As a rule, our English department officially opposes the use of No-Fear Shakespeare, or any other aids that simplify the language in which literature is written. That doesn't mean, of course, that our students honorably and studiously avoid using such aids. But, as an official line, we do not support the use of such crutches, and we certainly don't condone using them in the classroom. No Fear Shakespeare and Book Rags and Grade Saver and all the other aids have no business in the English classroom.
It's not just about the plot and theme, teachers. If that were the case, we would be teaching out of the graphic novel versions of all literature. It's about the language - it's about the text. The goal of education is to expose children to ideas and information they would not otherwise encounter or engage on their own. It's about challenge and struggle. It's not supposed to be easy, though it should certainly be engaging. And, no student I've found actually "enjoys" reading the study guides. They simply do so to find out what they don't understand, so they can pass the quizzes and tests. That is fundamentally the wrong model for the English classroom.
On the other hand, if we are working on the language in class - even if, especially if, we break it down into short passage analysis - students can truly "appreciate" the language. They will laugh and grimace and smile and feel if they learn why they're supposed to be feeling. And, it might mean that a class period covers a single speech or a few lines. And, that's fine. There's no schedule to finish the text - there's only a schedule to understand. Teachers have often underestimated their students ability to access such language and analyze style. However, for our more average level students, such short, focused passage analysis is actually quite accessible precisely because it's concrete and not overwhelming. For example, a single line or two from Julius Caesar can be analyzed for "how language is used to reflect Brutus' troubled mind?" What words reflect confusion or unease. Students can key in on single sentences or words far more easily than entire scenes and acts.
I strongly urge English teachers to avoid these aids - but have the discussion with your classes about why. The teacher is supposed to be the study-guide. We are No Fear Shakespeare, and it is our job to help students access information.
1 comment:
The idea that high school students would be expected to understand the slang of people who lived hundreds of years ago is beyond me. To teach proper story structure your students actually need to under the story you are using to teach it.
Those who oppose no fear Shakespeare shouldn’t be teachers because they obviously do not care about their students and their education. The “Anti-no-fear-shakespeare” crowd are those who value intellectual superiority and antiquated instructional styles over their own students. No, learning isn’t supposed to be easy, and you should expose your students to new ideas and perspectives. But if your idea of a “new perspective” is an old, white, British man you have failed. Learning shouldn’t be easy but it shouldn’t be impossible.
You wouldn’t expect a medical student to pass his classes of all of his textbooks are in a language he doesn’t speak. Shakespearean language is easily misinterpreted by the modern reader, if you want your students to completely misunderstand the text and fail stupendously that’s on you.
Also, what world are you living in were there is “no schedule”. They do have a schedule, there are about a hundred other things students need to learn in a given school year other than Shakespeare, there definitely is a schedule.
Hot take, teachers shouldn’t be making their material as difficult as possible just because it gives them a power trip. I would bet that every student you’ve had have been forced to turn to your dreaded little “aids” in order to understand your class. Whether that be No fear Shakespeare, youtube, or the thousand other sources that were designed to teach students who had unfortunately been put in the classrooms of “teachers” like you. I pity the students that have the misfortune to be in your class.
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