of Shakespeare's plays. It can be a daunting task to engage a class with a Shakespeare play, as it is now seen as 'boring' by the youth of today, it does seem the appreciation for good literature is rapidly decreasing. Returning to my initial point the teacher engaged the class with the play with a number of drama lesson, as this was the intention for the play primarily. 

So what did Shakespeare do for me personally?

It gave me a real passion for English, as it merged the bond for me between literature and drama. It is this bond that was created not only gave me a real passion for Shakespeare as a literary figure within our heritage, but an appreciation for good literature. It is a passion that has followed on to my higher education and now into my teaching, as I can categorically say that planning and delivering lessons centered around a Shakespeare play provides me within immense enjoyment, and to transfer this passion into my students would provide me with a real sense of achievement.   

Can the short story survive?

Can the short story survive?

With short stories becoming more of an 

unpopular venture within schools, less of the 

modern youth are appreciating good 

literature as they are lacking this exposure. 

Ever since the rise of the novel within the 

eighteenth century, it appears that the decline

of short stories being read has snow balled.

Within modern society it is almost non-existent. The youth of today, who shall become tomorrow’s society, have seen a dramatic decline of the study of short stories within their education; consequently, students are not exposed to this literature and can leave their education having little or no contact with it at all. The niche for this type of literature has been lost, and the benefits have been forgotten.

However, in order to educate students so that they are ready for life after school, it is of immense importance that a love of reading is promoted, as this will put the student in good habit and prepare them for everyday life and work. Although, there is a rapid rise of reading a full novel within class, so if students do not enjoy the text, they simply have to endure it. Yet if a series of short stories were introduced to the students this would more likely promote a love for reading due to the variety of the text. Because is this not what the role of the teacher and education is? Students are becoming ‘short changed’; as the favourable view of full novel study has funnelled students exposure to a variety of literature. And with the arrival and rise of the internet and modern electrical devices there are more individuals who write and publish their own short stories online. Short stories are continuing with the natural progression of electronic advancements; however, is almost non-existent within the classroom. Although short stories are a part of our heritage and a gateway into other cultures and should have equal parity with other literature. 

A brief description on how an A level in English literature can aid you.

English as a whole is a versatile and flexible subject, in regards to what an A level within English literature can offer you the prospect and potential are within the masses. Preliminary, an A level in English literature can be applied within all job roles, so if full time work  will be the chosen path English will certainly aid with gaining a superb job role. As this displays to the potential employer that you have gained the skills and attributes that are applicable within any work place; such as, the ability to read and interpret given text.

In addition to this, an A level can lead you into the university path; this can be for either an English degree or any other chosen vocation. Universities are favourable of individuals who have an English literature A level, as they are accustomed to writing essay, so this will fare well with preparing the individual for university life of writing essays. A degree within the field of English can lead to many paths as with the same as an A level it is versatile and employers look favourably upon this. This will provide skills on the CV, such as: independent working; time management and organisation; planning and researching written work; coherent knowledge and understanding of texts, leading and participating in discussions; team working to present ideas and information; effectively conveying arguments and opinions and thinking creatively; using judgement to weigh up alternative ideas and using IT. This has only covered a few of the things that an A level in English literature can offer you, but there is many more. As stated previously, it is a very versatile subject that will be a valuable asset, whether it be for employment or further education.

A brief discussion of an admirable poet and my personal connection with the poem

This blog is much more personal than the preceding ones, so I am going to make to give it more of a personal tone.  When asked what is your ‘light bulb’ moment for poetry I cannot place it specifically as poetry has always been a great love of mine. Referring back to my time at school this was always the lesson that i very much looked forward to, and most recently poetry is the lessons I have most enjoyed teaching. So to pin point the moment would be a real challenge, so instead I am going to offer an insight into my own personal connection with a poem with what has become one of my favourite poems.

Poems carry many connotations dependent upon the person and the content. My personal connective moment with a poem did not occur until my second year in university studying Romantic poetry. I found Romantic poetry fascinating, the idea of the connection with the ‘sublime’ through the aid of drug abuse, more specifically opium, quenched my thirst for unique and distinctive poetry. Samuel Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan” was created proceeding an opium induced sleep, he awoke and wrote it down. In particular, the mystical element of the poem attracted to me to it the most. The idea of merging dreams and real life is reoccurring theme throughout the poem. The fact it was written after a drug induced dream reveals how Coleridge stretches the walls of the imagination and reality by creating landscapes that are seen within reality. The speaker within the poem shows a great admiration for nature. Yet what is striking and somewhat different about the portrayal of nature in this particular poem is the depiction of the dangerous and threatening aspects of nature. 

