The English Teachers Association of Queensland Inc. (ETAQ)
www.etaq.org.au
ETAQ Saturday Seminar 2, 2016
Script, Stage and Screen in the English Classroom
Saturday 21 May, 2016
The Gap State High School, 1020 Waterworks Rd, The Gap QLD 4061
ETAQ Saturday Seminar 2-2016.
2
The English Teachers Association of Queensland Inc. (ETAQ)
www.etaq.org.au
Context
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players”
As You Like It, by You Know Who
The telling of stories is an oral tradition. Our writing of them came much later; our study of them much later still. Often it is our film and play studies that our students remember and perhaps this is in part because it’s where we afford them the pleasure of being told a story in its purest form. Telling and retelling stories through different mediums - play scripts, performances, films - occupies much of our attention in subject English, but perhaps these units are so central to our work that we examine them less than we should.
Seminar 2 provides the ideal opportunity for us to engage and re- engage with our favourite play, film and multimodal studies.
Keynote Address 1:Atopian Landscapes: Gothic Tropes in Australian Film, Theatre, and Literature
Presenter Jane Sadler
Jane is Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies in the School of Communication and Arts at the University of Queensland, She led a collaborative Australian Research Council research project on landscape and location in Australian narratives (2011–2014) and has co-authored a book on this topic (Imagined Landscapes, 2016), and she is author of Pulling Focus (2008), co-author of Screen Media (2009) and Media and Society (2012), and co-editor of an anthology on adaptation, Pockets of Change (2011). Her research interests span Australian screen landscapes and locations through to phenomenological, philosophical, and neuropsychological understandings of spectatorship.
Abstract
The Gothic has been a pervasive trope in Australian narrative fiction, in part because European settlers found the isolated land alienating and strange, a place of exile. This presentation examines the connection between disturbing aspects of the settler-colonial experience and the perpetuation of the Gothic mode in contemporary Australia. Springing from an interest in experiences of displacement, I investigate how landscape and location are mediated in Australian Gothic narratives from Marcus Clarke’s 1878 novel For the Term of His Natural Life and its many cinematic and theatrical adaptations, through the desert Gothic in Kenneth Cook’s novel Wake in Fright (1961) and Canadian director Ted Kotcheff’s 1971 film of the same title, to contemporary films such as The Daughter (Dir. Simon Stone, 2016). I argue that Australian Gothic texts are defined not only by characteristic settings and themes, but also by the figure of the outsider. Geographer Edward Casey’s concept of atopos, which means “no place,” or “strange,” relates to the sense of estrangement that accompanies the experience of place in Australia’s Gothic landscapes. Accordingly, this examination of the recurring figure of the outsider, immigrant, convict, or traveller investigates how atopia relates to a uniquely Australian sense of place in Gothic narratives. Atopia is powerful in its self-reflexive capacity to foster an appreciation of home. Indeed, concepts such as home, belonging, and emplacement can’t fully be grasped without invoking their opposite—displacement. / Keynote Address 2:
Teaching Contemporary Australian Gothic Drama in the English Classroom
Presenter Linda Hassel
Linda is an acknowledged expert in Australian Gothic drama and is a Lecturer at Griffith University in the Contemporary and Applied Theatre Department. Linda has over 25 years experience as a director, playwright and dramaturge in professional and independent theatre industry contexts. She applies her comprehensive knowledge of playwrighting and performance to her teaching and research disciplines at Griffith University.
Abstract
This presentation focuses on teaching and analysing contemporary Gothic plays in the English classroom. Drawing on my expertise in the field as a playwright, director and academic I will explore unique ways of presenting and analysing the Contemporary Australian Gothic play and form as ‘popular culture’.
The Australian Gothic has emerged as a dominant genre in Australian performance and many leading Australian playwrights are investigating traditional Gothic forms and styles in new and unique ways. This popular emergence can be analysed alongside the rise of national and international popular cultural forms, as the reach of gothic extends into other mediums such as television: The Walking Dead (2010 -) and True Blood (2008-2014) and music such as the death obsessed lyrics of Lana Del Ray’s Ultraviolence (2014), and many recent award winning films such as The Revenant (2016). Australian Gothic drama has an undeniable immediacy that successfully links the dark aesthetic of the gothic with immediate cultural apprehensions. Significant to an analysis and teaching of the form, is the notion that Australian Gothic teases out embedded socio-cultural tensions in atmospheric gothic worlds. In doing so, the plays pose contemporary alternatives to twentieth century texts that have previously defined notions of Australian identity and relationship to place.
