new cpd courses for teachers

Education tickEt

HotlinE

Professional Development

courses fortEacHErs–––––––2011/2012 –––––––

www.rsc.org.uk0844 800 1113

wElcomEtEacHing tHE toolkit

These are the calls to action in our Stand up for Shakespeare manifesto and they sum up what is at the heart of the best teaching and learning of Shakespeare. The courses we run and the strategies outlined in The RSC Shakespeare Toolkit for Teachers, offer tried and trusted ways to do this. We aim to support teachers to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to get pupils on their feet, working together through active approaches to connect with Shakespeare.

Each course in this brochure will:

• Offer you active teaching strategies inspired by the RSC rehearsal room and drama practice to use in the classroom with pupils

• Deepen your knowledge of and confidence with Shakespeare’s language

• Engage you in pedagogical discussion and reflection with expert practitioners and colleagues from other schools

• Provide detailed supporting materials

Young people tell us that when they work in this way they develop personal connections and insights into the text and character. This is supported by the findings from our research with the University of Warwick* that suggests that learning through active approaches promotes young people’s enjoyment of Shakespeare, builds positive relationships amongst the class and improves their achievement and attainment.

We believe all children have an entitlement to Shakespeare and we aim to support excellent teaching of his work from the early years and in special and mainstream schools. So if you are taking your first steps in teaching Shakespeare or looking to extend your specialist practice, we hope you will find something here to interest and excite you. We look forward to welcoming you to Stratford-upon-Avon.

* See www.rsc.org.uk/education for further details

tHE rsc sHakEspEarE toolkit for tEacHErs

This unique resource for Primary and Secondary English and Drama teachers offers practical classroom activities for KS2 and KS3 pupils.

With in-depth lesson plans on three of Shakespeare’s most accessible plays for children and young people:

• macbEtH• romEo and JuliEt• a midsummEr nigHt’s drEam

Please visit www.rsc.org.uk/shop to order your copy or visit our theatre shop in Stratford-upon-Avon. £38.50 (RRP £50)

tEacHing tHE toolkit insEt Date: Wednesday 28 September

Texts: �Macbeth,�A�Midsummer�Night’s�Dream,�Romeo�and�Juliet

Ideal for: KS2/KS3 teachers

Where: The Clore Learning Centre, Waterside, Stratford-upon-Avon

Cost: £115 for RSC Education Members (£130 for non-Members) or £140 including a copy of The Toolkit for RSC Education Members (£160 for non-Members)

This course will support your teaching of Shakespeare by focussing on selected material from each of the three plays featured in The RSC Shakespeare Toolkit for Teachers. The day aims to give you the confidence to use the strategies and teach the extended sequences in the book in your class the next day. This course will include:

• modelling of the lessons (with you as an active participant to experience the material before you teach it)

• discussion on how to use The Toolkit and establish the correct classroom environment for active approaches

If you book this INSET on an Outreach basis, you will receive one free copy of The Toolkit.

For full booking details see page 11

’ Clear, insightful and rooted in effective practice, this toolkit deserves a place in every school and department that is committed to the effective teaching of Shakespeare.’

(Mick Connell, School Improvement Advisor, English and the Arts, Rotherham)

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RSC workshops, conferences and professional development courses forstudents and teachers are generously supported by Clore Duffield Foundation

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dEvEloping young cHildrEn’s languagE tHrougH sHakEspEarE Date: Friday 27 January 2012

Texts: The�Tempest

Ideal for: Early Years practitioners and KS1 teachers


This day is inspired by an RSC residency at Dashwood Nursery in Banbury, Oxfordshire which explored the potential for active approaches and Shakespeare’s language to develop young children’s language and non-cognitive skills. Working with researchers from the University of Warwick’s Institute of Education in this multi-ethnic, multi-lingual school, the project produced some remarkable outcomes. Led by the project team and staff from Dashwood, this course will focus on teaching you practical strategies for exploring The Tempest, introduce findings from the research and the possibilities for young children of starting Shakespeare early.

tEacHEr’s commEnt

‘I learnt how much fun it is to work this way, and loved the many skills that the children would use in deciding why a certain item would be impovrtant, where it should be placed, literacy skills, speaking and listening. Lots of ideas to take back and run with almost straight away.’

