"Study what you most affect": beginning teachers' preparedness to teach Shakespeare

This paper examines the narrative reflections of twelve English teachers-in-training on their feelings about teaching Shakespeare. A variety of attitudes and concerns emerges, but among the strongest themes are the influence of beginning teachers' previous experiences of Shakespeare, worries about the teaching of Shakespeare to low attaining students, the challenge of the language and students' pre-conceptions of Shakespeare. Knowledge of individual plays and the need for expertise was another concern; several of the participants mentioned the sonnets as an area of weakness. A sense of excitement, both generally and of the potential for Shakespeare to be taught through active methods was also evident. These data are drawn from an initial teacher education programme situated within a particular teaching philosophy, which draws on Britton's 'participants and spectators' and Alexander's practical theorising. The paper concludes with an argument that beginning teachers must be equipped with the knowledge, experience and expertise to choose their routes into Shakespeare with the classes they teach, and that only by doing so are we fully preparing them to meet the challenge of Shakespearean texts