Staging Poetry - Niedersachsen International

Transcription

STAGING POETRY
STAGING POETRY
Staging Foreign Language Learning is a European
cooperation project for the development of concepts
and materials for the in-service training of foreign
language teachers.
The project is being carried out with the assistance of
the Commission of the European Communities within
the framework of the SOCRATES programme.*
This publication is printed on chlorine free paper.
*)
This publication is the responsibility of its editor and does not necessarily
represent the views of the Commission.
Impressum
Published by
Niedersächsisches Landesinstitut
für Schulentwicklung und Bildung (NLI)
Keßlerstraße 52
31134 Hildesheim
© 2003
Internet: www.niedersachsen-international.de
E-Mail: [email protected]
Concept and materials
Anu Kilpinen, Silvia Lehtinen, Kaisu Tapiovaara
University of Helsinki, Continuing Education Centre, Kouvola, Finland
Valter Almeida, Ana Margarida Abrantes, Maria Filomena Capucho, Paula Rebelo
Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Centro Regional das Beiras - Polo de Viseu, Portugal
Agnieszka Bialek, Berthold Haase, Marita Koplin, Adam Krasicki, Ewa Pomin
Osrodek Doskonalenia Nauczycieli Poznan, Poland
STAGING POETRY
THE CAST
Lorna Leahy, Majellia Sheehan-Harris, Izabela Zielonka-Röll
North Monastry Language Institute, Cork, Ireland
Rolf-Peter Berndt, Bodo Facklam, Burkhard Imeyer, Doris Herzog, Reinhard Jonczyk, Detlef Kohnen,
Matthias Krämer, Wolfgang Meyer, Markus Ritter, Albrecht Schultze, Niedersächsisches Landesinstitut für
Schulentwicklung und Bildung (NLI), Hildesheim, Germany
Project coordinator
Rolf-Peter Berndt, NLI
Layout and photos
Thomas Göllner, Gerhard Klähn, Tanja Stolle, Reinhard Jonczyk, NLI
Editorial team
Rolf-Peter Berndt, Kirsten Döbler, Bodo Facklam, Doris Herzog, Reinhard Jonczyk, Wolfgang Meyer,
Albrecht Schultze, NLI
Consultants
Robert O'Dowd, Markus Ritter, Bernd Rüschoff, University Gesamthochschule Essen
David Whybra, University Hildesheim
Kazimiera Myczko, Izabela Marciniak, Adama Mickiewicza University Poznan
Leni Dam, Danish Pedagogic University, Copenhagen
Project teachers and project schools
Finland
Leena Säteri, Kouvolan yhteiskoulun lukio
Oili Ketomäki, Valkealan lukio
Ireland
North Monastery Secondary School Cork
Poland
Jerzy Królikowski, V Liceum Ogólnoksztalcace
Danuta Kin, VIII Liceum Ogólnoksztalcace
Krzysztof Bestry, Liceum Ogólnoksztalcace w Swarzedzu
Portugal
Luzia Sampaio, Colégio da Via Sacra, Viseu
Elisa Almeida - Escola Secundária Alves Martins - Viseu
Alexandra , Escola C+S do Mundão - Viseu
Germany
Doris Herzog, KGS Sehnde
Reinhard Jonczyk, Werner-von-Siemens-Realschule Hannover
Albrecht Schultze, Wilhelm-Bracke-Gesamtschule Braunschweig
Karl Starkebaum, Renataschule Hildesheim
3
STAGING POETRY
Staging Poetry
Ever since there has been language people have played with it.
Archaeologists have found funny rhymes scratched on walls
and all over the world people have made up tongue
twisters, riddles, puns and all sorts of wordplay.
With this in mind, our project sets out and aims
at developing a training course for teachers
that will focus primarily on combining poetry and new technology in the language
classroom, a course that will shake traditional
outlooks on poetry from the roots up and
push teachers to their creative, linguistic and technological ceiling.
Trainees are encouraged to embrace the
notion of staging by linking common elements such as creative oral and written
demonstration, language awareness and
acquisition, intercultural awareness, presentation and last but not least, performance
through the medium of process and product oriented media.
Our training course aims at providing the
trainees with the skills and tools necessary to tackle all aspects of poetry
production from the sage, to the page,
to the stage. Our classroom example
staging poetry is central to our teacher
training course, affording trainees time
to experiment on the practical steps in
producing and performing a piece of
poetry in the language classroom.
Time for the trainees to reflect on and
evaluate the process is paramount to
the success of our proposed teacher
training course. Therefore it must be
assigned an appropriate 'stage' for execution and completion.
4
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
A poetic feast! – Samples from the classroom
6
CHAPTER 2
Poetry in foreign language learning
11
2.1
Socio-historical and pedagogical background
11
2.2
What is Poetry?
12
2.3
Who is Poetry for?
12
2.4
Why use Poetry in the classroom?
12
2.5
How to use Poetry in the classroom
13
2.6
Poetry and the concept of staging
14
2.7
Poetry and the curriculum
16
Variations on Poetry
18
3.1
Acrostic Poetry
18
3.2
Adapting Poetry
19
3.3
Alliteration
20
3.4
Adjective Poetry
20
3.5
Cinquan and triplet Poetry
21
3.6
Concrete Poetry
21
3.7
Free writing and verse
22
3.8
Haiku
22
3.9
Limericks
22
3.10 Onomatopoeia
22
3.11 Metaphor and simile
23
CHAPTER 4
Pre-requisites: what we need
24
CHAPTER 5
A project example from the foreign language classroom
25
CHAPTER 6
Implementation of in-service training
31
6.1
Teacher training modules
31
6.2
Concrete steps – Planning
32
CHAPTER 3
Producing
Presenting
Evaluation
6.3
Vocabulary teaching techniques
33
6.4
Multi-media and Poetry
35
6.5
Form and content – Writing and Poetry
36
6.6
Drama in the classroom
38
6.7
Interpersonal dynamics in the classroom
39
CHAPTER 7
Evaluation
41
CHAPTER 8
One week Sample Teacher Training Course
42
CHAPTER 9
Appendix
43
9.1
Glossary
43
9.2
Bibliography
43
9.3
Internet links
43
9.4
Staging Foreign Language Learning - the concept
44
STAGING POETRY
1
6
A poetic feast –
Samples from the classroom
STAGING POETRY
7
8
STAGING POETRY
STAGING POETRY
9
10
STAGING POETRY
2.1 Socio-historical and pedagogical
background
Ever since language skills were mastered, humans
have been manipulating and playing with sound patterns and words to produce rhymes and poetry. Very
small children find it preferable to express themselves
using assonance with collocations such as duckie
wuckie or often refer to objects using onomatopoeia,
for example, choo-choo as train. Thus poetic ability
may be seen as an innate form of expression that is
lost as our cognitive orientations change. The older
we become the more we are confined to the conventions of adult language and we lose touch with
our ability to express ourselves through emotion.
However poetry is not only used as a means of emotional discourse. Before the spread of the written word,
it was the main method of disseminating historical
achievements. They were passed down orally with the
rhythm and rhyming scheme serving as a wonderful
mnemonic device. Likewise, religious or ritual ceremonies are clothed in words presented in a manner, very
poetic in nature with its rhythm and metaphors.
In addition to the preservation of historical events and
ceremonial usage, poetry has also helped to capture the
zeitgeist. Socio-cultural as well as socio-linguistic features
are reflected within its frames. How much more we learn
about the attitudes towards the Irish Uprising in 1916
from Yeats' poem "Easter 1916" or about the stark reality of post first-world war Europe from T.S. Eliot's "Wasteland" than ploughing through reams of newspapers and
documents. Poetry is a perfect example of the spirit of
the early 21st century with its icons on display
and food and clothing portrayed.
In general, poetry was a genre that was to be found
wedged between short stories in the textbook. It was
something that was regarded with aversion and best
to be avoided. It was seen as the domain of intellectuals and inaccessible to the average pupil. The common belief was that the ability to deconstruct a poem
was associated with logic and therefore represented
the intelligence of the pupil.
STAGING POETRY
2
Poetry in foreign language learning
Fortunately the approach to poetry in the classroom
is changing. What is becoming more important is
the pupil's personal response to the poem.
We have looked at the role of poetry in society and
in the classroom, but we still have not discovered
what poetry is or why it should be used.
Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the
world and makes familiar objects be as if they were
not familiar
P.B. Shelley - A Defence of Poetry 1821
Poetry is truth in its Sunday clothes
Joseph Roux (1886)
Or it could be something like this:
Poetry has always been used in the classroom,
primarily as a means of attempting to develop
the intellectual abilities of the students. It has been used
as an aid for memory development, from nursery rhymes
in the kindergarten to classic epics in secondary school.
This was carried out with little or no regard for meaning.
The popularity of structuralism in the 60's and 70's gave
rise to a more formalised study of poetry. The approach
taken was one of scientific analysis of the form, often
causing a chasm between form and content. Teachers
and students gave overall importance to the study of
trochees, iambs, rhyming patterns, metre and stanza
length with scant regard for the emotional aspect of the
poem.
When poems were chosen for their
theme, it was usually one that the students found difficult to relate to. Until recently, the poets chosen were likely to be
the metaphysical poets, war poets in short, those who
wrote in a way that was alien to the students and about
subjects in which they had very little interest.
Dictionary of Literary Terms
Coles Publishing Company Limited 1985
11
STAGING POETRY
2.2 What is Poetry?
Or what makes a verbal message a work of art?
Can it be defined as
1. a defamiliarisation of objects
2. a dressing up of the truth
3. a composition of words and lines?
With so much contradiction surrounding it, where
do we begin?
Let's start with a simple recipe:
Take a p
ers
or observ onal thought, e
xperienc
ation
e
Sprinkle
with the
tools of o
ur langu
age
Add a fi
st-full of
imagina
tion
Mix toge
ther for
the nece
of time
ssary len
gth
Serve as
appropri
ate
(for serv
ing sugg
estion se
ec
All of us are capable of being poets. It's just a matter of liberating that potential and of trying to perceive things from all angles using all of our senses.
People have been thinking, dreaming and having
ideas since the beginning of time and luckily many
of these thoughts, dreams and ideas have been
caught in the net of words and written down, passed
on orally or enacted and thus preserved for the coming generations.
As we all think, dream, have ideas, we all have the
potential to become poets and this is especially true
of children whose minds have not yet been completely tainted by the prosaic nature of everyday life.
Even though some of the thought, ideas or dreams
may not be new, we all have a different perspective
and the capacity to portray our subject matter in a
totally unique manner.
And this should be shared. Poetry should be rejoiced.
It should be read aloud and exhibited in public places.
Most of all it must not be confined solely to the pages
of a book and shrouded in snobbery. Poetry is a multisensory medium. That, we must not forget.
