Poetry - Spoken Word - English self-expression

The following piece of poetry (spoken word) could be the type of work found in an English classroom. The artist, Marshall Davis Jones, uses spoken word to discuss his reaction to our digitized society. The following website provides access to his written work as well as a video of his performance:

http://genius.com/Marshall-davis-jones-touchscreen-annotated

I found that the reading “Slammin’ School” brought the light the importance of poetry as a means for students to take pleasure in language allowing them to tell their own story of an event, topic, or issue in society that matters to them. Slam or spoken word poetry allows for more than self-discovery as in the case of “touchscreen” where it allows for shared discovery. In this sense Slam plays the role of an awareness beacon which brings to light issues that may have otherwise been unspoken.

In the reading they discuss the role of Slam and its connection to the theme of power. It gives a voiced to the marginalized and allows them to “transcend the prisons that contain them”. The spoken word piece by Marshall Davis Jones challenges the power and dominance of technology in society as an alienating force. Although the reading states that there is no high or low level slam, there is a distinction between “educated” and “street” style slam. “Touchscreen” would be an example of an educated piece of poetry as it makes intelligent reference to history while creating strong and powerful images in the listeners mind.

The spoken word piece “Touchscreen” speaks to me because it captures the social disconnect that is growing in our day. The highest levels of depression and isolation exist in the developed world and the status quo continually presses for technological growth as a positive force in society however I feel that the poet breaks this accepted belief. The problem comes down to the improper and obsessive use of technology by individuals.

Using slam in English or History would allow students to evaluate society from their own understandings. It would allow them a “free voice” to evaluate and assess themselves and their identity in terms of the “system” that controls/directs/determines their lives. It would also provide them the opportunity to freely voice their interests or concerns regarding any topic they chose. By writing they would ultimately separate themselves from the forces that “determine” them. Writing allows them to establish and develop their a more profound sense of self.  

The major dilemma with this type of writing strategy is the ability to fairly assess it. The reading “slammin’ schools” discussed the use of journals as an effective means to evaluate student writing, however the products need to be assess also. To do so, a distinction between the various poetic genres need to be set in order to assess based on content and form in a proportionate manner to their weight in the chosen style (be it spoken word, slam, poetry). Furthermore, in a specific content area (i.e. History), the assessment criteria is given more weight and value for the content becomes a criteria for evaluation. It was suggested in the reading that a search for keywords learnt in the lesson as well as explanations of these in the poem would be one way to judge a student’s apprehension of the subject matter of the unit.  

Following our table discussion, the importance of slam as a tool for building confidence through self-expression was reiterated by the group. We discussed the advantages and disadvantages of incorporating slam as a means for developing student writing. In general we discussed the difficulty of establishing effective pedagogy. Although it was agreed that the use of mentor texts and proper exemplars would be pertinent, what level of text should be used? complex or simple texts? Texts that expose “educated” or “street” styles of slam writing? The importance of scaffolding was emphasized as a way that the teacher can assist. Using spoken word (loose structure favouring content) the various elements of higher structured texts can then be taught (Slam, prose, poetry, classical poetry).  Poetry is an effective tool for writing across the curriculum as it allows students to learn new vocabulary, develop their own voice and confidence (performance), while learning about rhythm, rhyming, and literary style; however in subjects other than English, its application is more sensitive.