Spoken Word Poetry Empowers Students to Use Authentic Voices
High school student Shayanna develops her talents at Youth Speaks, a nonprofit that creates a safe space for young people to explore writing and performance skills in the service of bettering their communities.
Edutopia's new series profiles young people who are making their learning more authentic by taking it into their own hands, on their own time. This series is produced by Mobile Digital Arts and Twin Cities Public Television, as a companion to an hour-long PBS special that is now available to watch.
More Resources on Poetry
- BLOG: Poetry and Technology
Elementary school technology teacher Mary Beth Hertz shares some of her favorite technology tools for budding poets.
- BLOG: (Re)Creating Poets: How to Teach Poetry in the Classroom
Humanities teacher Joshua Block begins with the idea that everyone is born a poet, and goes on to offer strategies and resources to bring out the poet in every student.
- BLOG: Useful Resources for Teachers and Students
Matt Davis has put together a list of poetry resources for educators, including blogs, videos, and other quick reads.
Bay Area-based Youth Speaks is the leading nonprofit presenter of spoken word performance, education, and youth development programs in the country. Youth Speaks' mission is to create safe spaces to empower the next generation of leaders, self-defined artists, and visionary activists through written and oral literacies. Youth Speaks challenge young people to find, develop, publicly present, and apply their voices as creators of social change. Keep up to date with Youth Speaks on Twitter.
Visit the Is School Enough? series page to see more videos on informal learning.