mytHs and lEgEnds: The hearT of robin hood Date: Friday 3 February 2012

Text: The�Heart�of�Robin�Hood

Ideal for: Primary teachers wanting to extend their teaching strategies

Venue: The Clore Learning Centre, Waterside, Stratford-upon-Avon

Inspired by the RSC’s new family show, The Heart of Robin Hood, this course will teach you drama strategies, ideas and starting points for exploring the story, characters and human issues at the heart of this enduring myth. Specific links will be made to the curriculum and the potential for the active approaches to inspire a range of writing outcomes, as well as developing speaking and listening skills.

introducing sHakEspEarE at ks2Date: Friday 17 June 2011

Texts: The�Tempest�and Romeo�and�Juliet

Ideal for: Primary Teachers new to or building their confidence in active approaches


This day offers you starting points for teaching Shakespeare and will encourage you to get your class on their feet speaking the language of the plays with confidence, while developing skills in working together. Through a focus on key moments and characters from The Tempest and Romeo and Juliet the course will explore how your teaching can develop children’s ability to empathise, see different points of view and connect it to their own lives.

tEacHEr’s commEnt

‘I learnt not to be afraid, but confident in bringing Shakespeare alive; how easy it was to have everyone participating, how to access individual talent and at the same time collaborate.’

inspiring wondEr in tHE Early yEars: The Magician’s daughTerDate: Tuesday 13 September 2011

Texts: The�Tempest

Ideal for: Early Years practitioners and Foundation Stage teachers


Inspired by Little Angel Theatre’s presentation of The Magician’s Daughter, a specially created version of The Tempest for 3-5 year olds, this course will immerse you in the artist’s world of story-telling and puppetry. Throughout the day�you will be involved in making table-top, glove and shadow puppets; visual storytelling; creating environments and characters inspired by Shakespeare’s language and the story of the play.

The day will be led by artists from Little Angel Theatre and RSC Education Practitioners.

Early yEars – ks2 coursEs

Education Ticket Hotline 0844 800 11138.30am-5pm, Monday-Friday during term time


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‘ I learnt how much fun it is to work this way, and loved the many skills that the children would use in deciding why a certain item would be important, where it should be placed, literacy skills, speaking and listening. Lots of ideas to take back and run with almost straight away.’

‘ I learnt not to be afraid, but confident in bringing Shakespeare alive; how easy it was to have everyone participating, how to access individual talent and at the same time collaborate.’

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This can work out as little as £35 per participant and will impact directly on the quality of teaching and learning. We can bring any of the following courses to you:

• Introducing Shakespeare in the Early Years and KS1

• Introducing Shakespeare at KS2

• Inspiring Writing through Shakespeare at KS2

• Teaching The�RSC�Shakespeare�Toolkit�for�Teachers (for KS2/KS3)

• Active teaching of Shakespeare at KS3

• Active teaching of Shakespeare at KS4/5

Outreach courses feature popular texts such as Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Othello, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice and The Tempest. We can also include other Shakespeare texts that support your particular needs and interests.

If you would like to know more about how we might work with you or want to make a booking please contact us via email [email protected]

You can choose from a wide range of courses to suit your particular needs. These range from early years to A Level and are carefully pitched to challenge teachers with different levels of experience and confidence in teaching Shakespeare, even those with none. Each participant will also receive a set of resources featuring the strategies and texts used during the day to support their teaching.

An outreach day offers an ideal way to build the skills of a whole staff team or can be a powerful focus for bringing specialist teachers together across a local area. The cost for a full day which typically runs from 9.30am-3.30pm is £875 (£850 for RSC Education members) which includes all our expenses and resources.

If you are interested in Twilight Sessions around The RSC Shakespeare Toolkit for Teachers please contact us via email [email protected]

If you can’t get to Stratford-upon-Avon, we can bring our work to you. We can run an INSET course at a venue of your choice, anywhere in the country for up to 25 staff. You may prefer to bring a group to us where we will be happy to provide a venue and arrange the day for you.

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Courses stamped with this symbol in this brochure are available as an outreach.

bringing our work to you

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activE tEacHing of sHakEspEarE at ks3Date: Friday 10 June 2011

Texts: Macbeth and The�Tempest

Ideal for: English, Drama and Humanities teachers interested in developing skills in active approaches


This course will engage you in active approaches to teaching Shakespeare and so develop your confidence and skills to use them in the classroom. It will focus on strategies and lesson sequences that will encourage students to make interpretive choices by seeing a play from different characters’ points of view and exploring the meaning of the language. The day will include reflection on using these approaches to capture evidence of learning which can be integrated into the ongoing assessment of pupils’ reading at KS3.

