CPD
Bard times ahead
This first SecEd of the
year has a special focus
on arguably England’s
greatest ever playwright,
William Shakespeare. Here,
we focus on creativity
in the classroom and
Extended
the Master’s being run
by Globe Education and
King’s College, London
Fiona Banks
learning
Globe Education, Shakespeare’s Globe, London
When Globe Education and King’s College, London
launched our joint MA Creative Arts in the Classroom
in 2004 it was an unusual idea for an MA course.
It came into an educational climate that often
regarded the creative arts and the notion of creative Mastering the Bard: A teacher training
learning as something of a worthy dietary supplement session at Shakespeare’s Globe in
to the business of education and academic success. London. The theatre is pictured below
Four years previously, the report All Our Futures
had formally identified the value and power of creative
learning and the central role it could and should be different. Revisions to the curriculum at every level The climate is right and the foundations laid for a have had people from the Royal Shakespeare Company
playing in formal education. now formally recognise the value of creative learning fundamental shift in the way we regard education and and the Royal Opera House, as well as professional
The first group of teachers that enrolled on the and give it a formal role – the recent Rose review value its component parts – yet notions of creativity and working actors and musicians – a real mix.
course, however, still had a sense of themselves as recommending the use of drama as a tool for learning the newly endorsed belief that it is good for us, that it The highlight of the course though is the week-
pioneers, most felt unsupported by current curriculum across the primary curriculum, for example. enables and contributes to learning, needs interrogation long module in February half-term. The thought of
frameworks, some, but by no means all, felt challenged A reading list that was originally relatively sparse and inspired application if it is to become a way of using your holiday to do a bit more work is not very
by senior management teams who could not reconcile is now overflowing with recent research, reports and being and learning in our classrooms. appetising admittedly, but I think everyone I know who
creative classrooms with academic success. publications from Ken Robinson’s The Element, to the Teachers, of course, more than most professions, took the module found it to be a superb experience, well
When the 2009/10 MA group started their first Cultural and Learning Consortium report Get it: The know what it is to be creative: responding to the needs worth the sacrifice.
module last September, the landscape looked a little Power of Cultural Learning. of 30-plus individuals minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour, Working with actors, meeting the behind-the-scenes
each day demands a type of creativity more than equal specialists, and having sessions on movement, music
to that required by any art form. and text was fantastic – even being able to sit in on
Globe CPD
The MA provides a space to examine what we early rehearsals of Romeo and Juliet and watching a real
Globe Education provides training for teachers offering active, practical approaches to
mean by the creative arts, a creative classroom, active live director, directing real live actors (some are even
Shakespeare. To book a place, email teachers@shakespearesglobe.com or contact 020
learning. It gives a framework for teachers to apply famous you know). It is great feeling like a student again,
ideas and develop practice in their classrooms. learning new stuff and being a bit over-awed. It is also
7902 1465 and for more details, visit www.globe-education.org/learning/teacher-training
good and a bit sobering remembering what it is like to be
Michelle van Ebo
on the other side of the desk.
Day courses English teacher taking the MA in Creative
The degree itself is very much about teaching
Re-imagining Shakespeare at Key Stage 3
Arts in the Classroom
English, the whys and the hows, but also about bringing
in other ways of looking. Why do we teach English?
Friday, November 20 (10am-4pm)
THERE ARE lots of good reasons for not doing a Where did it come from? What is the philosophical
Since the removal of SATs, Globe Education has worked closely with the Qualifications Master’s degree: the added workload, the time, the drive behind your own practice? (I didn’t even know I
and Curriculum Development Agency to revise and redesign assessment modules for
stress, the cost, the inconvenience, and the sheer horror had one). And looking to the future.
Shakespeare at key stage 3.
of being where our pupils are all the time – behind with Creativity is big at the moment and what this degree
Using practical approaches to Shakespeare to engage boys
our coursework. offered to me was a way of thinking about my own
Further degrees are of course going to be the practice in the classroom and having the headspace to
Friday, April 23, 2010 (10am-4pm)
academic cache of our profession, an expectation being think about what it means to be creative and how I can
Recent studies have identified boys’ achievement as a cause for concern, particularly in built into and onto the PGCE in order to ratify our develop my own creativity.
English. This day-course explores practical approaches to engage boys of all ages with
professional place in society and, of course, a way of I took time out to think about how I taught and what
words, characters and context.
justifying yourself if you have no other ambitions than the pupils were getting from our lessons and I am in
Training in partnership with exam boards
simply to be a really effective classroom teacher (senior no doubt that it has helped the way I teach in that I am
management, look away). more reflective and in truth plan more carefully than I
Globe Education works with exam boards OCR, AQA and Edexcel to deliver specification-
The political drive to get teachers to do an MA is no had been doing recently.
focused training courses to support the teaching of Shakespeare at secondary level. These reason to do one. But there are good reasons and for me There is also a lot to be said for getting together with
courses run throughout the year. For more information, contact Globe Education.
the good reason was that I fancied having a go. other teachers with a breadth of experience and age. It
But which one? MA, MEd, MA in Education? is easy to forget what great teachers there are out there.
Trainee Teachers
There is a lot out there and universities are all touting Creative, energetic and dynamic, NQTs and salty sea-
for business. dogs all brought together by the draw of The Globe and
Shakespeare in the Contemporary Classroom
If you teach English though, there is nothing like the suddenly your day has re-energised despite year 9 and
Saturday, January 16, 2010 (10am-4pm)
draw of the theatre and Shakespeare to get you going your late homework marking. The essay writing’s not
This conference, In association with the Institute of Education, is designed to stimulate
and if that comes with the combined clout of a leading quite so good, but hey nonny nonny! SecEd
university and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London,
constructive dialogues between teachers, prospective teachers, students, and theatre
well, there is magic in the web of it for sure.
Further information
practitioners. The day includes a keynote speech, practical workshops led by Globe Education
So, I opted for an MA in Creative Arts in the For more on Shakespeare Globe and Globe Education,
practitioners both on and off the Globe stage, and planning workshops led by school students.
Classroom provided by King’s College London. It is a visit www.shakespeares-globe.org/globeeducation
taught MA designed to fit in with a working day with
Postgraduate qualifications
most of the sessions happening in the evenings and
lasting a couple of hours.
Teaching Shakespeare Through Performance The focus of the course is very much practically
Globe Education delivers a distance learning module in partnership with the University of
based in that it helps if you can work the theory into your
Cambridge, which can form a part of an MEd. The module includes two training days at the Globe
teaching as you go. It is designed to be part-time and most
people complete their dissertation in the second year.
and online sessions sharing and exploring Globe Education practice and how it can be applied to
More than half of the course takes place at The
support classroom delivery of the curriculum. Contact Sue Brindley on sb295@cam.ac.uk
Globe Theatre. It is difficult not to eulogise, but despite
Creative Arts in the Classroom the dark nights of autumn, there is something wonderful
As described in the article above, Globe Education provides this two-year, part-time MA
about walking along the South Bank to emerge at The
course in partnership with King’s College, London, which aims to develop teachers’
Globe and if you are lucky have a session on the stage
Libera
itself.
understanding of the creative arts and how they can impact upon students’ learning.
These sessions are unique, as almost every week Pawel
Contact Bethan Marshall on bethan.marshall@kcl.ac.uk
there is an external speaker, often working in the arts,
who comes to share their ideas and experiences. We Photo:
SecEd • September 3 2009 13
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