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Shaking Up Shakespeare: Digital Tools for Digital Students

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Originally published in TEACH Magazine, July/August 2022 Issue

By Deanna Gerjol

Unless you have an affinity for Shakespeare, there’s a good chance that you wouldn’t consider studying the Bard a highlight of your education. In the intermediate and senior classroom, there are always students who groan at even the mention of his name. Many of them dread reading Shakespeare out of fear of not understanding the words, or because they think his works have nothing to do with their 21st century interests.

It’s easy to perpetuate such beliefs if you, too, dreaded studying this subject as a student, like I did, and now also dread teaching it. In both high school and university I avoided Shakespeare’s works like the plague! Fortunately, in my case all it took was one BEd instructor who made it her goal to change my mind, and all of a sudden Shakespeare was transformed for me.

While pursuing my BEd, the Program Director, Stephanie Thompson, challenged my perceptions of Shakespeare, and ended up converting myself and fellow skeptical teacher candidates into some of the most effective teachers of his content.

In a two-part lesson dubbed “Shaking up Shakespeare,” Professor Thompson provided the class with a myriad of resources to genuinely engage today’s students with yesterday’s plays. Professor Thompson even inspired me to create my own assignments that blend current social media trends with inquiry-based learning, allowing students to explore Shakespeare’s relevance and enjoy themselves while doing so.

Below you’ll find examples of these assignments, along with some digital tools I’ve used in my own classroom to approach Shakespeare in a contemporary and Gen-Z-friendly manner.

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Deanna Gerjol is a high school English teacher. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Toronto Metropolitan University, and her Bachelor of Education from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. In her spare time, Deanna enjoys blending her passions for technology and writing through posting poetry online.

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Deanna Gerjol
Deanna Gerjol
Deanna Gerjol is a high school English teacher. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Toronto Metropolitan University, and her Bachelor of Education from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. In her spare time, Deanna enjoys blending her passions for technology and writing through posting poetry online.

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