9 DECEMBER 2009
NO 1524
Strengths
If the class is one where there is a wide range of ability there is potential for disruption and disaffection at both ends of the range, and there is little chance that a lesson aimed at the middle ability group will succeed unless the teacher has an extremely compelling personality.
Although some of the class might have poor reading skills, it is important that they are not given materials to use that are obviously designed for younger children. The pupils at the other end of the ability range will also need materials that fully engage them and do not leave them trying to find devices to fill in time. These children will usually have the motivation to extend an open-ended task if there are the resources available, and if they receive regular encouragement in the form of interest from the teacher. Also they will not feel so vulnerable to the ridicule of the class as the 'remedial' pupil who dreads the taunt that he is doing 'baby work'.
One of the most successful projects I have undertaken recently was the study of a Shakespeare play with a group of 15- and 16-year-olds whose attainment levels ranged from a potential 'B' grade in English GCSE to one pupil who had a reading age of only 7. It may seem that a Shakespeare play was an unwise choice in literature for such a disparate group. It was done, however, because they all wanted to do it, and they wanted to do it because they see studying a Shakespeare play as confirmation that they are grown up. When the pupils were presented with the opportunity to 'dump' all the feelings they had about previous lessons on Shakespeare, initially there had been many negative statements about incomprehensible language, old-fashioned stories and boring lessons. However, several pupils had a considerable number of positive recollections to share. Most had heard of the Rose and the Globe Theatres. Two very able girls had studied Macbeth and thoroughly enjoyed it; one of the poor readers spoke enthusiastically about his previous school's production of Julius Caesar, and was eager to recommend it to the others. Although when I had first introduced the idea there had been cries of 'boring' and 'crap', by the end of the 'dump' they were eager to start.
I started by reading aloud the first act, with pupils volunteering for parts. I was concerned when one of the least fluent readers wanted to read, but it was his choice and he accepted quiet prompts with grace. After a few scenes, when there was a natural break in the story, we discussed what had happened and then watched the play as far as we had read on a video. The following lesson I put out 10 work-cards with tasks on them. The tasks were such that pupils were able to tackle them at their own level of competence. Some opted to work together with one gathering information and the other writing it down. Some tasks involved finding a famous speech, copying it, taking turns in reading it to a partner to decide which words should be stressed, and discussing what it was about. In each case the poorer readers paired with a good reader and the good reader was pleased to read first.The poor reader, who was very dependent on the spoken word for meaning, was a good critic of expression, and after having heard the speech read a number of times was able to read it himself with adequate fluency. The more able pupil of the pair benefited from being in a 'teaching' role and, when they were discussing the meaning, there was little difference in ability as the type of language was new for each while many of the sentiments were familiar.
All the written assignments were open-ended enough for each pupil to decide on his own level of response. Although one boy wrote a short account of a conspiracy which had nothing to do with the one in the play, it was the first piece of sustained, coherent writing he had completed and was therefore as successful on that count as the work of the girl who was able to identify persuasive and flattering language and make an attempt at analysing the complementary roles of the characters. I think the value of this project has been proved by the number of dusty copies of Shakespeare plays that have been brought in for me to see, as well as a few Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare, which seems to have been a favourite Sunday School prize in the 1930s and 1940s. It is obvious that the group was proud of reading a real play and took their enthusiasm home with them.
JANE LOVEY
Lovey, J. (1992). Teaching troubled and
troublesome adolescents. London. David Fulton Publishers Ltd.
