Jak učit poezii — revize výukových metod. Úvaha, jak vrátit básním rytmus, žákům vztah k poezii a učitelům sebevědomí
How to Teach Poetry — A Revision of Teaching Methods: A Reflection on How to Restore Poetic Rhythm, Students’ Relationship to Poetry, and Teachers’ Self-Confidence

Summary/Abstract: In this study I reflect on how poetry can be used to develop skills and knowledge related to the teaching of language and literature (e.g. phonetic, etymological and syntactic analysis, creative writing, vocabulary expansion, reading competence) as well as skills that go beyond this, such as creative collaboration, public speaking, confronting other points of view, recognizing linguistic manipulation and content emptiness, working with one’s own voice, and exploring other art forms. I present basic pedagogical principles that can make lessons more effective, encourage students to engage with the material, and show them the value of their achievements. Most of these principles can also be applied to prose writing, second language acquisition, and creative writing lessons. Most of this paper is devoted to introducing specific learning activities. The first part discusses activities involving the poem as a whole, its atmosphere, and its historical and political context, as well as its vocabulary and images. The second part focuses on activities in which we work with fragments, breaking up the poem, tearing it apart, and examining it thoroughly to get closer to it. At the end of the practical part, I briefly discuss the principles of students’ creative work so that this activity does not discourage them from their own experiments and make them think that they ‘can’t hear rhythm’ or ‘can’t write poems’. Instead, well-chosen activities should build students’ linguistic and creative confidence, and strengthen their positive relationship with poetry. My guiding principle is that we can only get to better know, understand, and enjoy poetry if we stop treating it like a precious piece of porcelain that we are afraid to approach, let alone pick up and use. However, I also believe that meaningful work with poetry requires not only courage and good pedagogical practices, but also a teacher’s solid theoretical knowledge of phonetics, poetics, metrics, and the history of verse forms.

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