2.4 Why use Poetry in
the classroom?
There are at least three benefits:
hapter 1
)
1. to help students express their own images and
associations
2. to understand reactions to emotional pictures
3. to communicate their own perceptions
This gives rise to two points
Thus, for our purposes, we can consider poetry
as:
An imaginative use of language to portray a
thought, experience or observation and presented
in a way that is appropriate to subject matter, language and medium.
2.3 Who is Poetry for?
There is an erroneous belief that poetry is solely the
domain of the elite and intellectual, that it can only
be concerned with higher or metaphysical matters.
This is blatantly false as each one of us is capable of
producing poetry and every subject is a possible topic.
It should cover the entire gamut of human experiences and feelings
Toast for breakfast
changing of the seasons
existence of mankind
12
1. learning is not first and foremost concerned with
scientific analysis, but with developing the enjoyment of the creative use of language. The reaction
to a poem is more important than detailed understanding.
2. the role of the student has changed. For this to be
successful s/he should be considered as a person
first and only then as a student.
By bearing these points in mind we can pre-empt
the most common problems i.e.
As we have seen,
many pupils and
teacher have a natural aversion to
poetry due to the
attitudes we traditionally hold towards it. But by
shaking it out of the ivory tower, it has fallen into
the realm of the classroom. Now that it is in the hands
of the students they will understand that working
with poetry has its own rewards in their emotional
and intellectual lives.
To sum up, poetry allows students the opportunity
to make associations freely that are personal to
them. It acts as a cathartic process by helping students to understand their emotional reactions to
certain stimuli and generates authentic communication. It does this through non-invasive means, by
providing a conducive atmosphere and, more importantly, putting the tools into the students' own
hands.
TAKE A
PERSO
NAL THO
The choic
UGHT
e of them
e is an im
of the te
acher's p
p
ortant p
erception
a poem
s. It is tru art
can deal
e that
with alm
However,
ost a
areas rep
eatedly e ny theme.
are partic
merge w
ularly inte
hich
re
ple in th
eir adole sting for young p
scent ph
eocentral le
ase. Lov
vel of ex
e is a
perience
question
; similarl
of death
y, the
is an ess
which so
e
unds relig
ious depth ntial aspect,
ems the
s. By usin
tea
g pobilities fo cher offers the st
u
r persona
l encoun dents possisignifican
ters with
t subjects
these
STAGING POETRY
The privacy element is maybe more difficult, but by
abandoning the normal student/teacher paradigm
and getting rid off the didactic teacher led approach
we create a level ground. The classroom opens up
and the group process facilitates the utilisation of
perceptions, feelings and attitudes as subject matter while retaining the possibility of privacy by portraying these as group ideas.
2.5 How to use Poetry in
the classroom
To do this we need to go back to our recipe.
S OF OUR LANGUAGE
SPRINKLE WITH THE TOOL
essary
n Mix together for the nec
Add a fist-full of imaginatio
is not
try
Poe
.
ned
trai
be
st
mu
d
length of time. The poetic min
y of
wa
a
g
a way of experiencin
only a way of seeing. It is
n
the
and
it
lling
sme
it, touching,
looking at the world, hearing
a
to
ve
lusi
exc
not
is
rse
cou
. This of
responding to those senses
ses
sen
/his
son possesses it. Her
poet. Almost every young per
knack of relating one imprest's
poe
the
are clear, and s/he has
ginaing her/his experience in ima
sion to another and express
close. A
y
abl
ark
rem
are
ls
alle
par
tive language. Sometimes the
ilar
gle of juicy animals", how sim
boy we know spoke of "a jun
this
all
is
hat
"W
ure,
about nat
to the Manley Hopkins line
on
ple have this gift, but educati
peo
ng
you
ost
"M
joy?
juice and
and
ge
ima
the word from the
and modern life have divorced
on. We are trained to have
reas
to
e
dag
bon
have put it under
tua l
wo rld and a log ica l, fac
an ana lyti cal vie w of the
e
hav
we
t children to enjoy poetry
interpretation of it.If we wan
We
.
life
to
e
tud
m this poetic atti
to keep alive and foster in the
nt
awareness is no less importa
e
sitiv
sen
a
t
tha
must believe
ulation
calc
te
ura
acc
of
er
pow
the
than a factual memory or
re,
care and attention. What is mo
and that it deserves as much
me
the
w
allo
not
and
it ourselves
we must learn to cultivate
.
gift
l
ura
nat
our
e
onc
s
wa
at
chanics of teaching to kill wh
SERVE AS APPRO
PRIATE
Poems can be un
derstood as a form
of reflection on
the realities of life
, both those expe
rienced and those
capable of being
experienced. Their
subject matter often represented
only suggestively
, figuratively or
metaphorically- co
mes from the whole
human being,
above all his feeling
s, sensations and
attitudes. Thus
the poem should
evoke as many of
reader's/listener's, viewer's sens
es as possible. Th
e imaginative
ideas, which have
tinged the emotion
al palette of
the poet should tra
nsfer to the reader
/listener/viewer
in a way that giv
es rise to a com
mitted and concerned confrontat
ion. The reader/liste
ner will perceive
the contents in va
rious ways and sa
vour the many
layers of meaning
subjectively. Often
the complexity
is not comprehen
ded until several
readings or performances have ta
ken place
13
STAGING POETRY
2.6 Poetry and the concept of staging
14
As we have already mentioned poetry is a multi-sensory medium and this is even more true of Poetry as
it is essentially a performance. It is our objective that
each Poetry poem be staged in a manner particular
to its author. To do this effectively and in a way that
will support learner autonomy we must realise that
students not only have different ways of learning but
that they have their own individual intelligence profiles. This will therefore enable us to capitalise on
each pupil's strengths in a way that compensates for
any weaknesses.
In order to benefit fully from new research on multiintelligences, it is imperative to stimulate your students from as many different angles as possible.
Imagination, stories, colours, surprise, variety and enjoyment are intrinsically important in this and form the
basis of Poetry and also lie at the very heart of staging.
Visualisation of Results
In Poetry, staging commences at the pre-conception stage when the students are asked to experience the world from a new perspective. The first
step is to become defamiliar with everyday objects,
that is, to find the extraordinary in the ordinary. By
blindfolding the students and asking them to exercise their senses, to taste, feel, smell or listen to
objects that we usually respond to visually, we are
stimulating their imagination and presenting them
with the opportunity to respond, to express their
feelings or attitudes in a creative way. This is of particular benefit to students who have a more prominent kinaesthetic learning style and bodily intelligence. It is also of benefit to those with a highly
developed intrapersonal intelligence.
Now that the seed has been planted and the soil
tilled, it is time to start work on the product itself.
The students must decide on their stimulus. Independent of the teacher, they chose their subject.
The authentic speech developed in the previous
stage will provide the perfect background for their
authentic subject
Language acquisition and use in a
creative context
The next step is to help the students put their discoveries into words. Language acquisition and use
becomes the main focus and thus provides the perfect outlet for those who have a more prominent
verbal intelligence and an auditory learning style.
Furthermore, it leads to an authentic use of language as the students are saying what they really
want to and are being given a new sense of awareness.
With the aid of multimedia technology, students
will take photographs of their subjects by using a
digital camera or by finding pictures on the internet.
This authentic, autonomous task will take the students out of the classroom environment and by focusing on their own teenage culture will enable
them to explore their own attitudes to towards the
21st century.
STAGING POETRY
Process and product orientation
Displaying the findings gives impetus those whose
preferred learning style is visual.
Creative oral and/or written
presentation
The focus at this stage is entirely on Poetry. The
opening up of the senses acquired in the first stage
comes into practice. The students are in charge of
the classroom as they use their verbal intelligence
to vocalise their icon in terms of the tenets of Poetry. Alternatively, those with a more developed
visual intelligence can benefit by presenting their
subject in a written form. To accommodate multi
levels, this can be executed in small groups.
Action and Performance
This is the culmination of everything that preceded.
Poetry is not a static art form. It is a perfect vehicle
for an active performance. Thus it may be enjoyed
kinaesthetically. It can be recited while others mime.
It can be performed to the music of the subject
chosen or the beat tapped out. In short, it has the
possibility to involve all, whether they learn visually,
in an auditory manner or kinaesthetically.
15
STAGING POETRY
2.7 Poetry and the curriculum
Poetry and the Irish curriculum
It is envisaged in the senior cycle syllabus that learners
would be exposed to some literary texts in the target
language. Literature in particular encourages an
affective involvement through personal response and
so promotes the student's personal development.
While language gives access to literature, literature
is an authentic example of how language functions.
Therefore the students are required to read modern
literary texts (notably novels, short stories, poems and
plays) in the target language.
These aim also to develop their awareness of how
communicative function is achieved in such texts
through activities like:
Exploring target language texts as sources of linguistic information / illustration
Identifying meanings present but not overtly expressed in such a text
Appreciating the tone of such a text, etc.
Literary texts and language awareness
The development of such language awareness skills
can aid the language learning process, widen the
learners' experience and enhance his/her enjoyment
from reading.
These skills can be fostered by encouraging students
through activities designed to help them to understand language as a specific linguistic variety, as the
symbolisation of the author's vision etc.
Literary texts can also be used as a source for grammar-focused activities.
Literary texts and cultural awareness
The learners' cultural awareness can also be promoted through reading literary texts. Foreign literature offers students an insight into the culture of the
target language community and literature provides
access to culture in a meaningful, contextualised and
authentic way.
Extracts from the curriculum for foreign language learning in Ireland.
The foreign language learning syllabus for European
languages is "communicative" in the sense that it is
based on the purposes to which learners are likely to
want, need or expect to put the knowledge and skills
they acquire in class, and in the sense that the objectives detailed in the syllabus are expressed in terms of
language use. It is not, however, "communicative" in
the narrow sense of confining itself to oral face-toface communication. Nor does it presuppose a rejection of explicit teaching about the target language
and culture; indeed, it presupposes quite the contrary.
16
The aims in relation to poetry are as follows:
Syllabus structure
The two main components of the syllabus are its
General Aims and a set of more specific Behavioural
Objectives. These Behavioural Objectives, which derive from the General Aims, are subdivided into three
components: Basic Communicative Proficiency, Language Awareness and Cultural Awareness. Finally,
details of assessment are described under the heading" Assessment".
General aims
The following general aims are proposed by this syllabus for the teaching and learning of modern languages in the senior cycle:
To foster in learners such communicative skills
in the target language as will enable them to:
take a full part in classroom activities conducted in the target language
participate in normal everyday interactions ,both
spoken and written, both at home and abroad
extract information and derive enjoyment from
the mass media and the more accessible literature of the target language community
To consider as a realistic option the possibility of pursuing leisure activities, further study and/or career opportunities through the medium of the target language.
