A secondary teacher in Chile demonstrates his approach to improving literacy skills through active group work and age-appropriate texts, and how he uses drama to promote understanding.
Secondary teacher Jorge Montt and his Grade 10 students at Liceo de Aplicación, Santiago, are working on a psychological text called El Otro Yo by Uruguayan author Mario Benedetti.
Students work in groups to write and perform short monologues or dialogues that explore the idea of a split personality. For Montt, it's all about equipping his students with skills for the 21st century.
When it comes to studying a text, he first encourages his students to identify key words, and ask questions of the text, and then uses activities such as drama to help students interpret and develop a deeper understanding of its underlying messages.
As well as using set texts, Montt believes it's important to find texts that are appropriate for the age group, to help develop his students' interest in reading
