TOO MUCH STRICTLY?

After the razzle dazzle of PETAZEL, putting us through our analytical paces, time to breathe a little and reflect... Dress it up how you will, formula is dry formula and any amount of drilling for the most part, may enable pupils to remember the steps, but does not guarantee the ability to interpret the dance. How many sweaty, torturous hours do we see the contestants on ‘Strictly’ rehearsing their rumbas, waltzes and paso dobles, producing a range of performances from stompy to sophisticated?  Granted, effort, practice and an understanding of the question criteria ensure the fundamentals are in place, and as teachers this is our responsibility; but when it comes to performance on the day, interpreting the text with accuracy, sensitivity and mastery of timing... Is there a formula for that?  And should we expect one? 

Personally, I’ve inclined towards a mixture of formula and organic cultivation of pupils’ ideas and responses to being immersed in a learning environment rich in literary or cultural stimuli; the social, historical and literary context of literature is an obvious means to imbue their understanding of the words, plot and techniques with the impact they may have had at the time and the significance they also have today - some ‘cultural capital’ as AQA might say. Thus, when Romeo rails, ‘Then I defy you stars!’, we note the irony that he is, in fact, playing into the hands of fate, referencing the Elizabethan belief in astrology and the Wheel of Fortune. Feeling brave, we might even mention the Calvinistic ideas of predestination percolating through the then Protestant England, as whatever the lovers try, all roads seem to lead to death.  Thus, the philosophical questions of free will and self-determination arise and we are beginning to lift our analysis into the realms of ‘convincing and conceptualised’! 

Now any ‘Strictly’ fan also knows the importance of holding your frame in ballroom. And a writing framework has its place, but it also needs to be kept in its place. As an AQA examiner for Language the past few years, I too despair at the all too frequent descriptions of what can be seen, heard, smelt and felt when looking up, down, in and out - and before you know it, we’re doing the hokey cokey rather than a foxtrot.  Like all good things, formula and frameworks are useful in moderation and whilst learning the ropes.  The danger lies in overuse and over reliance when they can actually stunt creativity.  A recent poetry competition offered a step by step lesson plan and poem planning framework.  The whole premise of planning a poem seems wrong footed. In the words of Robert Frost, ‘I never started a poem whose end I knew. Writing a poem is discovering.’ What we discover may vary. Hopefully, our pupils will discover the objective of our lesson, but equally, they, and we, may uncover unexpected thoughts and ways in which to express them. Some will be fresh and insightful, others more tangential, yet all part of the exciting process of discovery.

So, in teaching the steps to the mark scheme’s tune, let’s not forget to enjoy the music and allow for some improvisation.  Keep reading and writing!