To give pupils a critical awareness of how meaning is organised and conveyed by the structures
and vocabulary in the target language and thus
to contribute to their under standing of the
workings of the human language in general.
To help learners develop strategies for effective
language learning.
To equip learners with a broad acquaintance
with the cultural, social and political complexion of countries in which the target language is
the normal medium of communication and thus
to help raise their awareness of cultural, social
and political diversity generally.
Behavioural objectives
Basic Communicative Profiency
Meeting and getting to know people and maintaining social relations with performance targets such
as:
Giving and seeking of personal details, discussing
family and home, enquiring about and describing
studies and work, apologising and making excuses.
Language awareness
Cultural awareness
Learning in the target language about the presentday culture associated with the target language
through integrated use of newspaper, magazine, literary and audio material of contemporary value. Performance targets include: Understanding the main
elements of target language material, identifying
meaning present but not overtly expressed in a text
and appreciating the "tone" of such a text.
Assessment
The examination will assess a candidate's ability to
understand and to communicate in the spoken and
written language through a series of oral, listening,
reading and written assessments.
CONCLUSION
This syllabus aims to lead every pupil towards four
basic outcomes as a result of the experience of modern language learning in the classroom:
a communicative competence in the target language
awareness about language and communication
an understanding of how to go about learning
a foreign language
a level of cultural awareness
What do others have in common…
…with the Irish National Curriculum for the
purpose of teaching and learning poetry?
Finland
Foreign languages are learned for the purpose of
creative action, interacting, thinking and information
gathering.
Assimilation of vocabulary central to the language.
Interest in foreign language and cultures; promoting the international outlook of students and
schools
to broaden their view of the world and strengthen their cultural identity.
The fostering of independent learning and personal development.
Portugal
To enable, through the use of the English language, contact with the several sociocultural universes where this language is used.
To encourage the development of pragmatic and
functional knowledge, accentuating project
work and enabling opportunities for interdisciplinary co-operation.
To develop skills of text interpretation and pro
duction, showing autonomy in the use of communicative competencies.
To demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and as a member of a team.
To use new technologies as a source of information and as a means of communication.
To progress in the construction of the personal
and social identity.
To analyse and evaluate a large range of texts,
including some literary texts, that may be accessible to the real level of knowledge and psychological development.
To acquire functional competencies, producing
different texts, according to the purposes they
are intended for.
Germany
Acting communicatively in frequently recurring
situations in private and public life.
Expressing feelings.
Using para-linguistic features (mimicry, gestures).
The use of technical equipment.
Up-to-date and different study and teaching
methods are applied. The individuality of students and differences between them are taken
into account.
Using English language information obtained
through the media.
Information technology and the electronic media are used for teaching, in addition to traditional methods.
Partner and group work promote the interaction between the pupils.
The starting point for teaching is the development of communication skills, in which under
standing and the production of verbal and written messages are closely interrelated.
Use of natural and fluent pronunciation, accent,
rhythm and intonation.
STAGING POETRY
Learning about language from target language material such as newspapers and magazines and exploring target literary texts as sources of linguistic
information and illustration. Performance targets include: Abstracting main points from a spoken or
written text and working out implicit inferences of
statements.
Assimilation of grammatical phrases and structures.
Techniques for the acquisition and extension of
vocabulary.
Pupil-centred and an interactive approach determine the learner and teacher roles:
Themes: Youth, Television and radio, Pop culture,
Celebrities, Cinema and theatre, Newspapers
and magazines, Information Technology
17
STAGING POETRY
3
Variations on Poetry
There was a time when poetry had to be written in a certain way. Poets of a particular generation often
slavishly copied each other's style and rhyming schemes. Nowadays many different varieties can be accepted, poetry has become more creative, visual and individual.
Poetry can be enjoyed in many forms - composition, on-line presentation, in a visual form. The words perform the emotions and
present the poet’s thoughts in a creative manner.
Alliteration
From the range available
to us, we have chosen 12
Acrostric
types of poetry all suitable
for teenagers to use as a
springboard into
MY
the world of poetry
Free Writing
and words.
3.1 Acrostic Poetry
N
IO
T
A
IN
G
A
IM
Adapting
Limericks
Haiku
This is a simple but creative type
of poetry suitable for students of
all ages. Choose any word; a
Onomatopoeia
noun or an adjective. Write the
word down the left side of the page
and think of suitable words to express the meaning!
Concrete
Cinquain/Triplet
Here is an example using Robert Frost's poem "Fire
and Ice".
Original text:
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those of who favour fire.
But if it had to perish twice
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice
Acrostic:
Isolation
Coldness
Emptiness, feelings that I
Feel
In this
Reckless
Endless night.
By Orla Devlin (2001)
18
Metaphor/Simile
3.2 Adapting Poetry
I like to be me
I like to be me to have dreams
In my dreams I can anything I want
In my dreams
I can be free as a bird
Raindrop
I'd like to be a raindrop
A small falling raindrop
A raindrop that stokes the whole world
I might be strong as a tree
And sometimes I am
As beautiful as a rainbow
In my dreams
I can be unfair
I might be mean
A big strong raindrop
And sometimes I am cruel
A raindrop that gives the world to drink
A FEARLESS POWERFUL raindrop
A raindrop that could destroy
and let people free
I would really like to be
I could flood a town in
fun
STAGING POETRY
Sometimes our imaginations need a helping hand, a
little boost into the actual process of poetry. It can
be easier for students to create their own work if
they have finished a poem for inspiration.
It's good to know
That not every dream comes true.
By Deike Spies (16yrs)
I'd like to 2b
I'd like to be an angel
A good angel to help
To help people from feeling sad, Crying
And let grow nature
for new life
Grieving with a broken heart
By Miriam Grabowsky
(15 yrs)
Always on the way
On the way to make children happy
And to look at their pure laugh.
To give some hope
And to show everyone
The good sides of life
Whenever, if I could make just
One person happy, that would
Be a big success for me.
By Meral Ozturk
Permanent Waves
I'd like to be a wave,
I’d like to be a wave,
A little rolling wave,
A CRASHING! SMASHING! Wave!
A wave that gently laps along the beach.
A wave that tosses ships about the sea!
A naughty, Dashing wave
Just any kind of wave,
That throws the children's sail boats out of reach.
For every wave is permanently free!!
By Tords Mitchell
19
STAGING POETRY
3.3 Alliteration
Similar sounds starting syllables
Interests inquiring Pupils.
The sounds in a poem can be as intrinsic to meaning
as the visual aspect. If we start words with the same
letter then the rhythm will flow along more smoothly.
The reader is drawn into the poem as she performs
it.
3.4 Adjective Poetry
Poems can describe what we see around us in a more
beautiful and creative way than prose. The words
can give us a picture of where the poet is or even of
what is inside her head!! Poetry can be a more immediate medium, filling our minds with wonderful,
powerful images.
A well-known example of this play on sounds is when
we use tongue twisters to entertain ourselves.
%HWW\ERXJKWDELWR
IEXWWHU
EXWVKHIRXQGWKHE
XWWHUELWWHU
VRVKHERXJKWDELW
RIEHWWHUEXWWHU
WRPDNHWKHELWWHU
EXWWHUEHWWHU
"
A pupil's poem
Aisling Cogan, 11 yrs
:KHQ,JURZXS
:KHQ,JURZXS
, GOLNHWREH
$QDFWLYHDWKOHWHRU
$ERXQFLQJEDUPDQRU
$GDULQJGDQFHURU
$QHDUQHVWHDUGRFWRURU
$ILHU\IDUPHURU
$JHQWOHJHLVKD
$QGKDYHDQKRQHVWKXVEDQG
:KDWDERXW\RX"
&DWULRQD$KHUQH \UV
20
A teacher's
poem (s/a)
"
3.5 Cinquan and Triplet Poetry
Shape Poems
STAGING POETRY
Short poems can be fun too - and are less daunting
for the students. Asking students to produce work
in a similar manner to Shakespeare is unrealistic but
most will find a suitable subject for 3 or 5 lines.
A typical outline for these poems would be
Line 1:
Line 2:
Line 3:
Line 4:
Line 5:
subject
two adjectives
verbs in the gerund form
a sentence
a different name for the subject
silhouette poems
Monkey
Cheeky, clever.
Climbing, eating, watching
They swing about the jungle
Chimpanzee.
You can use the rhyming scheme with 2 or 3 linesdepending on how creative your students are feeling!!
I want to fly, to be free
Across the fields, down the road
Running across is the sport for me.
In the park so green,
Bright as any to be seen,
Against the friendly trees I lean.
m
u
p
j
leaping words
outline poems
3.6 Concrete Poetry
Sometimes words can take on a life of their own.
They can…
UXQDZD\IURP\RX
We call this concrete or shape poetry. Unusually this
type of poetry doesn't lend itself to being performed
but rather relies on its visual impact for success.
21
STAGING POETRY
3.7 Free writing and verse
As we have seen poetry doesn't have to follow a certain pattern and here we see it can almost be prose with only a
nod towards the rules of rhyme and poetic structure.
W
hen I lie lonely in my bed
You are always in my head
And when I hear our song
I think there must be something
going on
In the moonlight you said to me
That our future cannot be
Because there is another she
W
hen you say you love me
I feel very happy
But in the last time you don’t
say that
That makes me very sad
I feel a big pain in my heart
Can we make a new start?
3.8 Haiku
A haiku must have
Seventeen syllables and
Three lines of beauty.
There once was a lady from Cork
A butterfly goes
Who ate all her meals with a fork
Red and blue, now she is free
Except for the peas
Out of the window
Which jumped like fleas
By Cathal Brown, 15 yrs
New sun is rising
Hot life coming to the day
Leaves, open, alive.
By Barry Gallagher, 16 yrs
3.9 Limericks
These are poems for fun!! First made popular by Edward
Lear, the rhyming scheme and enticing rhythm are easy
to copy and enjoyable for performance.
A limerick has 5 lines and this scheme a,a,b,b,a and
usually starts with “There was a lady/ man etc. from”.
An old favourite
There was a young lady from Niger,
Who smiled as she rode on a tiger
They came back from a ride
With the lady inside
And a smile on the face of the tiger.
22
You can make a limerick with the name of your
town!! Like this one…
And she chased them right to New York.
3.10 Onomatopoeia
The sound of the poem can affect our understanding
as much as the images used. As we perform a poem
the aural effects will help us to enter the poet's world.
Words like whissssssssper, craaaaaack, creeeeeeeeeeeeeeak and sssssssssssnake are almost alive on
the page!!!
