January 26, 2015 - Slam Poetry

The chapter ‘Slammin’ School’ by Bronwen Low explains the experience of developing a Spoken Word Poetry class at an American high school.  I was struck by the positive reactions of students to this class and content.  The interest and engagement shown by students who participated was really moving and impressive, almost idyllic.  I tried to picture some kind of similar program at the high school I attended but for some reason couldn’t.  Perhaps because the students in Low’s chapter were mostly marginalized, minority kids who felt extreme frustration with the school system and society, and my school was rural and predominantly middle class Caucasian students.  The issues facing students at my school were quite different than those in Low’s study.  These frustrations seemed to be fuel for creativity, motivation for expression and conveyance of deeper meaning and intense feeling.  They were inspired by hip hop artists and other slam poets, and I wonder what might be brought in for inspiration in a school with a different demographic make-up?

Bringing spoken word and slam poetry into the classroom is a unique way to engage some students.  There is something about the genre that is provocative enough to entice adolescents as it allows them to deal with taboo subjects, to express themselves in their own vernacular, and to really explore topics that genuinely interest them.  The question is, how do you assess Spoken Word and slam poetry?  And how would it be integrated into different content areas?  It works in Low’s example as a stand-alone course in which students know that they will be writing poetry and performing it.  However, is it applicable in a science class?  Or even in history or the social sciences?  I think it might be an interesting challenge.  I would consider it as an option on an assignment, as in ‘Choose one of the following’, so that students might have the option to express themselves in this way focusing on the subject content.  It is a wonderful way to evoke feeling and meaning in students and to translate that passion into their writing as an outlet for their ideas.  I am not sure if I would approach this subject in the classroom, or if I would make it part of my curriculum. I know that I certainly wouldn’t dissuade a student from using the genre as a way to express themselves or to explore a topic that truly interests them. It is something I will consider more as I develop as a teacher.