Maggie Pitfield – författare

Reading Shakespeare through Drama arises out of case study research which focuses on reading as a socio-cultural practice. Underpinned by theories of reading, learning, drama and play, it is, nevertheless, rooted in the everyday work of secondary English classrooms. Utilising the dialogic ambiguities inherent in Shakespeare's playscripts, this collaborative approach to reading pays particular attention to adolescent readers as meaning-makers and cultural producers. The authors examine different iterations of 'active Shakespeare' pedagogies in the UK, the USA and Australia, drawing a distinction between 'reading through drama' as an approach and the theatre inflected practices promoted by well-known arts-based institutions. Observational and interview data highlight the importance of addressing issues concerning identity and representation that are inevitably raised by the study of canonical literature. Importantly, this Element situates teachers' practice within broader ideological contexts at institutional and national policy level, particularly from the perspective of England's highly regulated system of schooling.

Drama at the Heart of English is unique in its exploration of drama’s potential to revitalise English as a secondary school subject. It focuses specifically on the value and inclusive nature of educational drama practices in the reading of literary, dramatic and multimodal texts in the English classroom.Examples from the authors’ research show English teachers working in the drama-in-English mode with real learners as part of their everyday classroom activity. Challenging current curriculum and assessment constraints, the authors argue that drama-in-English pedagogy re-establishes English as a creative, imaginative and interactive subject. This book:offers a blend of theory and practice to demonstrate the powerful potential of drama-in-Englishproposes that drama is a uniquely sustainable form of learning in English when fully integrated into the daily work of classroom teachershighlights the intrinsic connection that exists between drama and the playful qualities of literary textsanalyses landmark moments and key policy shifts that have shaped the development of the relationship between drama and English over timeThis resource is for all educators interested in and passionate about the field of English and Language Arts. It is a must-read for the international academic community of researchers, practitioners, teacher-educators and teachers of English, as well as student-teachers of English/Media/Drama.

Drama at the Heart of English is unique in its exploration of drama’s potential to revitalise English as a secondary school subject. It focuses specifically on the value and inclusive nature of educational drama practices in the reading of literary, dramatic and multimodal texts in the English classroom.Examples from the authors’ research show English teachers working in the drama-in-English mode with real learners as part of their everyday classroom activity. Challenging current curriculum and assessment constraints, the authors argue that drama-in-English pedagogy re-establishes English as a creative, imaginative and interactive subject. This book:offers a blend of theory and practice to demonstrate the powerful potential of drama-in-Englishproposes that drama is a uniquely sustainable form of learning in English when fully integrated into the daily work of classroom teachershighlights the intrinsic connection that exists between drama and the playful qualities of literary textsanalyses landmark moments and key policy shifts that have shaped the development of the relationship between drama and English over timeThis resource is for all educators interested in and passionate about the field of English and Language Arts. It is a must-read for the international academic community of researchers, practitioners, teacher-educators and teachers of English, as well as student-teachers of English/Media/Drama.

This unique collection promotes and develops 'drama-in-English’, a hybrid pedagogy combining reader response theory with literacy research and educational drama. Drawing on experienced practitioners' classroom insights, the authors show how embedded drama approaches can be used to revitalise the English/Language Arts curriculum and motivate young people to make personal and critical connections with their learning.Readers will find eight reader-friendly accounts exploring how drama-inflected approaches support diverse learners across all aspects of English teaching. Contributors discuss engaging with literary texts through spoken, written and multimodal responses; digital storytelling; embodied approaches to creative and informative writing; developing language competency; and preparation for formal examinations. The research-informed content, rooted in real classroom practice, demonstrates sustainable and fully integrated creative approaches applicable to UK and international contexts.This essential resource benefits all those working in English/Language Arts education: secondary teachers, teacher educators, trainee teachers, and teachers of English as an additional language.