Program
Time / Activity
From 8:30 / Registration & tea/coffee
9:00 – 9.55 / Keynote address 1
10:00- 10:35 / Morning tea and networking
10:35- 11:30 / Keynote address 2
11:35-12: 35 / Workshop session
This activity constitutes 3 hours & 5 minutes of Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
ETAQ Saturday Seminar 2-2016.
2
The English Teachers Association of Queensland Inc. (ETAQ)
www.etaq.org.au
Workshop Sessions
Details of the workshops on offer are shown below. Participants will have the opportunity to select one of the following workshops.
Workshop A
“To Emcee or not to Emcee?”- The power of "Why?" and the formulation of The Shakespeare Sessions by The Educator - Charlie Thomson
Abstract
Let’s be honest, most of your students would rather listen to Eminem than study a Shakespearean play. When Shakespeare is mentioned in the classroom, inevitably the question of “Why are we are studying this?” seems to be shouted from the back row (or sometimes even the staff room). This happened to musician and teacher Charlie Thomson over a decade ago and instead of rejecting the inquiry, he encouraged this line of questioning to work with his students to find an answer. He realised the power of asking “Why?” and discovering with the class.
The result of this investigation was the formulation of an interactive workshop and set of resources entitled The Shakespeare Sessions. The idea was to incorporate Charlie’s love of hip-hop music with his appreciation of Shakespeare to highlight the bard’s significance and relevance in contemporary society. In collaboration with his students, Charlie created songs that dealt with such questions as “Should Shakespeare be studied today?”, “Who is to blame for the tragic demise of Romeo and Juliet?” and “Why does Shakespeare incorporate the theme of insanity in so many of his plays?”
This workshop will highlight the value of encouraging students to question the curriculum and inspire other educators to look for creative responses to curious students. Charlie will also present some of the songs from The Shakespeare Sessions, encourage participants to write their own raps and develop their understanding of Shakespeare’s plays, poetic devices and hip-hop music.
A sample of The Shakespeare Sessions can be found at: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xv3r10g6456azml/AADLrHSMgvlZshZUxXJqV-IHa?dl=0
Presenter
Charlie Thomson has spent the past fourteen years teaching at a number of high schools and youth training facilities. He is the founding member of the award-winning group, The Winnie Coopers, who have received high rotation on Triple J, toured Australia extensively and released three albums. Charlie was the Australian representative at the Hip-Hop ThinkTank III (NYU) and was invited to present his workshop, The Shakespeare Sessions, as a part of the conference and The World Shakespeare Congress in Brisbane.
Workshop B
A Crucible for critical thinking – Judith Hefferan
Abstract
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is an exceptional play, experiencing a comeback in Queensland Schools thanks to the QCAA Senior secondary, Year 11 External Assessment Trial. The play is an exquisite allegory of the ‘Witch Trials’ of 1950’s McCarthyism, and, thanks to the hysteria of the media, incredibly germane to our contemporary context. It is also the perfect text to generate discussion amongst our students; discussion that should quite naturally lead to higher order thinking. Our aim, as teachers, should be to use literature in a way that consciously fosters deep conceptual understanding and enables students to demonstrate the higher order thinking categories of ‘transfer’, ‘critical thinking’ and ‘problem solving’. This session will show how The Crucible can be used in conjunction with Hattie’s Explicit Teaching and Bloom’s Taxonomy of Higher Order Thinking.
Presenter
Judith Hefferan is a passionate and experienced English/English Extension teacher at Warwick State High School. She recently completed an Honours Degree in English Literature, graduating with first class honours. Her interests include literary theory, resource innovation, and ‘selling’ Shakespeare and other canonical authors to teenagers. Recent research has included a thesis on the role of the Supernatural in Shakespeare. She is currently in the initial phase of building a ‘resource hub’ with friend and internationally experienced English Language and Literature teacher, Carolyn Newall.