Acknowledgements
There's a train on the track
Acrostic poetry
Clickity- clickety- clack
Collie, J Porter Ladousse, G. (1991) Paths into Poetry. OUP., Robert Frost, p23, Acrostic p 4
Quick! quick! load the bags, the stories
Clickity- clickity- clack
Going from side to side, looming big, black
Adapting poetry
Clickity- clack, clickity- clack, cliclity- clack
Kuntze, W.M. (eds.) (1990) Time for a poem
Gedicthte im Englischunterricht der klassen 5-10.
Frankfurt/M; Diesterweg., Mitchell poem, p93.
Away we goooooooooooooooooooooo!!
By Conor McCarthy, 14 yrs
STAGING POETRY
A Journey's Start
Concrete poems
Air
Pushing my bicycle
Lach- Newinsky, P. & Seletzky, M. (1986) Working
with Poetry. Bochum; Kamp
Slowly, slowly, slowly
Seeping, hissing
A very flat tyre.
By Derek O' Flynn, 16 yrs
Time
Time passes by
It runs away so fast
3.11
Metaphor and simile
We can use these techniques to bring the poem more
vividly to life, when we make comparisons between
our subject and other items it is easier for the reader
to visualise what we mean. When we do this the
qualities of our subject become clearer and the poem
becomes more forceful.
Though sometimes
Some things take so long
Things we do today
Belong to the past tomorrow
And tomorrow is the future
Time is everlasting:
There’s no key to turn
I love my Dad
The clock back
He is tall as a tree,
Jennifer & Claudia, both 16 yrs
High, high, he swings me.
He is clever as a fox,
He can even match his socks.
He is as busy as a king,
Hear his phone ring, ring.
He is cool as an ice,
Not even afraid of mice.
But best of all,
He's my Dad.
By Aoife Dillon (10 yrs.)
23
STAGING POETRY
4
Pre-requisites: what we need
As a prerequisite to taking part in our teacher training course, the teacher should have a fundamental
appreciation for poetry.
Teachers interested in working on staging poetry in the classroom should already be comfortable with the
following.
Classroom management
Classroom decisions and actions are to a large extent determined by a teacher's attitudes, beliefs, intentions and on the teacher's ability to change from one set of beliefs or intentions to another. Management
skills are essential; clear instructions, effective fundamental demonstrations, active monitoring and the
organisation of feedback are skills which must be developed, adjusted and maintained. As part of a
teacher training programme it is our intention to focus on a number of management skills crucial to the
execution of this project idea.
It is possible for students to compose poetry and add images to the text using computer technology. This
greatly aids with the visualisation of results and the final performance of the poem.
It would be useful for teachers to have a little experience in drama for staging purposes, however this is
not essential.
Equipment
Hardware:
Computer upwards of Pentium II (preferably one computer per
working group)
Digital camera
Scanner
Recommended: a CD recorder to save files
Software:
Image editing software
Presentation software
Required skills
In IT:
Basics in Windows
Basics in presentation software
The basic functions of the digital camera
Emailing and browsing the Net
In Pedagogy:
How to run project work
How to co-operate within an interdisciplinary environment
and specially:
lots of enthusiasm, some creativity and the motivation
to do different things with your class.
Any teacher who shares a willingness to participate, is motivated and not
afraid of the unknown is welcome to participate on a Teacher Training course
designed to develop, test and evaluate the concept of staging poetry in the
foreign language classroom.
24
Welcome to the staging poetry production
experience from a real foreign language classroom at the North Monastery Secondary
School in Cork, Ireland.
5
STAGING POETRY
A project example from the
foreign language classroom
My name is Izabela Roell and I am a foreign
language teacher. I would like to tell you
about my Poetry production session that I had
with my third and sixth year students. The
following is a step by step plan of how I managed a series of lessons over approximately a
three hour period.
I hope you'll like it!
You...
Settling down period
Put students into working pairs or groups.
Move tables, allow for a moment of chaos!
Introduction to the topic
Have a discussion with your students on poetry production in general. Elicit students'
feelings on the topic. talk about their favourite actress/popstar (depending on the age
level of the class).
Get feedback from each group. Vary the feedback technique to keep students on their toes!
Photo gallery of famous people
Ask students to choose one personality, giving reasons for their choice (discussion and feedback, set
time limit).
Let students choose a favourite celebrity from various media and create and design name tags. Each
student is photographed holding up his preferred
'celeb' name tag.
Writing a poem in the target language
Ask students to write an original poem in the target
language using the given structure/format. Give clear
instructions on task requirements. Provide students
with an example of the task. Option: students write
poem initially on paper and transfer in a later class
to computer.
Multimedia work
Let students use computer facilities to transfer their
chosen celebrity to the worksheet and proceed in
writing the poem.
As a teacher, monitor the proceedings and the document the students' progress.
Early finishers can proceed with the poem using She/
He or their own choice of words but this time choosing a different personality.
This will give them practice in a variety of grammatical structures as well as keeping them busy.
Final product
Ask your students to collect the poems into book
form for general viewing and present it in the language classroom. Let the students record the poems
on audio and video tape for staging purposes.
As a teacher, involve students as much as possible in
the collation and recording of poems. This gives students a real sense of achievement.
Finally let the students produce a CD-ROM and use
it as a database for other age groups and project
partner schools at home and abroad.
The production of the CD-ROM is the ultimate aim
of this project idea - whereby other classes and
schools will have access to the material.
25
STAGING POETRY
We are most grateful to Mr. Jeremy
Harmer for granting us the permission
to use an existing activity as the basis
for Poetry. Taken from "Top Class Activities" by Peter Watcyn-Jones, Mr.
Harmer's work is wonderfully inspiring for teachers all over the world.
Wishing you all the best in future lessons, Izabela.
Acknowledgement
You by Jeremy Harmer from TOP CLASS ACTIVITIES: 50 short
games and activities for teachers by Top ELT writers edited by
Peter Watcyn-Jones (Penguin Books, 1997) © Penguin Books,
1997. Reproduced by permission of Penguin Books LTD.
Poetry Lane – poems for the young & the young at heart
www.poetrylane.com
Young Scottisch Poetry Library
www.spl.org.uk/youngpeople
Listen & Write (Age range 9-11)
www.bbc.co.uk/education/listenandwrite/
Teaching Ideas & Tip Sheets
www.onlinepoetryclassroom.org
26
Staging Poetry production
You are a roof!
You are thunder!
You are a truck!
You are a pair of
new runners!
You are like
a melon!
You are sambucca
(double shot!!)
You are pain,
power and strength!
You are black and blue!
You are a power generator!
You are indifference!
STAGING POETRY
You are a hard chair!
You are a juicy tomato!
You are a rock shandy!
You are as strong
as an ox!
You are a
cold winter day!
You are a sweet,
sparkling lemonade!
You are a dark,
creamy pint of Guiness!
You are fire!
27
STAGING POETRY
STAGING POETRY PRODUCTION
QUESTIONNAIRE
Name:
Class:
School:
1. Did you enjoy this activity?
yes
no
2. Why was this activity so different?
3. How did you help your teacher with this activity? What did you contribute?
Is the aim to help the teacher?
4. What did you use for this activity?
Make-up
Tape/Video-Recorder
Costumes
Scanner
News Papers, Magazines, TV News
Computer
Digital Camera
Printer
Polaroid Camera
Style Change CD-ROM
Video Camera
E-mail
5. Would you like to do more of this type of activity?
Why?
6. Have you any ideas to add to improve this activity?
28
yes
no
1. Did you enjoy this activity?
STAGING POETRY
STAGING POETRY PRODUCTION
TEACHER QUESTIONNAIRE
2. How interesting and enjoyable was this activity for your own learners?
3. How did you prepare for this activity?
4. What materials and equipment did you use?
5. Did you feel competent using them?
6. What problems did you encounter during the implementation of the project?
7. What was your role as a teacher?
8. Have you any suggestions for improvement?
29
STAGING POETRY
ven
ents! E
ur stud
r heart
o
y
u
o
y
y
jo
d
k
"En
ay brea ill surprise an
m
y
e
th
w
g
y
h
in
e
g
h
c
u
th
a
tho
often
the te
s, more ber those are "
e
m
ti
e
som
rget.
mem
on’t fo
you. Re
er.
ts you w
delight
n
e
m
o
r teach
a
m
ond ye
c
e
s
,
n
urra
Anne C
"Don’t give up easily! Most
pupils would rather be at home
watching MTV. Fight boredom and slog
on!" Fiona Nooney, fifth year
teacher.
"Get your pupils to
change their seating
positions
regularly. This gives the
m a chance to sit
beside other students
and get to know
each other better."Fr
ank Judge, fifth
year teacher.
30
"Vary
activities as much as
possible. Keep them interested!" Lillian Jones, sixth
year teacher.
In chapter 5 we saw an example of a real classroom
experience using our idea on Poetry production. This
was carried out in the initial stages of the overall
project and led us to a greater understanding of what
would be necessary for trainees on an in-service training course. With this in mind we have developed a
training course centred around producing, presenting and performing poetry of all styles and types in
the language classroom.
Therefore chapter 6 is essentially for the teacher
trainer, a step by step guide through the aspects of
training, introducing the main elements necessary
to implement a definitive and varied training course
on poetry production.
We have provided a table of teacher training modules specific to poetry production using new technology. Each module is described in brief in 6.1, the
order of which is left entirely at the Institutes/ trainers discretion.
The modules are then broken down into concrete
steps in 6.2 under the headings of planning, producing, presenting and evaluation. This visual display makes it easier for the trainer to focus on and
plan for the four stages in the training course.
STAGING POETRY
6
Implementation
of in-service training
User-friendly, guided and complete exemplary training course modules are then provided as sub-headings of 6.2. These are, however, open to interpretation and can easily be exploited by trainer or trainee
in a variety of manners.
Chapter 7 provides an evaluation form for the course
and can be more detailed if the trainees require.
Chapter 8 then sets out the training course in a one
week programme of approximately 35 hours. It includes time for practical work and project presentation which is not included in the initial table of training modules.
6.1 Teacher Training Modules
NAME OF
MODULE
AIMS
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Poetry, with a focus on
Poetry, in the language
classroom.
To explore and discuss
current teaching
approaches to Poetry.
Teachers are exposed to examples of good practice,
the discussion centring on didactic approaches to
poetry. This includes whether to teach Poetry as
performance art or interpretative. Introduction of
Poetry and discussion of why this approach is
suitable for the classroom.
Vocabulary teaching
techniques.
To allow for a workshop
focusing on Poetry
related vocabulary.
Teachers analyse specific teaching techniques
concentrating on practical linguistic considerations
including metaphor, lexical relationships, imagery
and appropriacy - all related to the medium of
Poetry.
Multi-media and Poetry.
To familiarise teachers
with the basics, to
develop media
competencies.