tEacHEr’s commEnt

“I learned how to focus on character motivation, to find relevance for students in today’s society/ Focus on language was informative for potential written outcomes. Fun, practical and inclusive”

activE tEacHing of sHakEspEarE at ks4 and ks5 Date: Friday 11 November 2011

Texts: Hamlet and Othello

Ideal for: GCSE and A Level English teachers


This course will offer you active approaches to teaching Shakespeare that will challenge and support students to improve their attainment and achievement. The focus of the work will be on exploring strategies that enable students to make personal, interpretive choices through a deep engagement with Shakespeare’s language and skills in textual analysis. While all strategies are transferable to other texts the focus will be on Hamlet and Othello and the day will provide time for reflection and discussion on using these approaches to meet the requirements of different exam boards.

tEacHing artaud: The TheaTre of cruelTy Date: Friday 4 November 2011

Ideal for: A Level Drama or Performing Arts teachers


As part of the RSC’s 50th Birthday celebrations and inspired by Peter Brook’s The Theatre of Cruelty season, this day explores the practice of Antonin Artaud. Teaching Artaud can be challenging because the link between his theory and practice is vague and often contradictory. Unlike other influential practitioners of the 20th Century, Artaud never fully achieved his vision and left behind more questions than answers. This practical exploration of Artaud’s theatre practice will provide teachers with a consistent approach to introducing his work to students and enabling them to make meaning of it for themselves.

The course will be led by Lee Jamieson, author of ‘Antonin Artaud: From Theory to Practice’ who has been leading Artaud workshops in schools and colleges since 2007.

Engaging young pEoplE witH autism in sHakEspEarEDate : Tuesday 27 September 2011

Texts: A�Midsummer�Night’s�Dream and The�Tempest

Ideal for: Any teacher or teaching assistant working with autistic children

Where: Welcombe Hills Special School, Stratford-upon-Avon

This unique course is an introduction to a distinctive theatre and drama game approach to engaging children with autism in Shakespeare. It will offer you a repertoire of games which are all rooted in Shakespeare’s language and show you how to scaffold children’s development, starting with a simple rhythmic ‘heart-beat hello’. The core of this work is on carefully and patiently breaking down the barriers to children’s communication.

The course will be held at Welcombe Hills Special School which will enable you to see the work in action by participating in a session with children at the school.

Kelly Hunter who is leading the day was a member of the recent RSC Ensemble playing Goneril in King Lear and Hermione in The Winter’s Tale. She is the co-founder of Touchstone, a theatre company which specialises in working with young people with autism.

tEacHEr’s commEnt

“I think this is the best training day I have ever been on. It has completely changed my views on what I can expect from autistic children’s enjoyment and connection to Shakespeare”

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ks3 – ks5 coursEs sEn

‘ I learned how to focus on character motivation, to find relevance for students in today’s society. The focus on language was great for potential written outcomes. Fun, practical and inclusive’

‘ I think this is the best training day I have ever been on. It has completely changed my views on what I can expect from autistic children’s enjoyment and connection to Shakespeare’


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ExtEndEd cpd coursEs How to bookdirEcting sHakEspEarE witH young pEoplE: building an EnsEmblEDate: Friday 25 and

Saturday 26 November 2011

Texts: Hamlet�

Ideal for: All teachers seeking to develop their directing skills


Cost: £275 (£250 RSC Education Members) including a ticket to see Measure for Measure in the Swan Theatre. This course is restricted to a maximum of 10 participants.

This course will offer you a range of strategies and ideas to direct young people to confidently perform Shakespeare. The focus will be on directing approaches that encourage interpretive choices about character and motivation through a connection to Shakespeare’s language. You will work with directors who are at the heart of the RSC’s work to consider the role of the director, ensemble approaches to theatre-making and how the company explores text in the rehearsal room. During the second day you will have a chance to review the production of Measure for Measure and practise your directing skills.

tEacHEr’s commEnt

“It reminded me of the importance of allowing students to make their own decisions about character which might be other than the expected view.”“Stimulating and with excellent amount of practical and reflective opportunities… Fantastic for drama teachers – but also inspiring for teaching Shakespeare to GCSE and A Level English.”

sHakEspEarE mastErclass in drama and tHEatrE pEdagogyAn issue-based approach to Othello and Measure for Measure

Date: Friday 24 and Saturday 25 February 2012

Texts: Othello and Measure�for�Measure

Ideal for: Teachers seeking to advance their teaching and dramatic explorations of Shakespeare


Cost: £275 (£250 RSC Education Members) including a ticket to see Measure for Measure.