Workshop C
Keep calm and teach a play – Active play analysis in your classroom – Hannah Brown
Abstract
Cate Blanchett once said that “Plays are not literature; they are a living, breathing thing” and for that reason using plays in your English classroom should not only be about analysis, but active engagement with the world of the play. This workshop will focus on strategies to analyse the major themes and ideas, the characters and the dramatic style through active drama activities that allow students to embody their learning. In this session activities for deconstructing both a Realism and Non-Realism play will be explored using Angela Betzien’s Australian Gothic play Children of the Black Skirt (junior/middle years) and The Secret River by Andrew Bovell, adapted from the novel by Kate Grenville (senior years.)
Presenter
Hannah Brown is Head of Drama at Kincoppal Rose Bay, Sydney and was previously the Education Projects Officer at the Sydney Theatre Company and Head of Drama at the Stuartholme School. She is passionate about the use of quality, relevant plays in the classroom and writes education resources for Playlab Press in Brisbane. She is also the Vice President of Drama NSW and is currently completing a Masters in Education Research at Sydney University in the effectiveness of the Elements of Drama in analysing live theatre.
Workshop D
To infinity and beyond: Exploring opportunities for literary literacy with e-literature – Lisbeth Kitson
Abstract
The place of literature is alive and evident in the Australian Curriculum: English (ACARA, 2012). Whilst literature is more often considered those texts that use aesthetic language and have enduring artistic value, literature is becoming increasingly electronic in the twenty-first century. Electronic literature or e-literature, which may include more contemporary popular texts is acknowledged in the curriculum, but what opportunities do they offer for developing outcomes for language and literacy? This workshop presentation explores the opportunities of a series of electronically augmented literary texts, called ‘Infinity Ring’ (Scholastic, 2012). To engage in the narrative students read the book or audio book, explore supplementary multimodal material and then play a computer game. The affordances and constraints of the book, audio book, supplementary material and game are examined for their opportunities for developing the literary literacy of students in the junior secondary, in particular those who struggle with reading and writing.
Presenters
Lisbeth Kitson is a lecturer at Griffith University at the Gold Coast, Queensland. She teaches in both undergraduate and postgraduate primary courses in Literacy and English Education, multiliteracies and middle years English Curriculum. Her areas of research interest are related to literacy, curriculum literacies, and multiliteracies, with a particular focus on the integration of Information and Communication technologies and multimodal texts, including e-literature, into teaching practices.
Workshop E
Shake and Stir Shakespeare - shake and stir theatre company
Abstract
Come and play with the shake & stir team, exploring new ways to use drama when teaching Shakespeare. We’ll delve into some (very) familiar texts, showing you key ways to incorporate drama into the English classroom, unpacking simple drama techniques which can be utilised to help deepen a student’s understanding of a text. You’ll leave with a suite of practical and analytical activities that can be adapted for different age groups, texts and ability levels.
Presenters
Established in 2006, shake & stir is one of Australia’s leading contemporary theatre companies specialising in the creation of new work. shake & stir produces an annual season of in-school and mainstage productions and a suite of in-school master-classes and in-residencies for primary and secondary students.
Naomi Russell is the full time Education Manager at shake & stir theatre co. She is passionate about creating engaging arts experiences for students of all ages. Her work with shake & stir has included managing their thriving after-school primary drama program, developing and facilitating workshops for delivery in schools, creating extensive teacher resource kits for in-school and mainstage productions and coordinating the annual QLD Youth Shakespeare Festival. Prior to working with shake & stir, Naomi was a full-time English and Drama teacher with experience teaching in both QLD and UK schools. www.shakeandstir.com.au
Workshop F
Serious Play project: Digital games, Learning and Literacy- Sarah Prestridge
Abstract
This presentation draws upon data from the project Serious Play: Digital Games, Learning and Literacy for twenty first century schooling, funded by the Australian Research Council, over a two-year period. The project investigates what happens to literacy and learning, curriculum, pedagogy and assessment when digital games are introduced into schools. It explores ways in which young people’s out of school experience of games and games-based learning can be used to support literacy, creativity and disciplinary learning through the use of both commercial and ‘educational’ (serious) digital games; and how this learning is best assessed. The study involves partners across two Australian states—Queensland and Victoria—and brings together a large research team with teachers in five primary schools and five secondary schools. In this session, drawing specifically on in-depth, two-year case study methodology, the results of three teachers’ journey to use game-based technologies in their classrooms will be examined. The results provide insights into the relationship between teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and practices about the use of technologies for literacy outcomes; trigger points in teachers’ journeys that influence change in their pedagogical orientation for the use of technology; and rich stories of innovation in literacy teaching and learning.