Reflection 2.2 Bloom's Taxonomy / SAMR & High end pedagogy

My mind is racing with ideas of how I could implement the taxonomy, SAMR model and high end pedagogy into my classroom. My teaching areas are Drama and Dance - I want to focus on Drama however because there are so many possibilities!

In drama we have so many different elements:
 - Staging & direction
- Script work
- Intention
- Responding and reacting
- Themes
- Style
- Performance
- Periods/centuries and costumes
I could go on for forever!
 If we look at the activity of 'script analysis' then Bloom's Taxonomy fits perfectly! Using the table found here (table 2) we can apply this to our classroom. I love the idea of high end pedagogy and explicit instruction. My favourite thing about explicit instruction is the setting of a clear goal at the beginning of class. This is something that now, even in my private teaching, I already implement. I find my students work well when a) they have a personal goal but b) when they know my expectations. This means we all know where we are heading during our 60-90minute class.

A good goal for all classes working with scripts (even at a junior level) would be a script analysis to find the main themes of the text. This is an activity that you could demonstrate how 'I do', complete some together with some class discussion 'we do' and then allocate each student a few lines of the script 'you do' to come back together at the end for a justification and discussion. Here students would have to demonstrate knowledge, comprehension and application while working on their own and then demonstrate analysis, synthesis and evaluation when we come back together. Having each student justify why they've chosen a meaning/intention for their section of the script will mean they have to demonstrate their understanding, but also their interpretation which is exciting because there are so many choices! (I should mention that I love drama, because there is no 'right or wrong' with this stuff...if you can justify it and make it relevant then we can use it!)
 

SAMR Model:

Image Source: http://www.schrockguide.net

There is also so many great ways to implement the SAMR model! If I had a perfect classroom, where every student had an iPad their parents had signed talent & media release forms and we had drama bogs set up then we can could have some real fun! Watching the Moodle YouTube video, I was inspired about some ideas for Shakespeare texts! Something that was once so boring for students can now be made fun and interactive! If I had to teach Hamlet to one of my drama classes - I could use the SAMR Model in the following way:

SUBSTITUTION I would have the students access the text electronically through SparkNotes - I would do this for a number of reasons. The text is broken down into Acts and Scenes very easily - making is a great way for them to compartmentalise the text. The other great thing is that a direct translation is provided meaning they can make the comparison between old and new english, but also comprehend the text and the story line! Once they have read the text, there are quizzes available for them to revise what they have just read. This however isn't really providing them with anything that library couldn't - it's just in a digital form.

AUGUMENTATION (offers functional improvement). There is a great company based in NSW that proved awesome Shakespeare resources as well as (if you have a budget) workshop and masterclasses. Alongside that, Bell Shakespeare also provide link for students to 'players' blogs - the people acting our Shakespeare in an education sense, that gives students the opportunity to network with these people. I like the idea of them getting a first hand account from people working with the text! Check out their website! There is lots of great resources, particularly if you are from that region!

MODIFICATION Using the students blogs - once they have read and understood the script and interacted with actors of Shakespeare work, we could begin a script analysis - not however in a standard way! There is a great learning tool (there's a few, but I like this one) that allows students to create a mind-map that they could use to categorise their thoughts on characters/themes/key words etc. They can then embed these mind maps into their blogs and make comment on each others about things they didn't think of or extensions to other students ideas. I would hope that this in conjunction with everything else would help them to comprehend the text! The app I like is www.mindmup.com as it can be done without an account. I created a little mind map as an example to embed below:

REDEFINITION Using everything they have learnt, students could then take the most important scenes and re create them in two groups. Each group would film the other groups scene and then have these uploaded to their blog to be shared with the people they had already connected with. They could then compare their interpretations to others on the web. Students who would like to be a bit more creative, could use the translated text to bring Hamlet into modern times and change their scene completely and perform their interpretation! The possibilities are endless!

Source: Cartoonstock.com

I know I probably got carried away, but I just wanted to show how even I, self confessed technologically challenged, could follow this model to implement and find new ways to keep the classroom engaging. There are so many more, I could go on for forever!

Looking at other students blogs, everyone has such great ideas! This blog is a great way to keep up with what everyone else is doing and use it accordingly if we can!

There are so many ways to use ICT to enhance our pedagogy and work with the curriculum, even to extend it!

I'd love to hear your thoughts?

Ella