Friday 17 September 2010

Two Weeks On

We had drama today and guess what I was?
No, not a tree.
Try again.
Yes, you at the keyboard.
A candle. Excellent.
Yes, I was a candle - guarding the old King Hamlet's tomb as his lifeless body lay in state.
And yes, you gifted and talented ones will have noticed this scene doesn't actually appear in Hamlet. At least not in the Bard's version.
Go to the top of the class.
But can you tell me what the difference between being a tree and being a candle is?
Come on. Think.
Correct. There is no purpose in being a tree but there is a purpose in being a candle.
It was all part of the workshop to engage reluctant Shakespeare readers with the play.
If you create a purpose then it is OK to be candle or even a tree.
So there I was with 20 other English graduates fumbling around with bits of material and paper to recreate the scene.
It could have been worse, I could have been a cross (and have to hold my arms out for ages) or even a spiky gatepost.
But we got it.
Create the context, build on suggestion and let the kids create and own the space and you have the holy grail - engagement.
I could see the theory but here was a dramatist and a teacher of 30 plus years and the personna to carry it off.
And what if the kids had so much fun they wrote about this non existent scene vividly in their GCSE exam?
Tricky.
And that's what make the course fascinating as a mature student.
I am more inclined to question and think things through more carefully for myself than if I was a 22-year-old.
One of the advantages of being a more mature student I guess.
The day ended with a practical lesson on ....lesson planning, learning objectives, key stages, the National Curriculum and the Framework.
I can't say I have mastered lesson planning but I now understand my children's school reports.
Next week I am off to a primary school to observe Yea r6 before starting my first secondary placement at a High School nearby.
Wish me luck.