"My Favorite 45 Minutes of My Teaching Career": Spoken Word Poetry in the Classroom

• In Event: 54.081 - Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: 54.081-4 - Teachers and Teaching: Understanding the Social and Cultural Context

Abstract

Spoken word poetry (SWP) has long been a part of marginalized communities, primarily occurring outside the classroom at open mics and slams. As its popularity has grown, teachers have begun to incorporate SWP into their curricula; unfortunately, though, there is limited research exploring the benefits such work may offer students, teachers, and schools. Drawing on Bloom’s (1956) taxonomy, Dewey’s (1933) student-centered learning, and Freire’s (1970) critical consciousness, we evaluated an SWP program that conducts three-day high school residencies. We analyzed quantitative measures of poetry knowledge, social-emotional competence, narrative creation, and school belonging. Further, we analyzed teacher interview and student focus group data to explore their perceptions of the SWP program.

Authors

• Robert Marx, Vanderbilt Peabody College

• Carol Nixon, Vanderbilt University - Peabody College