Teachers are introduced to or brush up on the
basics of computers such as using CD-ROM
packages, word processing, the Internet and ideas
for presenting a document; thus practising the
essential tools for production of Poetry.
Form and Content;
Writing and Poetry.
Focus on writing with a
movement towards
Poetry production.
A workshop session where the teachers discuss and
practice innovative tasks relating to writing skills
and Poetry-writing as a means to encourage critical
awareness or examination. This session would
include production of poetry and focus on how to
produce Poetry.
31
STAGING POETRY
NAME OF
MODULE
AIMS
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
"Talknology" including
Poetry performance.
To discuss and practice
new insights into oral
communication.
Teachers have the time to discuss workshop games,
activities and methods relating to speaking skills.
They will discuss ways on including Poetry
performance in the language classroom with a
focus on Poetry and aspects of Teenager Culture
which we need to be aware of.
Digital camera and
editing.
To familiarise teachers
with digital camera use
and operation of editing
programmes.
Teachers are given hands-on experience of the
digital camera, scanner, video camera and Polaroid
camera. After demonstrations, they will make a
presentation to their peers using a suitable piece of
Poetry as a basis.
Interpersonal dynamics
in the classroom.
An exploration of how
the teacher and students
can interact in the
modern classroom.
Here we will examine both the teacher's and the
students' abilities to move between different sets of
beliefs/methods. The teacher's role as a facilitator
and guide to Poetry with a view to encouraging
learner autonomy will be explored.
Drama in the language
classroom.
Encourage and promote
the use of drama/roleplay in the language
classroom.
This workshop begins with various examples of
vocal and physical expression and the teachers are
then introduced to methods of adapting and using
dramatic texts in the classroom. The 5 stages of
Poetry production are applied here to drama
including ideas such as mime, improvisation, roleplay, group-work. Some use of multi-media
equipment again.
Process and product
orientated evaluations.
Evaluation of the course
and reflection on the
concept of Staging.
A vital aspect of the course where teachers share
and reflect on their experiences.
6.2 Concrete Steps
Teacher Training Course
EVALUATION
PRESENTING
Interpersonal dynamics
Course Evaluation and
Reflection -
Form and Content;
in the classroom -
see Example of
Poetry in the classroom
Writing and Poetry -
(with a focus on Staging
Poetry)
see Exemplary Training
Course Module
Course Module
Teacher/Student-Questionnaire
PRODUCING
PLANNING
Drama in the language
Vocabulary teaching
"Talknology",
classroom -
techniques -
including poetry
Course Module
performance
Course Module
Digital camera
Aspects of the
and editing
Talknology session
Multi-media
32
6.3 Vocabulary teaching techniques
- Be clear on the difference between metaphor,
simile and imagery
STEP 1
Aims: to facilitate an introduction to and discussion of methods of lexical acquisition.
A brief initial discussion involving an exchange of
ideas on methods of teaching vocabulary. The trainer
should steer the discussion so that views are aired
on the teacher's own experiences of vocabulary learning and also on their experiences of effective lexical
acquisition. Terms such as metaphor, verse or alliteration should be placed on the white-board to encourage the discussion.
The trainer should encourage the teachers to form
small groups - beginning as a paired activity and
moving fluidly into groups.
STEP 2
- Draw attention to how they can improve their own
production of poetry by understanding these
terms
- Extendibility – word families, photograph, graphics, pictures. Involve the students physically in the
process of acquisition
- Recycle previously learnt vocabulary to be included
in poetry - related to transport, clothing, animals
etc.
STAGING POETRY
An exemplary training course module
- Don't spend overlong on the terms – concentrate
on the poetry
STEP 3
Aims: to focus on the varying types of linguistic knowledge required to successfully master vocabulary. Awareness of this knowledge is what should guide our didactic
activities (see table)
Aims: to comment on the general principles behind teaching the vocabulary necessary to appreciate Staging Poetry
and other poetry.
The trainer has a list of principles and these should be
looked at in detail using the Lockstep formation.
- Introduce new lexical items slowly and over time
- Vocabulary acquisition is an incremental process
so revision should play a prominent role
- Issues of register and style can be taught incidentally as the students are"re-exposed" to the items
- When using the digital camera or computer, ensure that all terms are clear
MEANING
LEXICAL
RELATIONSHIPS
FORM
(Both explicit and inci(Lexical items which candental learning metods are not be learnt in isolation)
necessary here)
Diversity of learning
(images)
Synonyms and
antonyms
Metaphorical
language
Homophones
Use of poetic license
Connotation Collocation
GRAMMATICAL
BEHAVIOUR
APPROPRIACY
(is more fluid in a poetry
context)
Pronunciation
(sounds, rhythm,
weak forms)
Part of speech
(noun ?)
L1 interference
(ranges from the
so-called false friends
to differing world
views)
Prefix or suffix ?
Form changes
Intonation and stress (plural etc.)
What should follow
this term (i.e.
as__ as a ___ for
similes)
Formal or colloquial
or intimate style
Spoken or written
Use of jargon or
slang
British/American/
Indian English
Spelling (problems
can lead tolack of
comprehension and
isolation within the
class)
33
STAGING POETRY
STEP 4
- Dictionary work.
Aims: to centre attention on the practical aspects of
lexical acquisition in general and in relation to poetry.
- Act out a short dialogue.
When the trainees have moved into small groups
focus their attention on the following points;
- Reduction - draw a diagram or graph.
1. When should new vocabulary be taught?
Divide the trainees into groups and have each group
choose a mixture of Poetry terms and objects and
discuss which method would be the most successful.
Regularly.
Whenever students express the
need to know.
In balance with the syllabus.
2. How should vocabulary be
taught?
- Visuals - match the items to a picture etc.
Transport items: tram, train, ship, fighter plane
Clothing: shirt, socks, jeans
Furniture: armchair, stool, fireplace
Colours: red, azure, violet, green, cerise
In lexical groups.
The months: January etc.
Pre-teaching in tandem with a text.
Weather: warm, stormy, rain, heat, fog
As it relates to a certain poetic text.
Food: chilli, carrots, milk, coffee, chocolate
Through learner autonomy.
House: hallway, bathroom, kitchen, roof
Alliteration
3. How much specific vocabulary do students
need? (rough guideline)
Beginners;
basic terminology such as adjective, sound,
rhyme, concrete terms for Poetry i.e. transport,
furniture and then computer terms such as Save,
Print, Send.
Adjective
Acrostic
Free verse
Rhyme
Rhythm
etc. etc. etc.
Intermediate;
additional vocabulary e.g. rhythm, metaphor,
images, scan and format etc.
STEP 6
Advanced;
Bring the group back to Lockstep. Ask the following
questions and discuss - trainer leads discussion.
as much as they need to know.
Aim: feedback on the presentations.
1. Which are the most productive techniques ?
STEP 5
2. Why?
Aim: to apply the theoretical aspects discussed specifically
to poetry in the classroom and staging poetry.
Some final thoughts!
The trainer sets out various methods of teaching lexis.
The trainees will use these in tandem with poetryrelated items.
- Simplicity
Steps to acquiring lexical items:
- Plenty of revision - gap-filling texts, free practice,
personalisation, poetry production
- Say the word clearly and write on the board. Elicit
guesses on meaning
- Provide a context, an example
- Draw a picture to illustrate
- Translate into L1
- Ask students to use the term in a sentence
- Relate to previous poetry items
- Look for examples of this in authentic materials
- Mime ( if you can !)
- Use video to illustrate if possible
- Use of timelines
34
- Don't be afraid to act the clown!
- Use dramatic stories as well as poems
STEP 7
Aim: to provide the teachers with the possibility of
further research into acquisition methods.
The trainer should provide the teachers with a list of
resource materials for teaching vocabulary in the language classroom.
6.4 Multimedia and Poetry
2. Output Devices
The era of digital life is bringing multimedia to the
classroom. With so much digital content readily available, (on the Internet, CDs, DVDs) and with a growing number of devices that can capture even more
digital content (scanners, MIDI, digital still cameras,
and digital video cameras), multimedia production
in the classroom is now within reach.
The Ink-Jet Printer
To be able to print your sheets in appropriate quality
you should have an ink-jet printer available offering
photographic quality. Again don't worry - most of
today's end-user ink-jet printers do!
The CD Recorder (burner/writer)
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
Apart from a computer with a CD-ROM drive (or even
better a DVD drive) you'll just need some in / output
devices and you are up and running in your very own
digital multimedia studio.
1. Input devices
The digital still camera
A digital still camera allows your students to instantly
view the shots they've taken, eliminating the costly
and lengthy developing process. They just need to
plug the camera into the computer and off they go.
They're ready to import their pictures into whatever
digital image processing software you're using (don't
worry, nearly all cameras come with that).
In case you do not dispose of an internal CD-R drive
(or a CD-RW drive for multiple burning sessions with
one CD) you may decide to purchase an external one.
Nowadays it couldn't be easier to burn your own
CDs. It is just a matter of dragging & dropping your
files onto the icon of the CD on your desktop.
STAGING POETRY
To make it a really speedy experience you should
decide on a CD Burner with a FireWire (IEEE 1394)
connector (make sure your computer is equipped
with one), but the cheaper (though slower) USB alternative will do as good a job.
Let your students burn a CD with all the poems and
pictures of their colleagues. They will immensely enjoy it and last but not least can take it home and
proudly show it to their family and friends.
Once they've imported the files they're free to play
around with them, modifying colours, imposing filters, deleting parts or adding new parts to the picture. The frontier is their imagination and - of course
- the limits of the software.
All those features are paramount for our project. Especially the instant availability of the pictures for viewing and manipulating, this is very important to keep
the students interested and the buzz going!
When the pictures are ready the students may import them into an application that allows you to create presentations, (like AppleWorks, MS PowerPoint
or Adobe's Photoshop to name just a few) collating
the picture with the corresponding poems.
The scanner
The scanner is another way to capture pictures as
digital files. With most scanners you are provided
with software as well to manipulate your pictures.
You can achieve stunning effects by scanning in the
handwritten poems of the students. Import those
into the applications you are using for creating presentations and collate them there with the corresponding pictures. It really looks cool and really professional.
35
STAGING POETRY
6.5 Form and content; writing and
Poetry
STEP 1
Aims: to raise awareness of the differing attitudes to producing poetry within the group.
Begin by dividing the trainees into small groups and
ask them to reflect on and discuss the following
thoughts on poetry ( use an OHP to display );
- Poetry is a productive way to learn.
- Students don't like poems in English.
- A poem must rhyme.
- A poem should have similar sounds.
- Poetry should be complicated.
- I can't write poetry.
- Writing a poem is a waste of time.
- Poetry is a dead issue for me.
