‘A Caesar for our time’: toward empathy and perspective-taking in new teachers’ drama practices in diverse classrooms

ABSTRACT

Within a partnership between a California university and Globe Education (Shakespeare’s Globe, London), this study features early-career teachers working to infuse Shakespeare and drama in diverse K-12 classes. Teachers needed links between a five-day immersive London course and new jobs in diverse California schools. A three-day university Institute a year later provided a structural bridge, featuring unit designs and drama activities for Julius Caesar. Empathy and perspective-taking provided a conceptual/thematic bridge, making text and activities timely for democratic, equitable societies. Adaptive teaching provided a pedagogical bridge, guiding teachers to make partnership practices meaningful. Two first-year teacher cases illustrate challenges and possibilities.

KEYWORDS:

• Drama education
• adaptive teaching
• Shakespeare
• diversity
• teacher learning

Acknowledgements

The research presented in this paper was conducted at the Centre for Shakespeare in Diverse Classrooms (Steven Z. Athanases, Research Director), School of Education, University of California, Davis, in partnership with Globe Education (Patrick Spottiswoode, Director), Shakespeare’s Globe, London. Portions of the research reported in this study were presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Toronto, 2019 and at the Literacy Research Association Meeting, Indian Wells, CA, 2018. The authors acknowledge inputs from collaborators Pauline V. Holmes and Rebecca Rosa of the University of California, Davis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on contributors

Steven Z. Athanases (PhD, Stanford University) is Professor and Dolly and David Fiddyment Chair in Teacher Education, University of California, Davis. His research features diversity and equity in teaching English, with a communications focus. He taught high school and holds degrees in Performance Studies and Language, Literacy, and Culture.

Sergio L. Sanchez (PhD candidate) is Senior Graduate Research Fellow, Centre for Shakespeare in Diverse Classrooms, University of California, Davis. He draws upon teaching experience in Argentina for his research on early-career teacher learning related to drama-based pedagogy and leading class discussions in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms.

ORCID

Steven Z. Athanases http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1839-9000

Sergio L. Sanchez http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3883-5244