Not a Bard idea... pupils will act to learn Shakespeare

Schoolchildren are to learn Shakespeare by acting out the plays instead of reading them at their desks.

In the teaching initiative announced yesterday, pupils will use techniques adopted by the Royal Shakespeare Company to increase their understanding of the texts.

Exercises devised by the RSC and The Globe theatre in London will see children aged 11-14 walking around their classrooms while reading the plays, mirroring methods used by professional actors at rehearsal.

Written and oral assessments developed alongside the lessons will show how well students have understood the works.

Pupils must study two Shakespeare texts between the ages of 11 and 16, one in key stage three before they are 14.

Jacqui O'Hanlon, the RSC's director of education, said: "Actors have the same nervousness around Shakespeare's language as young people in schools. We looked at how they get from that to a place of utter conviction, confidence and eloquence in six to eight weeks.

"You can't understand Shakespeare's plays if you just read them in your head. He wrote them to be spoken and performed. Shakespeare is difficult. You must use different mechanisms to access his work."