- Why write poetry in the classroom?
STEP 2
Aim: to broaden the parameters of the discussion to include modern as well as traditional approaches to poetry.
As the discussion proceeds, hand out examples of
different types of poetry for the teachers to look at.
Include a medley of poetry - traditional verse poems,
acrostic poetry etc. See chapter 3 (page 18) “Variations on Poetry”. Ask them to view the poems in the
light of their discussion.
STEP 3
Aim: to focus on one variant of poetry - concrete poetry,
examine why it is useful and produce examples to demonstrate the theory.
This stage is to introduce/refresh the concept of concrete poetry for the teachers.
Introduce the concept of Visual Intelligence.
Research has shown that many people learn in a visual
manner. They assimilate information in pictures; writing is a form of simultaneous translation for them.
The traditional method of presenting poetry has been
to perform it but for these students this method of
communication is too slow. Introducing concrete ( or
shape) poetry is a way of involving them more fully in
the language process.
Words are used to make a shape on the page but
the message is contained more obviously in the actual shape rather than the words.
The "look" of a poem can have a similar effect to that
of the rhythm in an audio-rich poem. Poetry is a multisensory medium and can reach the students on a level
different to that of a grammar text etc.
36
Students who draw idly whilst listening or remember lexical items in a pictorial manner will find this
method of poetry-production most rewarding.
The trainer should see chapter 2.6 (page 14) “Poetry
and the concept of staging” for further thoughts on
this subject.
Use the OHP or data projector to show examples.
Ask the teachers if they have used/seen these methods before. Allow time for commentary on both the
VI and the poems.
Now ask the trainees to choose a topic from the list
given and create a concrete poem.
Suggested topics; sport, eating, fear, happiness, war
or technology.
STEP 4
Aim: to examine how a perceived lack of creativity can be
overcome through use of stimulus.
The problem facing many language teachers when
it comes to poetry production is the students' fear of
poetry. They often feel an inability to compose. A
common complaint is "I can't think of anything to
say !"
One method of overcoming this aversion is to provide a stimulus which can act as a springboard for
the student's creativity. Expecting students to produce poetry in L2 can often be a fruitless hope due
to the fact that the language classroom is not the
expected place for such levels of creativity. Many stu-
The stimulus can be either pictorial or textual. The
theme of these works should be one which will invoke
a response in the class and bring them to see that poetry is not as far removed from them. There is often a
perception amongst younger students that their interests are for pop songs and are not suitable for poetry.
This approach seeks to overcome that attitude.
Begin by showing examples of Poetry previously done
by students. Trainees read these and discuss in small
groups - centring attention on the choice of icon
and relationship between the icon and the subjects
for the similes.
Ask the trainees:
- Are the subjects suitable for your students?
- Why?
1st Example
The first example the trainer will use is that referred
to as Adapting Poetry. The language teacher brings
a finished poem into the classroom, reads and discusses it thoroughly with her students. The discussion should focus on relating the topic to the student's own experiences. See chapter 3 (page 18)
“Variations on Poetry” for an example.
Having allowed time for reflection, the students
would then be asked to write a poem based on these
thoughts.
2nd Example
The second example involves the use of a rich, multilayered image. Again, the teacher allows time for
discussion and thought before asking the students
to produce a poem related to the topic portrayed.
The same image can be used for different levels and
will produce varying reactions.
rd
3 Example
The third example uses Acrostic poetry. Here the teacher
presents the class with a word/words ( carefully chosen
to engage their attention and stimulate the imagination). The students write the word down the left-hand
side of a page and then create a poem using each letter as the start of a line. (See chapter 3 - Variations on
Poetry for examples)
STAGING POETRY
dents are reluctant to produce personal work in such
a situation. Whereas when they are using a stimulus,
this fear is lessened.
- Why not ?
Display a range of images - pop stars, sports stars,
politicians, actors etc. Ask the trainees to discuss these
people in the light of the staging poetry poems.
Now collect the examples of Poetry and ask the trainees to sit in pairs. Using the white board ask " Who
are your icons?" They have to choose one person
each and explain their choice to their partner. Allow
time for reflection.
Now separate for individual work. Concentrate on
staging poetry production. Using the icons they have
discussed and the similes provided, trainees produce
their own version of staging poetry.
Trainees exchange their work and discuss the images
and similes contained in the poems.
STEP 6
Use the OHP or data projector again and display the
thoughts on Poetry previously used in STEP 1.
Encourage a discussion on whether their attitudes have
changed during the session – are they now more positive or still in the process of re-evaluating.
The issue of producing the poetry on paper or on
computer is dealt with in specific modules on using
multi - media in the language classroom in our
teacher training course.
STEP 5
Aims: to apply the above theories to Poetry production.
At this stage in the session, the trainer introduces
staging poetry.
Staging poetry was chosen as a suitable means of
introducing poetry to students as it incorporates the
use of simile, a main poetic technique and is relevant
to the student's experiences.
The choice of character to address will tell us much
about the writer's world view . Each student will find
a place for her heroes in this poem. And the wide
choice of topic gives scope for both abstract and concrete interpretations. As producing this work involves
much use of multi-media, this session will focus on
possibilities for production.
37
STAGING POETRY
6.6 Drama in the classroom
STEP 1
STEP 5
Aim: To create an interpersonal dynamic and develop musical intelligence and articulation skills.
Aim: To develop multi-sensory skills and enable students
to experience in a new manner and vocalise their findings.
The tip of the tongue and the teeth and the lips.
The teachers sit in a circle and repeat:
To the rhythm of a clapping game (lap, clap, click, click),
first as a chorus and then individually. Speed up the repetitions.
Which and why and where and when
Are words we keep saying again and again
Over and over without any hitch
Where and why and when and which.
Next, recite:
First as a chorus and then individually in the style of a
policeman, a robot, a little girl etc.
Blindfold the students and give them an everyday object
such as a biscuit and ask them to feel it, smell it, taste it,
listen to the sound it makes when they break it and finally look at it from all angles. Discuss the findings. The
students should all have made a new discovery.
STEP 6
Aim: To look at yourself from a different perspective. Introduce the main ideas behind Poetry.
Now students have the opportunity to discover more
about themselves and how others perceive them. Work
first individually and analyse your character in terms of a
kind of food, a kind of weather, a type of furniture, a
means of transport, an article of clothing, a part of the
house, a colour and a month of the year.
Work with a partner and write down how you perceive
your partner under the above headings and then discuss the differences.
STEP 2
Aim: To encourage freedom of movement and improve
kinaesthetic learning styles.
The students stand up and mime actions.
Play tennis, football. Run a race. Climb a mountain. Lift
a heavy object. Paint a room. Have a pillow fight. Clean
the toilet etc.
STEP 3
Aim: To look at a poem from a new perspective and emotionally respond to it using movement.
Take a poem with a strong musical rhythm, such as
Hillaire Belloc's "Tarrantello", divide the class into three,
give each group a stanza and ask them to perform it in a
personal way. Use the music of the words and movement to convey the meaning.
Aim: To develop the use of senses and be able to display emotions and intrapersonal skills through facial expressions.
Record the performance on video camera.
Students close their eyes and when they open them they
have to imagine they see a room full of beautiful flowers, they hear some heavy rock music, taste chocolate
ice-cream, smell dirty socks, touch a ball of cotton wool.
STEP 8
STEP 4
Aim: To work on interpersonal skills and highlight cultural differences between L1 and English. Promotes the use of all three
learning types.
Divide class into two and make an onion skin formation,
so that everyone is facing someone else.
Insult the person opposite. Move anticlockwise.
Compliment the person opposite. Move again. The person opposite is a very good friend you haven't seen for a
long time - react. Move a final time.
The person opposite is someone you're trying to escape
from. Bring the class back to lockstep.
38
STEP 7
Aim: To consolidate all previous stages and to allow all learning styles and multiple intelligences to play a role.
Change the classroom dynamic by splitting the group
into two. Give one group key words from the first half of
a story such as Frank O'Connor's "First Confession" and
the other group, key words from the concluding half
and ask them to construct a dramatic situation around
the words. Record the performance on video camera.
STAGE 9
Aim: To conclude the session and give the teachers an opportunity to reflect on what they did and evaluate changes
in perception.
Show the video recording of the two previous performances and discuss ways of staging similar performances
with their pupils. Pay particular attention to different learning styles.
6.7 Interpersonal dynamics in the classroom
STEP 1
STEP 3
What is classroom management? Discuss this in
groups of 3 or 4 (5 minutes).
Task 2: Based on your own experience or intuition
make a list of the occasions in an English Language
lesson where you think organisational skills are vital.
There are so many things happening in a classroom
at any one time that a teacher is constantly faced
with options. Choosing an appropriate option is central to good class management.
STEP 2
Task 1: For each of the following situations, write
TWO or more options. (adapted from Learning Teaching by Jim Schrivener, Heinemann)
a. A student says I don't want to do this exercise.
b. You expected an activity to take five minutes. It
has taken twenty so far and the students still seem
to be very involved. There is something else you
would like to do before the lesson ends in ten
minutes.
c. The next activity involves students working in
groups of five. At the moment all the desks (which
take two people) are facing forward in rows. They
are movable, but it takes a few minutes of chaos to
do it.
d. The students are working in groups of three. Two
groups have finished the task you set them and
are now sitting looking bored. The other groups
still seem to have a long way to go before they
finish.
Classroom management deals with the way in which
learning is organised; organisational skills and techniques are of vital importance and are used frequently
during the course of a lesson.
STEP 4
STAGING POETRY
An exemplary teacher training course module.
Roles of Teachers
Classroom decisions and actions are to a large extent determined by a teacher's attitudes, beliefs, intentions, and on the teacher's ability to change from
one set of beliefs or intentions to another. Depending on which of these are prominent at a particular
point in the lesson, a teacher should be able to
change his or her role.
Task 3: Look at the following list of possible roles
which could be assigned to a teacher of English.
Which ones do you accept and which ones do you
reject.
Facilitator
Instructor
Policeman
Assessor
Organiser
Friend
Drill-sergeant
Prompter
Monitor
Controller
Participant
Investigator
Resource
Disciplinarian
Tutor
39
STAGING POETRY
STEP 5:
STEP 8
The Management of class activities
Classroom Management and General tips.
Clearly, in an interactive classroom, the management
of individual activities becomes crucial for their success. The roles of organiser, manager, monitor become central to the teaching/learning process and
the teacher must be absolutely clear about what is
involved at each stage.
Management skills are essential; clear instructions,
effective demonstrations, active monitoring and the
organisation of feedback are fundamental skills which
must be developed, adjusted and maintained.
