At its core, this research is founded on the notion that Shakespeare’s plays and text are beneficial for all student abilities if made accessible through active learning. This study looks at a neurodiverse classroom of primary school students with a myriad of special educational needs (SEN), including high functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD), attention deficit disorder (ADD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Shakespeare’s plays, specifically, integrate opportunities for literal-minded students to re-contextualize four-hundred-year-old texts, practice language decoding, and use performativity for perspective-taking, socialization, and emotional discovery. Over three months, observations were collected on the usefulness of applying the Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC) active in-classroom practices to teaching The Tempest to the aforementioned group of students. The research looks at three areas that align with the students’ challenges: (1) how activeness improves attentiveness; (2) growth in social and creative confidence; (3) collaborative improvement. The observations made evidence that a multimodal curriculum that blends social-communication skills with individualized student benchmarks successfully addresses areas of challenges in neurodiverse classrooms. In conclusion, an active approach to Shakespeare’s text can model a co-constructed learning-environment that benefits both social and academic progress, regardless of each student's perceived academic attitude.

Authors:
Eleni Kmiec, Iowa Conservatory, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Eleni (Lenni) Kmiec is the theatre department chair at Iowa Conservatory and director of education for International Theatre & Dance Project. She is interested in benefits of and accessibility for Shakespeare's texts within neurodiverse communities.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lenni-stone-0738661a8/

Additional website of interest
http://www.internationaltheatreanddanceproject.com/

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