The personal connection to this poem actually is due to a song, as on hearing the song “Xanadu” many times prior to reading this poem, I did not have a true understanding of it. Although, on the first read of “Kuble Khan”, the realisation of that the song was based around “Kubla Khan”, gave me a true understanding of the song, and listen to and understand from a whole new perspective. Over two hundred years later and his work is still very influential, and definitely an admirable poet within my own perspective.  

A brief description of two differentiated English lessons

Differentiation is a component which is a vital part of effective teaching. The ethos of the inclusion of every child within the classroom is something which has been constantly assessed and altered within the preceding years. However, how a teacher applies this differentiation within their classroom is personal to them, as they have an outstanding understanding of their students, so they are sensitive to individual’s needs and requirements.

Over the past week observations occurred over three sessions and all presented differentiation within the classroom; however, they all targeted their students utilising different methods and techniques. Although, the commonality of the differentiation within every class was the differentiated outcomes, as all the teachers utilised the ‘SMART’ approach to achieve this. This differentiation is both a premeditated element as it is incorporated into the lesson plan, and expectations shared with the students, so they have a target to work towards.

The first observation differentiated through the use of numbers, as the teacher expressed with the students how many new persuasive techniques they should know by the end of the lesson. By utilising numbers it made it specific and measureable. This was achieved through the aid of check lists, as the students started by ticking off what they already knew, so this gave the teacher an indication of the pupil’s prior knowledge, thus so they can build upon it. Following this, the students would tick off at the end of the lesson what new persuasive techniques they had understood and utilised. This was based on evidence from their own work, so the assessment for learning was successful as all students exited the classroom having acquired new knowledge. Although, the differentiation was evident through the number of new persuasive techniques they had acquired and employed throughout the course of the lesson.

The second observation employed differentiation differently, as rather than a specific number being utilised, the students were grouped on tables. The tables were differentiated upon the student’s weak points; for example, a table may have punctuation as an area they needed to focus on, so a prompt sheet was provided and the students would utilise it to aid them throughout the lesson. This technique is particularly effective, as students do not respond well to a physical differentiation, such as a different work sheet. Consequently, the student is not revealing their target grade to the rest of the class and all students feel they are all working at the same level.

To conclude, differentiation is an element that is vital to the lesson and is a component which ensures all students are included in the learning process and ensure they leave the classroom with new knowledge. However, differentiation must be careful considered when planning and delivering the lesson, so that it does not make students feel excluded, as this is the opposite of the desired effect. 

An English lesson observation; predominantly concentrating on the teaching styles and how they were implemented within the lesson.

Observing a teacher who presents a ‘wow’ lesson is not an element which is out of the ordinary for themselves, as an outstanding teacher delivers a ‘wow’ lesson every lesson. The teacher I observed recently presented an ‘outstanding’ lesson, and has on every previous lesson I have observed. The reasons I state this is due to a combination of elements, main aspect being their presence within the classroom. The reasons I believe this is due to the teacher’s behavioral management was brilliant, as the disruption in the lesson was low level and students were immediately quiet when asked. It is this good classroom management which is rooted in mutual respect, being that the students respect the teacher as they show them the same.

In terms of teaching styles, the teacher accessed a multiple of techniques in order to assure that the students were being supplied with all of the teaching styles. The visual was in the form of a Powerpoint, whilst the teacher talked and explained the aspects of the lesson, and the combination of visual and auditory styles ensured the students were: learning, concentrating and understanding. Work sheets were provided to the students in order to provide them with guidance and to enable the students to have a go at the task themselves, so teacher talk is dramatically cut. The mixture of tactile and kinaesthetic teaching styles, allowed the students to be in control of their own learning and practice what they had been learning from the initial part of the lesson. Concluding the lesson the plenary entailed self assessment, as the students were provided with a check list and the students read through and marked their own work. Again, this combination of tactile and kinaesthetic teaching style facilitated the learning, so the students could self assess and learn from their own work rather than being merely told by the teacher.

The combination of all the teaching styles resulted in a successful lesson, or a ‘wow’ lesson, as the students were all engaged throughout the lesson and the disruption was low level. It is evident from not only from this lesson I observed, but from many other ones that combining all the teaching styles will engage students with the lesson resulting in learning occurring. Being aware that a student may not be only one type of learner is an important aspect to teaching, and an element that I will consider and transfer into my own teaching, as combining the teaching styles will create a good scaffold for my lesson and lesson plans to ensure all students are learning.