- Arrange the seating to help
- Stand up when you're directing activity
- Look at the students
- Use your hands to encourage and direct students
- Be aware of 'pointing' etc
- Use pauses to punctuate what you say
- Vary your voice
- Keep your language to a minimum when the students are doing something
STEP 6
- Don't commentate
Task 4: What instructions would you give to introduce the following pair- work activity? Write down
exactly what you would say and then compare with
a colleague. Make improvements as necessary and
then try it out with another pair. How successful were
you? (see handout)
- Don't be afraid of silence
- Don't be afraid of noise
- Use pair work to increase students’ talking time
- Use group work to increase students’ talking time
- Be explicit
- Don't ask "Do you understand?"
STEP 7
- Don't go "round the class"
Potential Problems
- Admit your ignorance
The following is a list of classroom scenarios which
are likely to be problematic for the teacher. Working
in small groups, identify what the problem is and
then suggest a possible course of action open to the
teacher. Be ready to present your ideas to your colleagues.
- Consult colleagues
- Consult students
- Demonstrate, rather than explain new activities
- Exploit real events
- Divide the blackboard
- Use the OHP to control what the students see
Problem 1
"…when nothing else is happening in the class, I
open my mouth and say something to fill the silence;
I don't know why I do it, it just happens. But perhaps
it's good for them to hear me talking English."
Problem 2
Student:
And then I went to the cinema.
Teacher:
You went to the cinema. Good.
Problem 3
"...So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna ask you to get
into pairs, but before that there are some things we've
gotta work out so just jot down if you've got a pen,
would you write this, then when we've finished that
we're going to do the next thing which involves more
of the …"
Problem 4
Teacher: Yes, now you can ask her your question...
mmmmm that's a good question. What do you think,
any ideas about how you'll answer. Go on, now tell
her what it is……
40
STEP 9
Creating a positive classroom environment.
One of the most important tasks facing a teacher is
that of creating a positive, yet comfortable learning
environment. This is especially true for language
learning and teaching when confidence and performance are so closely interrelated.
Learners need to know what is expected of them
throughout a lesson. More importantly, they need
to know why they are expected to do something;
what is the purpose of a particular activity. Creating
a secure environment is vital; the way to achieve security is by establishing clear routines.
STEP 10
Task 5: Look at the following activities which occur
in any typical language classroom. For each activity,
decide which is
a. the teacher's responsibility
b. the learner's responsibility
c. the responsibility of both
C O U R S E E VA L U AT I O N
Name of Course:
Name of Participant:
Date:
1
Course organisation
2 Course flexibility
3 Course materials
4 Number of hours
5
Tutors / guest speakers
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
STAGING POETRY
7
Evaluation
Give marks and sign them with X. ( 1-very good, 2-good, 3-fairly good, 4-poor)
Modules:
6 Introduction to Staging
Comment:
7 Poetry with a focus on Poetry in the classroom.
Comment:
8
Vocabulary teaching techniques
Comments:
9 Multi-media and Poetry
Comments:
10 Form and content; Writing and Poetry
Comments:
11 "Talknology" including Poetry performance.
Comments:
12 Digital camera and editing.
Comments:
13 Interpersonal dynamics in the classroom.
Comments:
14 Drama in the language classroom.
Comments:
Any other comments
41
STAGING POETRY
8
One week
Sample Teacher Training Course
MONDAY
Introduction
and Ice-breakers
TUESDAY
Multi-media
and Poetry
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
"Talknology"
Including Poetry
Performance
Interpersonal
dynamics in the
classroom
Introduction to
Staging.
FRIDAY
(STAGING DAY)
Workshop:
Develop & produce
a piece of a poetry
using multi-media
Brainstorming
session
Awareness Raising
B
Poetry in the
foreign language
classroom
9.00 - 13.00
Form and content:
A
Digital camera
and editing
9.00 - 13.00
Vocabulary teaching Workshop:
techniques
Practical excercises
on computer relating
(practical linguistic
to the general topic.
considerations for
poetry production)
42
E
14.00 - 17.00
9.00 - 13.00
U
N
K
Drama in the
A visual / written
language classroom dramatic or oral
presentation or
performance of
poem
Writing and Poetry
L
14.00 - 17.00
R
9.00 - 13.00
C
H
Workshop:
Poetry workshop
Practical excercises
with a local poet
on computer relating
to the general topic.
14.00 - 17.00
9.00 - 13.00
14.00 - 17.00
Presentations
continued
Course evaluation
and reflection
14.00 - 17.00
9
STAGING POETRY
Appendix
9.1 Glossary of poetic terms
University of Toronto English Library
many links to information about poetry
http://www.library.utoronto.ca/utel/
9.2 Bibliography
Collie, J., Porter Ladousse, G. (1991). Paths into Poetry.
OUP.
Fufford, J., Hutchings, M., Ross, A., Schmitz, H. (1990).
Bright Ideas, Drama. Scholastic.
Gairns, Ruth & Redman, Stuart (1997). Working with
Words, A Guide to Teaching and Learning Vocabulary. Cambridge University Press.
Jarrell, R., Leilhause, Brad (2000). No Other Book. Harper.
Johnson, Keith & Morrow, Keith (1999). Using Computers
in the Language Classroom. Longman.
Lach - Newinsky, P. & Seletzky, M. (1986). Working with
poetry. Bochum, Kamp.
Lennard, John (1996). The Poetry Handbook: A guide to
poetry reading. OUP.
Meinhof, Ulrike H. (1998). Language Learning in the Age
of Satellite Television. Oxford University Press.
Moon, Bob & Mayes, Shelton Ann (1997). Teaching and
Learning in the Secondary School. The Open University.
Stempleski, Susan & Tomalin, Barry (1998). Cultural Awareness. Oxford University Press.
Theodarou, Michael (1989). Ideas that work in drama.
Watsyn-Jones, Peter (1997). Top Class Activities, Book 1,
Penguin Books.
9.3 Internet links
Foreign Language and Literature Department at SMU)
http://fllc.smu.edu/
NCBE LINKS
A fun site
http://www.teflfarm.com
Edutainment – “How to teach English with fun
and games!”
http://www.eslgames.com/edutainment
Resource site for poets
http://www.poetry.com
english to go – for teachers of the world
http://www.english-to-go.com
A lot of links to other sites
http://members.aol.com/Jakajk/ESLLessons.html
Foreign Language Teaching & Learning
A lot of links
http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/links/langcult/foreign.htm
Fun online language learning games, tools...
http://www.transparent.com/
Electronic Poetry Centre Home Page
http://wings.buffalo.edu/epc/
Fun but you have to register
http://www.cool-english.com
Foreign Language- Eric/ CLL RGOs
http://www.cal.org/ericcll/faqs/rgos/flint.html
Well worth checking out
http://www.eslcafe.com/index.html
Listen & Write (Age range 9-11)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/listenandwrite
Monthly test journal- Check out the jokes page
http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj
Planet English – English for International
Communication
http://www.planetenglish.com
Poetry Archives
http://www.emule.com/poetry/
Teaching Ideas & Tip Sheets
http://onlinepoetryclassroom.org
The Irish Poetry Page
http://www.spinfo.uni-koeln.de/~dm/eire.html
Young Scottisch Poetry Library
http://www.spl.org.uk/youngpeople
43
STAGING POETRY
9.4
Staging Foreign Language Learning - the concept
Introduction: The Reform of Foreign
Language Learning
The change in communicative language didactics has,
however, caused lexical and syntactic language elements to be assembled in unreal dialogues which are
typically read out loud by learners sharing the parts
and sometimes put together in small role-plays. Simulated everyday situations are important for beginners
and are ordered according to a catalogue of aims
which refer to communicative functions (functions
and notions). They are complemented by fill-in and
put-together exercises in the form of rote learning and
are meant to lead to pupil transfer capability. Listening comprehension and body language, e.g. total
physical response, (cf. Asher, 1981), could well be
mentioned at this point as closely related to the didactic approach for beginners.
In secondary classes, expository texts on culture or
combinations of visuals and texts are used and oral
language practice is complemented by formal and socalled creative writing tasks, which are unfortunately
too often judged by their grammatical and
orthographical correctness.
The reality of such language learning and teaching in
school, which has been observed throughout Europe,
can only support the dominance of teachercentredness – teaching from the front. Occasional
phases of partner and group work serve the aim of
guaranteeing the formal results of learning processes,
so that a creative and autonomous dimension simply
can not develop among the pupils.
Kohonen (1987), Bleyhl (2000), Balboni (1998) and
many others have, indeed, heavily criticised the linearity of language material and the one-sidedness of an
imaginary grammatical progression as found in textbooks, for example, and have proved scientifically that
it does not produce results. Language acquisition research has confirmed this criticism – following
Pienemann’s teachability hypothesis (1998) and taking into account the dichotomy of acquisition and
learning as propounded by Krashen (1989). In practice, however, not much has changed as a result of
this and other research nor has the recommendation
of hands-on consequences borne fruit.
That is all the more surprising, because in adult education the linearity of teacher-centred learning processes has long been overcome and changes have been
made to the examination regulations involving a
myriad of different learning forms and cooperative
language activities according to learner-types. In Denmark and Austria, for example, language learning has
been reformed in elementary and secondary education.
44
A European face - from a photo-workshop of the ECP project
school Garbsen Comprehensive
Learner-centredness and the use of experience and
knowledge about the world have reinforced pupil activity beyond doubt, and, in combination with better
language acquisition processes, all these factors have
provided a good basis for vocational training and further academic work. No longer do linguistic progression, dialogues based on background studies, nor factual texts take a dominating position. On the contrary,
pupils have learnt to use the breadth of their experience, their ways of perceiving the world, their approaches and personal inclinations to handle content
and language activity. They put forward their suggestions and make clear their expectations. Hunfeld
threw down the challenge in 1994 that the addition
of different competencies through a richness of material and language activities would create a perfectly
normal majority process of comprehensive language
power growth and a diversity of methods. His challenge has awoken a wide interest in the narrative and
histrionic components of foreign language learning
and teaching from primary school onwards. The
„Guidelines for German as a Second Language” in
the whole Italian-speaking school system are one example. Workshops, handbooks, content and forms of
expression are all dealt with, and narrative and dramatic texts are worked on creatively to the full.
These more programmatic thoughts have drawn attention in Europe to the tradition which seemed to
have been buried by linguistic dominance in foreign
language teaching, by examination regulations and by
curricula with a learning objectives orientation, that is
the tradition of didactics as the dramaturgy of the
learning situation in class (Hausmann, 1952) and the
staging of foreign language learning (Schewe, 1993).
Foreign Language Learning
and Foreign Language Teaching
between renaissance and innovation
The amount of suggestions made by the partners in the
project Staging Foreign Language Learning show how
great the need is to pick up an old tradition, exchange
experiences and to develop language learning further.
