As a theatre student, I searched Youtube and found a video of Hamlet performed by the students at Bob Jones University. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq5HKX1vicM) In my online class, I would suggest an interactive activity for students to mimic the acting performance after watching a 10-minute video of Hamlet. This activity would require the students to actively engage with the video and respond in some way. The video would inherently force them to respond by analyzing and interpreting the acting performance. They can take notes and think about how to act their parts during the performance.
After watching the video, the suggested activity for students would be to perform a short monologue from Hamlet, mimicking the acting performance they saw in the video. This activity would help develop their performance skills, including delivery, tone, and body language. Students could use any medium or technology they feel comfortable with, such as recording themselves on their phones or laptops.
During their acting, students are likely to respond by making notes, discussing the video with peers, and analyzing the acting techniques used by the actors. This learner-generated response is an opportunity for students to actively engage with the content and make their own meaning from it.
To provide feedback on the activity, students could submit their performance videos to a digital platform, where their peers and instructors could provide constructive feedback. Alternatively, the class could have a live session where students perform their monologues in front of their peers and instructors, who could provide feedback in real-time.
This activity provides an opportunity for students to actively engage with the content, develop their performance skills, and receive feedback on their work. It also promotes a sense of community and collaboration within the class. By using digital platforms to provide feedback, students can engage in asynchronous learning and receive feedback at their own pace.
Overall, this activity provides a unique and engaging way for students to interact with Shakespeare’s Hamlet, while developing valuable skills in performance and collaboration. It also highlights the benefits of incorporating digital platforms into learning and provides an opportunity for students to receive feedback and improve their work.
Hi Ziqi,
Thank you for letting me know about the design of the curriculum for theatre majors. I learned that trying to achieve interaction in your major is easier than in economics or other literature majors. And it’s not only the interaction between teachers and students, but also between everyone with culture and art.
Hi Ziqi! It’s a great idea to ask students to perform a dialogue after watching a 10-min sample. It’s a reasonable amount of time for students to actively focus on what’s happening in the video. You may also want to give them some prompts/questions, e.g., what to look at, notice, etc., as they watch. This would make the activity even more meaningful.