Exploring Cultural and Pedagogical Approaches to Teaching Shakespeare or

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Exploring Cultural and Pedagogical Approaches to
Teaching Shakespeare or How to TeachRomeo and
Juliet

• Original ppt by Christina Maffa
• Advised by Dr. Emily Meixner
• Revised for Hamilton Senior Englishs study of
  Hamlet

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Why do I teach Shakespeare?

• Youre a senior English student and know youre
  going to be teaching Hamlet this year, so the
  first question you naturally ask yourself is Why
  is my teacher making me read Hamlet?

RIGHT THERE!
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Developing a Critical Consciousness

• Awareness that our ideas come from a particular
  set of life experiences
• Ability to trace our ideas to their sources in
  our experience
• Acknowledgment that others will have equally
  valid, if different, life experiences and ideas
• Acceptance that ideas about what is normal or
  right are the products of life experiences not
  universal laws

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Purposes of Education
Why teach Shakespeare?
Economic (Cultural Capital) Knowing Shakespeare will help students attain social status because he is valued by our culture (emphasis on product)
Empathetic Learning more about the self, relationships with others, understanding humanity Reading Shakespeare requires the imagination and daring capacity to entertain ambiguity and the paradoxes of human life and historyto imagine the complex lives of powerfully historicized human beings. (Metzger 24).
Democratic Becoming a critically thinking citizen Prompts students to ask questions about our society and the issues facing us in relation to the world and issues Shakespeare presents
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So why do I need to read Shakespeare?

• Shakespeare provides a context for us to consider
  our own humanity and our relationship to others
  and their place in society
• Requires its audience to ask questions
• Incorporates performance/ visual aspect as a
  means of understanding and analyzing text
  engaging students of with different learning
  styles

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Approaches to Teaching

• Standardist teacher possesses knowledge which
  she has to impart to students students are
  assessed on whether they retain the knowledge and
  eventually use the knowledge theyve acquired as
  a way to succeed
• Constructivist/ Student Centered- each person in
  the classroom brings their own experiences to the
  text, each has something to contribute to the way
  the text is perceived
• Which one do you think we will we doing? ?

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Assessing prior knowledge

• Because your experiences and knowledge are the
  basis of a student-centered approach, before I
  begin teaching I need to know what prior
  knowledge and experience you are bringing to the
  text and what you will need to know to help you
  better engage with the text.

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Historicizing Shakespeare

• The more we know about the real lives of these
  audience members, the more we can appreciate the
  art they loved (Isaac EJ 61).

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Meet and Greet People from Shakespeares Time

• In order to address the necessary historical
  background, we will be engaging in an assignment
  that will provide you with a look into A day in
  the life of a particular person from
  Shakespeares time. Details on this assignment
  will be provided tomorrow. ?
• We will be addressing additional aspects of
  historical background through textbook notes and
  in-class discussions/PowerPoints.

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Prior Knowledge Language

• Working with smaller pieces of Shakespeares
  work first (sonnets, short passages)
• Using Dr. Seuss to exemplify the rhythm
  patterns of Shakespearean language

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Prior Knowledge Play
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Tragedy

• a. A drama or literary work in which the main
  character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme
  sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic
  flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with
  unfavorable circumstances.
• b. A play, film, television program, or other
  narrative work that portrays or depicts
  calamitous events and has an unhappy but
  meaningful ending.

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Play Hamlet

• Traditionally a part of most 12th grade curricula
• Plot has become part of our popular culture so
  students usually bring their own set of
  expectations for and knowledge of the play

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Re-envisioning the Tragedy

• Tragedy is often perceived to mean that the main
  character is fated to die (usually because of a
  tragic flaw) however this implies humans are
  powerless.

For tragedy is an imitation, not of men, but of
an action and of life, and life consists in
action and its end is a mode of action, not a
quality Aristotle

• What if instead tragedy is viewed as the
  consequence of the actions of the characters,
  societys influence on the choices they make and
  not a predestined fate?

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Implications for Your Reading

• As we read Hamlet, consider whether the title
  character is a victim of circumstances (ie his
  fatal flaw) or is responsible for his own fate
  through the choices he makes.

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Do-It-Yourself Shakespeare

• As this powerpoint has discussed, there are
  numerous reasons for studying Shakespeare and
  multiple approaches to understanding the play.
• We will focus on STUDENT-CENTERED learning. I
  will not be stashed away in your suitcase in
  college, so its time to learn to do this
  yourself.

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But not completely

• You are encouraged (but NOT required) to purchase
  a copy of No Fear Shakespeare Hamlet. This
  version will help with difficulties posed by
  archaic language without diminishes the impact
  and meaning of the play.
• No, you do not have to read and analyze the whole
  play by yourself. We will be approaching the play
  through organized literary circles.

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What is a Literature Circle?

• A literature circle is a student run analysis of
  a particular work. Students will be assigned
  into groups of 6-7. Each group occupies a
  different role (discussion directors/connectors,
  passage presenters, Facebook creators, actors,
  and psychoanalysts) and is responsible for
  bringing certain materials to class on both work
  days and presentation days.

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Why Literature Circles?

• Student-Centered (students experience,
  knowledge, the meaning they create become the
  focus of the discussion)
• Prompt students to apply what they are reading to
  other contexts
• Develop variety of critical reading skills
• Provide opportunity for differentiated instruction

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Overview of Schedule

• Over the weekend read the whole act and
  complete your logs (more on these later)
• Monday quiz over the act (simple did you read
  it? questions) media interpretation of assigned
  act
• Tuesday/Wednesday lit circle work time
  writing/discussion days
• Thursday/Friday Presentations

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Comparing Different Film Versions

• After reading the play, you will watch two
  different film versions
• While watching students can be thinking about
  setting, sound, props/ costuming, script,
  delivery, cinematography and/or blocking
• Analyzing the different directors choices shows
  that there is more than one way to interpret a
  play and that the choices a director makes can
  profoundly influence the meaning of the play

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Oh, did I mentionTHE ESSAY

• We will be writing it topic by topic as the
  quarter progresses. You MUST keep up with
  required assignments in order to successfully
  complete the full character analysis. Thats the
  writing/discussion days are for.
• ?

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• Questions?