Activity
Reflective activities
Decolonising Academic Writing through Spoken Word Poetry
Jenna Goddard
Carolyn Ives
This is a great reflective activity to get students thinking about their writing.
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ACTIVITY PURPOSE
The main purposes are to build community, build learner confidence in their writing, and encourage participants to integrate creative activities into their academic writing process.
USEFUL FOR
The activity is useful for learner engagement and participation, learner reflection and metacognition around their writing processes, and building classroom community. Plus, it’s fun!Â
PREPARATION
- Set up of a shared anonymous learning tool, such as Jamboard.Â
- Creation of writing prompts based on a course topic.
- Creation of instructions for learners about how to engage in the activity and guidance as the activity may make them feel vulnerable, depending on the topic.Â
INSTRUCTIONS
- Determine your topic and compose writing prompts to elicit learner responses.
- Provide spoken word poetry sample(s) and set parameters for learner participation.Â
- Provide direction/instructions for the activity and using the platform/tool.
- For the activity, these are minimum time requirements:5 minutes for instructions and set-up;
2-5 minutes for individual and private responses to the prompts;
5 minutes for learners to transfer their responses to the tool/platform;
5 minutes for the group to organize responses;
10 minutes for the performance;
5 minutes for a reflective activity.Â
DURATION
This activity can be completed in as few as 30 minutes (see times outlined above), or it can take longer if you have more time to allocate to it.Â
ADAPTATIONS AND EXAMPLES
This activity can also be completed in a face-to-face classroom using a board (or flipchart paper) and post-it notes. It can be used for any topic.
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
If the activity is completed online, access to an anonymous sharing platform (such as Jamboard or Padlet) would be helpful. Participants will also need microphones.Â
USEFUL RESOURCES
Chavez, F. R. (2021). The anti-racist writing workshop: How to decolonize the creative classroom.
Gillies, K. (2017). Intersectional poetry: Spoken poetry as a platform for feminist thought free from tone policing. Women’s Studies Journal 31 (1), 88 94.
hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. New York: Routledge, 40 41.
Jones, K., & Curwood, J. S. (2020). Tell the story, speak the truth: Creating a third space through spoken word poetry. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 64 (3), 281 289.
Lisabeth, L. (2021). Strunk and White and whiteness. College Composition & Communication 73 (1), 80 102.
Moore, J., & Paris, D. (2021). Singing counter stories to imagine an otherwise. English Journal 110 (4), 21 25.
Williams, W. (2021). Amanda Gorman’s poetry shows why spoken word belongs in school. The Conversation.
Woodard, R., & Coppola, R. (2018). More than words: Student writers realizing possibilities through spoken word poetry. The English Journal 107 (3), 62 67.Â
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ABOUT
- Educator prep: None
- Student prep: None
- Synchronous
- Shared online space, Microphones
- Duration: Variable
This activity is one of a series of activities from Equity Unbound, focused on equitable online community building.Â
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