Posted by B on December 01, 1999 at 00:31:53:
In Reply to: For B, how to teach nuts and bolts Shakespeare posted by Conrad on November 30, 1999 at 05:29:48:
: I couldn't agree more that it's good to get students to think, but some ways of thinking are more productive than others. Any historical, philosophical, or literary issue can be related to current issues like marriage problems, gender politics, enviornmentalism and multiculturalism, and I guess talking or writing about these issues probably prompts students to think a little bit. The problem is that students have discussed these issues to death for years in other cles. They may engage in animated discussions of this stuff but that only proves that they like to hear themselves talk and tease each other. There's no real thinking taking place. You can engage in a hundred discussions (or essay wars) like this and still graduate a cl of uneducated students. Teachers need to stop ing up to kids so much. My advice is to teach the stuff and expect a couple of heads to nod off. That's normal. It's nothing to be alarmed about. You don't want to dumb the cl down so much that this would be inconceivable.
Thanks for the response. Do you teach? I really enjoy feedback on teaching as I will soon begin doing so myself. I agree with you about expecting a few heads to nod off, but specifically, what do you consider the " stuff?" When speaking of teaching Shakespeare, are you talking about the things surrounding the issues in the play, like the mechanics of the poetry, historical background, or? And if so, what approach to this would you suggest for a high school cl?