Over the two days we will explore the question: how can we speak feelingly about the deep and unsettling issues at the heart of these complex texts and make them accessible in the English and Drama classroom? The Masterclass will offer a rich and varied practical exploration of the core question with internationally respected practitioners and academics. It is designed to challenge and refresh your practice, and give you resources and active teaching strategies to use with students.

It will be led by RSC Education Practitioners, Jonothan Neelands, Professor of Drama and Theatre and Paul Prescott, Associate Professor in English who both teach at The University of Warwick. We will also be joined by members from the RSC Ensemble and Cicely Berry, RSC Director of Voice who will offer an artist’s insight to the texts. was a creative laboratory. It is amazing to work with other teachers sharing ideas, experiencing approaches. Impossible to put a value on.”

‘ It reminded me of the importance of allowing students to make their own decisions about character which might be other than the expected view.’

’ Stimulating and with excellent amount of practical and reflective opportunities… Fantastic for drama teachers – but also inspiring for teaching Shakespeare to GCSE’

To book any of these courses, or to find out more information, please call our Education Ticket Hotline on 0844 800 1113.This line is staffed by education specialists who can answer your questions and take your bookings.

It is open from 8.30am-5pm Monday-Friday during term time.

Outside these hours, please call 0844 800 1110. Alternatively email [email protected] or complete the online booking form at www.rsc.org.uk/education

Cost of courses:All courses include lunch, refreshments and comprehensive supporting notes and cost £130 for non-Members or £115 for RSC Education Members, unless otherwise specified. Courses start at 10am and finish at 4pm.

Discounted tickets for teachers: When attending a course in Stratford-upon-Avon you can buy a ticket for the production showing that night for £12.50, subject to availability.

RSC Education Membership:For just £18 per year, your school can become an RSC Education Member which gives all staff a range of benefits including priority booking for tickets, discounts for student groups and education activities. Visit www.rsc.org.uk/membership for more details.

Find us on the web:To find out up-to-date information on our courses, bringing a group of young people to the RSC or to access a range of resources visit www.rsc.org/education

scHool visits to stratford-upon-avonWe welcome over a 1,000 schools to see productions in our theatres in Stratford-upon-Avon each year and we offer a rich programme of activities to support and deepen these visits for students and teachers.

Workshops at The Clore Learning CentreLed by RSC practitioners we offer a half or full day practical workshop on current productions or on any Shakespeare play of your choice. £165 for RSC Education Members (£180 for non-Members)

Theatre Days and Post Show talks We offer onstage events before a performance featuring actors, directors and designers exploring how they have brought the text to life and also post show question and answer sessions. From £3 per student.

Sixth Form Conferences Designed to explore a text and production in-depth, these conferences feature practical workshops, details on past RSC productions and original performance conditions (run in collaboration with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust). From £25 per person including a ticket to the evening performance.

Take a tourIf you don’t have time to see a performance then why not discover theatrical secrets on a tour, enjoy the views of Stratford-upon-Avon from the top of the tower, have a drink or meal in the Riverside Café or visit one of the free exhibitions.

To book a tour please contact 0844 800 1110.Tickets cost £3 per student.

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at a glancEDate Course Title

Friday 10 June 2011 activE tEacHing of sHakEspEarE at ks3

Friday 17 June 2011 introducing sHakEspEarE at ks2

Tuesday 13 September 2011 inspiring wondEr in tHE Early yEars: The Magician’s daughTer

Tuesday 27 September 2011 Engaging young pEoplE witH autism in sHakEspEarE

Wednesday 28 September 2011 tEacHing tHE toolkit insEt

Friday 4 November 2011 tEacHing artaud: The TheaTre of cruelTy

Friday 11 November 2011 activE tEacHing of sHakEspEarE at ks4 and ks5

Friday 25 and Saturday 26 November 2011

dirEcting sHakEspEarE witH young pEoplE: building an EnsEmblE

Friday 27 January 2012 dEvEloping young cHildrEn’s languagE tHrougH sHakEspEarE

Friday 3 February 2012 mytHs and lEgEnds: The hearT of robin hood

Friday 24 and Saturday 25 February 2012

sHakEspEarE mastErclass in drama and tHEatrE pEdagogy

Extended CPD Courses Teaching The Toolkit Early Years – KS2 Courses

Special Educational Needs KS3 – KS5 Courses

To book any of these courses, or to find out more information, please call our Education Ticket Hotline on 0844 800 1113.Alternatively email [email protected] or complete the online booking form at www.rsc.org.uk/education

We are developing accredited post-graduate programmes for teachers with The University of Warwick. For further information email [email protected]

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