Community
26 March, 2025
Making Shakespeare fun
TO be, or not to be. That’s the question Cairns State High School teacher Ken Nixon has been asking himself as he tries to make Shakespeare more interesting for his students.
He has taken part in the 2025 Bell Shakespeare national teacher mentorship that brings together teachers from across Australia for specialist training in Sydney.
The program enables teachers to break down complex texts and, through immersive, performance-based techniques, bring them to life in the classroom. This approach makes Shakespeare’s works accessible, relevant, and engaging for all students, and empowers teachers.
Mr Nixon said Shakespeare could be challenging for both teachers and students, but the program had played a key role in breaking down the barriers to learning.
“Teaching Shakespeare comes with significant hurdles. The language alone can be intimidating and our traditional classroom set-ups often stifle engagement,” he said.
“This program shows us how to break those barriers by making the experience truly kinetic and relevant.
“From a personal perspective, I felt I’d reached the limits of traditional methods and needed something more to extend my teaching, which is why I joined the program.
“I wanted to discover innovative ways to transform Shakespeare into an engaging, dynamic experience for my students.
“This experience has helped me connect with Shakespeare on a deeper level – beyond intellectual analysis –by using movement and interaction to bring the text to life in a fun, transformative way.
“I know that if I’m having fun and enjoying the teaching, my students will be far more engaged and equally get a deeper understanding of what has been traditionally a tough subject matter to digest.”
