I taught a poetry unit to high school students twice over the years. I have all of the things I used stuffed incoherently into three large file folders. The thing is, I really enjoyed teaching that unit, yet I have never before brought it out of the total mess in which it exists and into a form useful to anyone wishing to learn a bit about writing poems.
Again, I took a graduate level course on teaching poetry a few years ago. I really enjoyed that course as well. I have the papers I wrote and all the notes stuffed into folders on the computer and in the file cabinet.
My intention is to create another Zone at The Writing Conservatory titled “Writing Poetry.”
How will I frame and order that unit? How does one teach poetry online to people one never sees?
I’m sure one can find many sites across the Internet on learning to write poetry. I’m sure some of them are good. The thing is, I have a practical bent. I know what works in the classroom and what does not work. I know how a learner must be actively involved in learning.
So, I will happily create my own approach to learning to write poetry without glancing at what anyone else might be doing.
Poetry is different from any other kind of writing in that it is much more personal to the writer. Learning to write a college essay that will get an A or learning to write copy that will convince someone to buy, these types of writing have an immediate intended result. Either the piece of writing gains its purpose or it does not.
Poetry is a song to the ear. As such, it is subject to personal tastes and interests. Nonetheless, one cannot throw words at a piece of paper and call it “poetry,” at least not here. One who writes a poem also has a purpose, either that purpose is found or it is not. And even poets write to be read. A poem must sing to its intended audience.
So, over the next few months, I hope to pull out all those dusty files and craft a “Writing Poetry” Unit at the same level as “A Writing Course.”
Meanwhile, at the Writing Conservatory, we value your thoughts on how you learn best and what elements of writing poetry most interest you. If you have any constructive thoughts regarding an online course on learning to write poems, please leave a comment below.
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Maybe you have a student at home and you want to know that they can write effectively both in entering college and for life. Or maybe you want to learn to write (and teach writing) well. Check out the Writing Course at The Writing Conservatory. Help yourself freely to anything you see.
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