Poetry is a wonderful tool to share in classrooms and learning settings with learners with a range of diverse needs and experiences. In a fast-paced world, it is easy to forget the simple pleasures that come from sharing a poem aloud. Poetry, in all its forms, provides a way of expressing and tapping into the emotions, thoughts and ideas of the writer and reader. It can be a wonderful way of giving voice to the things we hold deeply within us, and for exploring and sharing what we value.
The world of poetry is as varied as the world it seeks to reflect. There are bush poems, abstract poems, sonnets, limericks, tanka, haiku, rhyming couplets, acrostic poems - the list is almost endless!
Many people love to share poems aloud, reading in small groups or to an audience. This is a way of giving poetry a voice and letting the writer share the sounds, rhythms and patterns of their poem with the audience. Sometimes the approach to reading a poem aloud needs to be modified to suit the particular needs of an audience, with timing, seating, physical environment and pacing of the activity considered to get the most out of the experience.
Let's take a look at how to make poetry work well for particular audiences:
Young people with additional learning needs
Young people can experience a whole range of situations which affect their ability to learn. Some of these are related to health or disability, whilst others relate to mental health and wellbeing, trauma or acquired conditions. Whereas once we used to look carefully at the expectations we had as teachers based on disability and health, now we talk more about what we observe and hope for in terms of functional skills and capacity.
Allow and encourage experimentation
Why poetry can help
Poetry is often the forgotten poor cousin which sits far behind functional daily literacy and numeracy and community skills for many of our young people with additional learning needs. It is put to one side as a 'nice to have' that can be easily passed over in much the same way that second language learning often is for students who need extra assistance. But to do this neglects the reason that poets write poetry; it gives voice to the ideas and expressions that sustain and nurture us. Leaving poetry off the program for young people with additional learning needs is selling them short. It denies them the right to experience language in ways which are fun and interesting and exciting and reflective and nurturing.
What to do
Test out poetry written without the need for rhyme or specific syllable counts. See what happens if you make an acrostic poem using the letters of a young person's name and help them make a phrase that is unique to them and their experiences. Discover what poetry comes from their homeland or that which was told in previous generations of their family. Show them beat poetry and rap and poetry slams and poems on graffiti walls and buildings. Teach them to write a poem using symbol communication or signing rather than written or spoken language. Allow and encourage experimentation then celebrate what is created in a positive, accepting atmosphere.
Adults with dementia
Dementia is an umbrella term for a group of conditions which more commonly affect older people. People who have dementia tend to have difficulties with short term memory, although their longer term memory for past events can still be strong. They may have trouble with word finding and the organisation of words to express what they think, feel and need. They may experience changes to mood and emotion, and may have difficulty expressing their own needs verbally. Some people who have dementia may become distressed, disagreeable or frustrated, and may find it hard to explain why. Dementia conditions are progressive in nature and can be challenging and distressing for carers and family members who provide support and care.
Why poetry can help
Poetry and mood are closely related, so a carefully selected poem can work wonders to boost a mood, reflect a moment in time or help someone express an emotion that is impotant to them. Test out a humorous, reflective, abstract or fast-paced poem and see the effect it has upon the mood of the audience, and on the reader themselves.
Poetry can be useful for those challenging times of day, such as late afternoon and early evening, when settings are often busy with lots of rushing around to get meal services done, medication organised, shift handovers completed and night routines established. This is also the time when households are traditionally at their busiest, so adults who have dementia would often have been working hard to manage after school routines, dinnertime, homework, chores and kitchen clean ups after work.
What to do
Try timing your poetry reading for this late afternoon time, so you can use poems as a way of promoting relaxation, giving a focal point and resetting the mood. Go for poems which have a rhythm to them, such as the bush poetry of Henry Lawson or Banjo Patterson, full of iambic pentameter and that subtle, rolling motion that so perfectly reflects horse riding and walking and lilting through the trees and bush landscapes.
Plan poems that are of short to medium duration (up to about ten minutes), with a small number of characters or place names.
Look for poems which create a particular mood rather than require recall of sequence and details. Avoid poems which are overly complex, lengthy or have multiple characters or voices. Don't be afraid to share poems which are raw and emotional or sad and melancholy - there is a place for all the emotions within poetry, not just the ones which make us happy. Find out what poems your group used to read aloud when they were children, as many of the older generation had to memorise poems off by heart at school. Reading the first few lines of a traditional 'off by heart' poem such as 'There are fairies at the bottom of my garden' or 'I shot an arrow into the air' or 'I wandered lonely as a cloud' can sometimes elicit recall of the rest of the stanza or even the whole poem for people who may have thought they can't remember very much at all.
Look for poems which create a particular mood
Multi-cultural communities
There are few places in the world as diverse in cultural terms as Australia. With nearly 30% of the people who call Australia home being born overseas, it is fair to say we have access to an incredibly rich and diverse range of language and literature experiences. This allows us as teachers, writers and readers of poetry to bring together the poems of almost every country and culture on the planet.
Poems reflect beautifully the time,
place and experience of a person
How poetry can help
Poems reflect beautifully the time, place and experience of a person. They can encapsulate their ancestry or express their hopes and dreams for the future. They can speak of where they have been, who has gone before and where they are going now. They can provide a tool for showing far away places, or for sharing the sounds, sights and smells which trigger a memory so powerful it can be overwhelming.
What to do
Try using poetry without the limits of language rules, so you can more effectively reach students who are more fluent in another language than they are in English. Find and explore the work of poets from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds and seek out the reading of these poems in a voice which is authentic and real for the culture in which it sits. Discover the beauty and power of indigenous poetry which is relevant to your own setting and location. Invite speakers and poets who speak languages other than English to visit and share their own poems with your students. Pair poetry with illustration and artwork to create multi-media showcases for expression. See what happens when you deliberately pair students from different cultural backgrounds together so they can brainstorm and share their ideas, or blend their creative energies together to write a shared poem. Avoid stereotypes and pre-conceived notions of culture and literature, and bring yourself instead as a learner and listener to a class where you can share the experience of poetry together.
Plan to include poetry
Poetry is a wonderful tool to explore in many different classrooms and settings. It can be discovered, encouraged and shared with people from diverse groups for a wide range of purposes. When you are planning your program for your next teaching period, why not spend a little more time and energy on really making your poetry sessions hold true meaning and impact for the diverse range of people within your group? Recast yourself in the role of facilitator and guide and allow yourself to rediscover the lost art of reading and sharing poetry together.
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