How To Teach Poetry, Drama, and Other Print/Non Print Texts.

"We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion." This quote from N.H. Kleinbaum's Dead Poet Society, which I just watched recently at the recommendation of my mentor, gives me plenty of reason to learn how to teach poetry and drama. Despite taking a poetry class and a Shakespeare class, the idea of teaching these topics to students makes me break into a (slight) sweat. 

Poetry is vast and has multiple interpretations that the idea of trying to tell students that there is a "right" way to understand something seems counter-intuitive. This could be the reason students are also drawn away from poetry and drama. With so many interpretations, students may feel like they should match their ideas with their teacher's idea so that they can pass the class. There are also so many aspects of poetry when analyzing a poem, considering syntax, rhythm, tone, enjambment, etc. that makes this task seem more difficult than other texts. I want to teach poetry because it's shorter form would allow for an easy sell with students, and also open the door for a discussion around word choice and meaning. While book talking in my YA Literature class, I spoke with a student who was reading a book of poetry and I remember her saying that she picked it out because of the blank space and that it would go quick. There are also many younger poets, like Amanda Gorman, who speak on relevant topics of today which will allow for students to understand the work on another level compared to a poem from the 16th or 17th century. 

My experience with drama is limited, but I want to expand what I know about it. I am familiar with plays and skits, as a former Duet Acting (DA) performer and Impromptu Duet Acting (IDA) competitor, I recognize the importance of looking at a script and interpreting the stage direction and tone, then trying to display the same feelings on a stage in front of a possible audience. While learning my script for DA, I was taken aback at how open the possibilities were for the interpretation, my partner and I chose "Argument Clinic" by Monty Python, and there was a lot of wiggle room to go off of. This allowed us to make it our own and perform it in our own unique way. However, when participating in IDA, everything is made up which gives us the opportunity to almost "write" our own script and stage direction. Drama is important to teach students communication, collaboration, accountability, and empathy.

In a world of increasing non-print text forms, it's important to teach how to analyze these texts. The world is evolving from news being spread by newspaper to news being spread on social media via video or photo form. The importance to teach students how to analyze these forms is just as important as teaching students to analyze their reading. If we are expecting students to live in a world where they get their news in unique ways, it's important that we teach students how to stay informed on how to analyze what they are seeing at all times. I don't know much about how to teach non-print texts right now, but being able to research this topic more in-depth with help elevate my practice.

Some questions that I am focusing on for this research are: What are the best practices for teaching poetry and drama in the classroom? How can teachers select appropriate non-print texts that complement the print curriculum? How can digital tools and multimedia resources be used to teach literature? 

My next steps when considering my project is to begin research on educational resources like Edutopia and NCTE while also considering resources I have on-hand, like the University library database.

Until next time,