Poetry  

Ofsted report on poetry teaching

The Guardian covered a report by Ofsted which says that children in England study too many lightweight poems in primary school, and receive dull and repetitive teaching at GCSE which harms pupils’ enjoyment of poetry. It goes on to say that many teachers don’t know enough about poetry, meaning that pupils get a very limited range of poets work. The report says that the teaching of classics, as well as poetry from other cultures and traditions falls short, and is in breach of national curriculum requirements. The inspectorate based their report on findings from 86 schools, despite finding that poetry teaching was at least satisfactory in all, and good or very good in two-thirds.

For more information on Ofsted’s report visit www.ofsted.gov.uk

(December 2007)

Hart takes her Poetry Hour to the classroom

The Independent has reported that the author Josephine Hart is taking her passion for poetry nationwide with a book and accompanying CD of readings by her Poetry Hour regulars. She has selected eight poets: TS Eliot, WH Auden, Emily Dickinson, Philip Larkin, Marianne Moore, W B Yeats, Sylvia Plath and Rudyard Kipling.

Thanks to support from publishers Virago, the British Library and Hart herself, the £15 book will be sent free to every secondary school in the country. She said the CD was fundamental because poetry must be heard and not just read. She said she was saddened that the tradition of poetry recital was being lost. The lack of poetry reading in schools meant that generations were being deprived of "the gift of language. If it continues there will be no poetry in schools and that would be catastrophic for literature, period, because the beauty of language will be lost."

(Independent, 3 November 2006)

The Times has covered a story on Japan's Ms Kato - the vanguard of what have become known as keitai tanka - 'mobile phone poems' - which are written and distributed on mobiles. There is now a weekly keitai tanka programme on Japanese national radio broadcaster NHK, a keitai tanka magazine edited by Ms Kato, and numerous websites.

To its supporters, keitai tanka is a 21st-century literary movement, the reinvention through high technology of an ancient but moribund literary form. The rules governing tanka are that each must contain five lines consisting of 31 syllables in the pattern 5-7-5-7-7. Traditional tanka, dating from the 7th century, are governed by strict conventions on vocabulary and subject matter.

Between 2002 and 2005 NHK received 24,000 poems - mostly from young people. "One of the things mobile phones have done is to foster the ability among young people to communicate with one another in very few words. That is exactly the skill that you need to write tanka," says Naoki Inose, an NHK producer.

(The Times, 5 May 2005)

Rap course inspires disaffected English students in Sheffield

Tutors at Sheffield College were inspired to set up a rap and poetry course after the poet Seamus Heaney lauded the lyrical power of Eminem. The Schools/College Literacy partnership project wished to pilot a blended literacy/English curriculum called 'Young People Speak Out' developed by the Sheffield College in six Sheffield schools and units between February and July 2005 with a view to establishing close literacy links between the LEA and the college and to explore the potential for further future collaborative possibilities.

This evaluation was carried out by independent evaluators from The University of Sheffield. This final evaluation report contains data arising from interviews with pupils, schoolteachers and Sheffield College staff involved in the project, in addition to classroom observations undertaken by the evaluation team.

To read the final report visit http://my.sheffcol.ac.uk/index.cfm?ParentID=148CD68A-F1BB-4B99-A7EF-3BBDE330942E

(Literacy Research Centre, University of Sheffield, September 2005)

More doctors prescribe poetry in the waiting room

Patients in participating surgeries can pick up copies of poetry leaflets, with half a dozen or more poems, to read while they wait and to take home with them. From tiny beginnings in a handful of GP surgeries around Richmond, Surrey, the project now reaches more than 3,000 waiting rooms with requests for favourite poets piling in. It is supported by the Poetry Society and the Arts Council.

Michael Lee, a poetry enthusiast and former consultant economist who founded the charity Poems in the Waiting Room, said, "We are getting marvellous feedback from patients." He said patients' and doctors' requests were wide-ranging and showed a hidden interest in poetry. Requests for poets include Spike Milligan, Dylan Thomas, WB Yeats, Wordsworth, Sir John Betjeman, Ted Hughes and Roger McGough, who were all asked for more than once.

(Telegraph, 30 March 2005)

Reaching out with poetry

A Worcestershire DCMS/Wolfson funded project aimed to create a fresh approach to the enjoyment and understanding of poetry by developing a wide audience. The central feature was a specially devised performance that dramatised poetry to create a story. The theatrical nature of the work made poetry accessible to a wide audience including schools, youth groups, families and groups with special needs. 

The themes that arose from the performance were explored through a series of performing and writing workshops led by the performer and several poets. To complement this, the poets gave readings of their own work. The activities took place in public libraries in different areas of Worcestershire over a period of six months. In support, the Libraries and Information Service set up a website, mounted exhibitions and provided books, magazines and other resources to encourage participation and reading.

Belfast Lough Environmental Arts project

Nine primary schools participated in a cross-community arts project based on the Belfast Lough. The children created poetry, art and drama for a high-quality publication: Lough Views: A Children's Anthology of Poetry, Art and Drama, edited by poet Adrian Rice.

The project has produced other titles such as Exploring the Lough: Creative Activities for the Primary Classroom. For more information visit http://hometown.aol.co.uk/molly71freeman/aroundthelough.html

(September 2003)