The opportunities for expression through staging communication using literary, situative and imaginative contexts have been tried and proven over many years. The
minute a text or a scene has been chosen for a performance, it has already been subject to interpretation
and so there will be consequences for the motives, the
tensions, the experience included, symbolic images and
the action – just the way the director of a play works
and thinks. The choice of theme and the presentation
are meant to make clear to the audience just what is
meant to be expressed – even using minimal language.
The directing and the development and filling out of
roles include repeating many scenes, trying different
people in different roles and experimenting with all
sorts of circumstances – that is what staging means.
A survey of the prevailing national conditions and of
the evident, comparable problems to be solved in FLL
and FLT led to the establishment of the following didactic and curricular essentials. The over-reaching aim
was to promote a bonus for all European language
work, not just for the languages of the project - results
and products were and are to be transferable.
The knowledge of lexis, grammar and style is used at
all levels of competence, at times implicitly and at
times consciously, in full compliance with the content
and language standards defined by official guidelines.
The histrionic dimension of planning, action and evaluation sharpens the openness for intentionality and finality
and makes us aware of norms in human communication. Hidden as well as open motives and intentions soon
become evident, too. This consciousness is not just a precondition for appreciating literature – it is the very way
of access – for literature in all its variations in different
media. Every text idea, every text document can be literally seen as such, but also as an auditory image, as a
video image or as a multimedia presentation, and, last
but not least, as a photo story or a satire.
All these possibilities offer the opportunity for interesting co-operation between the partners in the participating countries, whether it be on the Internet, at
theatre festivals or in the sum of all the interpretations
and staging ideas on a particular topic.
The suggestions, which have been tried out, have lent
impulses to cultural understanding and to successful
foreign language learning in an inter-disciplinary approach. The figure of Punch, for example, which can
be traced back to Celtic-Gallic symbolism and to Mystery plays in various cultures (even to Metternich’s
motives for forbidding language in puppet plays and
to the resulting role of the simple policeman) is an
opening to intercultural and ethnographic work,
when comparing similar characters in the tradition of
hand puppet theatre.
STAGING POETRY
Staging as a didactic
and methodological extension
of the curriculum
The project Staging Foreign Language Learning does not
have the absolute aim of complete reform in language
didactics but should be considered as an attempt to
steadily promote innovative and creative methods and
ideas, and so extend the curriculum – supported by audio-visual material, multimedia and electronic communication. The ideas and concepts for teacher education
and in-service training will have an influence over and
beyond the frontiers of the participating countries.
As the quality of teaching is often decisively influenced
by good material which fits in with the learners’ needs
and interests, the project included the development of
classroom materials in accordance with LINGUA 2
which guaranteed the quality and the sustainability of
Staging Foreign Language Learning. The development
of concepts for in-service training without the simultaneous development of appropriate teaching and learning materials will not, in the opinion of the project partners, exploit the full potential of the European Union
and will leave a vital challenge unanswered.
From the sage on the stage to the guide on the side
illustrates the challenge that foreign language teachers now have to accept. Learner, process and productorientation are the keywords in foreign language
learning. New forms of classroom work are needed to
effectively transform these notions into action, because individual learner needs are now taken far more
into account than ever before and are leading to a
new understanding of the teacher’s role.
Instead of traditional classroom talk and direct face-to-face
communication, the staging of learning processes and of
language work will come to the forefront phase by phase.
New communications technologies have made it possible
to break through the confines of the classroom, motivation and learning have entered a new dimension.
Language learning has thus taken on the character of a
workshop activity through staging and the computer and
is leaving the well-trodden paths of traditional teaching.
Reference can be made, in conclusion, to the work of
Legutke (1998, 2000, Key concept: The classroom as
a world of learning – and beyond) who has shown
that the classroom has now become a workshop for
communication, offering opportunities for language
practice, a room for staging, indeed a stage.
45
STAGING POETRY
External Learning Sites
Theatre
Staging Foreign Language Learning an attempt at a definition
The concept of staging was intensively discussed in
the preparatory stages of the project with regard to its
appropriateness as a didactic and methodological category. Non-native speakers especially often assumed
a too close relationship to the stage, drama and theatre.
Of course, this area is part of the project, but our definition of staging, as in authentic English use, is
broader and goes much further. Research in a selection of dictionaries and in authentic contexts shows us
the meaning of staging as seen in the project.
46
Museum & Gallery
Community and home
STAGING POETRY
Just considering the verbs occurring in the context of
stage/staging reveals the understanding of the pupils’
and teachers’ active role which characterizes our
project.
act
fake
orchestrate
arrange
give
play
carry out
lay on
present
contrive do
plan
produce
engineer
organize
put on
exhibit
perform
trump up
The project intends to find out what opportunities
there are, against the background of this project philosophy, for the mise-en-scene, for involving media
and generally putting projects together in a sensible
combination.
A change of paradigm:
from teaching to learning
The traditional classroom metamorphoses into a language workshop containing a stage, an atelier, a communications centre, a teaching section and a linguistic research centre, complemented by external places
of learning. This language workshop is a rich learning
environment which is enhanced by the Internet to become a meeting place for own and other cultures.
Doing things with languages thus becomes more target-oriented and more authentic – the foreign language is experienced as a real instrument for intercultural communication.
Teachers’ and pupils’ roles also change radically. The
more passive sides of the pupils’ role like listening, answering the teachers’ questions, copying down from
the board or doing exercises individually retreat into
the background. Instead active and creative sides of
Basically staging means for us Staging successful learning processes involving learners and
teachers in the form of creative, process-, product- and communication-oriented work- and
learning scenarios – in a motivating environment
which is in part enriched by technology.
the pupils are called upon – like writing texts to be exchanged with partners outside the classroom walls,
designing tasks and exercises for fellow-pupils, searching for information, processing that information, presenting results etc.. The teacher becomes an adviser
and a facilitator, creating an optimal learning environment and giving the pupils individual support.
Regarding scenic approaches, these changed learning
situations are described dramatically by Kao and
O’Neill (1998):
“The usefulness of every kind of drama in second language teaching lies in the fact that it provides contexts
for multiple language encounters and encourages authentic dialogue between teachers and students. As
a result the usual classroom interactions are profoundly and productively altered.“
47
STAGING POETRY
Ten essentials for a didactic concept
The partners in the project had formulated the following didactic assumptions to carry out their work.
1 The project method (Dewey 1962) is ideally speaking
typical of staging foreign language material in the
foreign language, and it fulfills all the present demands made by language experts regarding learnerorientation, content-orientation, process-, actionand product orientation – and all that in the planning
phases, the completion of the task and in the final
evaluation or tying up of loose ends. Despite this, the
partners in the project have agreed to make the inservice modules flexible (i.e. teaching ideas, concepts
and projects will be practicable under less than perfect conditions, for example, within normal lesson
times). This became necessary because of the differences in school organisation, guidelines and curricula.
2 Project work is done in groups, so the present call for
the individualisation of learning processes and clear
distinction of achievement levels must remain unanswered, although, of course, group results must be
defined as the sum, at least, of individual efforts. The
issue of formal evaluation of achievement in some
countries and systems is the subject of research within
the project and has as yet to be settled. First findings
and suggestions can be found in Blume, Jandra and
Ross (nm 53/2, 2000), where the evaluation of roleplay, of scenic interpretations of fictional texts, the
achievement in creative writing and the production of
multimedia presentations are discussed.
The combination of learner autonomy with the social dimension of group work in staging was one of
the research tasks in the project …although Burow
(1999) has provocatively commented that creativity
is only possible in the plural.
3 Wagenschein’s assumption (1968) that “what is good
for girls is also good for boys” was a criterion in developing the modules. In the area of performing and
because of the age structure of our target group, the
first year of the project has shown that creative, performance-oriented and theatrical-educational approaches generally appeal more to girls and motivate
them to go on with the work. The aim of the project
was therefore to design and increase the offers of
material such that boys will take up those offers.
The same is true of learner types. The project partners
started from the assumption that staging helps to
compensate for a lack of the ability to see things in an
abstract way when learning languages. The onesidedness of a cognitive orientation can be compensated by the “learning with all the senses” approach.
48
Pestalozzi’s idea of “learning with head, heart and
hands” is the point of departure for our efforts.
4 Basically the concepts being developed in the project
for in-service use are not oriented towards perfection
in grammar and pronunciation, as many traditional
university seminars still expect, they are rather intended
to spread foreign language use functionally for a
greater number of learners than hitherto. So the target group is not, say, a third of German upper school
pupils, nor their Irish, Finnish and Polish counterparts,
but all pupils participating in foreign language learning and their teachers. Zydatiß (1998) has formulated
this in his paper on ‘Teaching for Tomorrow’, where he
refers to the monoculture of aims and content in the
past, and emphasises the changed needs of society
and of the individual in the future.
5 Our synopsis of foreign language teaching in the
project partner countries has shown that the presentations we are promoting to enhance learning and
school culture and, of course, the competencies behind them remain the exception. Work results are
kept in exercise books and rarely leave the classroom.
In times of the Internet this attitude to communication is diametrically opposite to the opening-up of
society and will certainly not help educational systems
in Europe to grow together. In addition, evaluation
of presentations in the project led to improvements
which will bear fruit in the later phases of marketing
and distribution.
6 Above and beyond the individual examples, the modules were designed to be a media and methods mix.
There is more innovative potential in the combination
with electronic media and language learning and use
should basically be media-intensive. A variety of media is not only important for content and methods diversity, but brings reality from the target languages and
cultures into the classroom, thus making intercultural
experience and comparisons possible. Authentic media use should therefore always take priority over
didacticised attempts (Gienow and Hellwig, 1998).
7 On the other hand, ‘classic’ methodological components can now be seen as offering ‘compensatory’
possibilities when virtual learning and the media tend
to dominate..
8 The levels and forms of the modules encompass
seminars, courses and workshops which include
practical trials in pilot schools involving the pupils
directly. The modules are bottom-up, intended for
direct application in foreign language work in
schools, i.e. teachers will be empowered to integrate the materials they have become acquainted
with directly in their own teaching – it is our aim
to open a direct path from in-service training to
9 The motto teachers train other teachers or teachers
learn from other teachers are a part of the philosophy of our project. The new modules are therefore
primarily aimed at teachers prepared to be
cascaders or at those who are already involved in
this work. In the meetings which led to the formulation of the project application it was decided that
practice-oriented in-service institutions would play
the main role in developing the appropriate materials, while universities would play a consultancy
role.
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STAGING POETRY
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STAGING POETRY
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50
STAGING FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING
Materials for the in-service training of foreign language teachers
7II08-CP-2-2000-I-DE-LINGUA-LA

Staging Poetry - Niedersachsen International

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