A Therapeutic Approach To Teaching Poetry

A Therapeutic Approach to Teaching Poetry explains how the study of poetry, by providing experiences similar to those produced by poetry therapy, can help students discover themselves and develop their potential to effect change in the world. This pedagogy draws on a number of theoretical and therapeutic models including poetry therapy, psychoanalysis, experiential therapy, metaphor therapy, cognitive science, and neuroscience.

This approach to teaching poetry is founded on the belief that education should not only develop students' skills in analysis and communication but also promote self-awareness and social responsibility. This book provides an innovative pedagogical strategy for promoting the development of individuals who can live more personally fulfilling, productive, and socially responsible lives.

Review:

In A Therapeutic Approach to Teaching Poetry, the journey from theory to text in both literary criticism and psychology has been gracefully extended to personal and social development.

As an educator and therapist, I have found that whether the poetic is experienced in the classroom or clinic, whether it is written or read alone or with others, it can serve in growth and healing capacities. Todd O. Williams, in this scholarly and practical book, is in effect making a compelling offer to writers, educators, therapists, and others to continue a dialogue to advance the common ground in literary, therapeutic, educational, and community-building studies. - Nicholas Mazza, Dean and professor, College of Social Work, Florida State University; author of Poetry Therapy: Theory and Practice Drawing on the work of Freud, Klein, Lacan, Kristeva, cognitive psychoanalysis, neuropsychoanalysis, and poetry therapy, Williams offers a theoretically sophisticated and classroom-tested strategy for teaching poetry in a way that promotes cognitive and emotional developments that contribute both to students' greater personal well-being and to social justice.

This is a brilliant and ground-breaking book that will be indispensable to anyone who cares about the personal or social benefits of reading and studying poetry. - Mark Bracher, Kent State University; author of Radical Pedagogy: Identity, Generativity, and Social Transformation This is a valuable book for teachers who want their practice to be truly useful to students.

The argument is eminently practical, and the writing is lucid, well-organized, and conceptually shrewd. - Marshall Alcorn, George Washington University; author of Changing the Subject in English Class: Discourse and the Constructions of Desire