Poetry Teaching in the Diverse Cultural Contexts of New Zealand and the United Kingdom

• In Event: Roundtable Session 113
  In Roundtable Session: Learning Through Poetry and Aesthetic Based Art and Design

Abstract

This paper presents comparative qualitative research on poetry teaching in secondary schools in diverse New Zealand and United Kingdom contexts. It is driven by a number of key research questions. Namely, to what extent is poetry: prescribed by national curriculum and assessment criteria; flexibly interpreted by examination boards; locally interpreted by an English department or an individual class teacher. It explores how teachers are able to respond to contextual factors and what choices they (and their students) can make about the poems they read, write, listen to and perform. In investigating these factors and contexts, the research aims to inform international debates about poetry pedagogy and poetry's location within curriculum frameworks and diverse cultural contexts.

Author

• Sue Dymoke, University of Leicester