"Active Methods of teaching Shakespeare are particularly powerful in aiding student development because they accord a greater degree of responsibility to students rather than traditional ways of teaching." (1998, P.4) 'Active Methods' allow the play to be real in the classroom and from simple alterations where photocopies of the book become scripts, for instance, can remove the overwhelming feeling that a large amount of text needs to be studied. Students can make their own annotations on the script, which extend the sense of ownership and help engage students. .
The plays that are used for Key Stage 3 and 4 have a wealth of adaptations that can be found on YouTube. Video is something that can be and should be utilised to offer inspiration for students when focussing on key scenes and it also appeals to the visual learners in the class. Even if pupils use the same setting and style that Luhrmann uses for his 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet, when it comes to pupils considering their own adaptation they must be guided to justify their own decisions. The justification process shows pupils' understanding of the play and by applying a level of consideration of how the play should be set, what emotions the characters are feeling displaying keeps them related to the play and once again they have a sense of ownership and are engaged.
It seems that it is not only students that benefit from using 'Active Methods' for teaching and learning; experienced members of staff can become invigorated by such methods and take them further into the Curriculum beyond Shakespeare. From the Centre for Education Development Appraisal and Research (CEDAR) report based on the evaluation of the RSC's Learning Performance Network (LPN) (2007-2009), a Head of English who professed to have been "thirty odd years teaching behind a desk" benefitted hugely from the exposure of having a drama influence on the texts and stated: "I've learned how to make people think about language/consider meaning; how to make language interesting.
