topics, and age levels) learn how to
develop lessons or teaching ideas
based on trans-disciplinary thinking
skills. In the previous article in this
series (Henriksen et al., in press), we
noted a few examples of how the skill
of perceiving can be developed in
teaching settings. Here, we offer some
examples from our teachers relating
to how they develop their pedagogy
around the skill of patterning.
For example, one of our
recent students was a high school
English teacher in an urban school.
She described how, in covering
Shakespeare, many of her students
struggled with the text, due to the
complexity and unfamiliarity of
the lines and patterns of speech.
Because patterns are so critical with
this content, the teacher made the
rhythm and patterns into a “full
body” pattern experience by having
her students stand up and “walk out”
the beat of the Iambic Pentameter so
that they could feel and recognize the
pattern. She noted that giving them
a sense of the pattern was critical
because, “once they learn the pattern,
the content can be discussed.” Once
her students had learned the poetic
patterns, she had them go through
the text of Hamlet and highlight the
text portions that struck them with a
strong emotional connotation – for
example, any words or phrases that
bring up negative thoughts or feelings,
or a sense that “something evil is
going on.” Students then moved on
to creating a new pattern, by taking
this new jumble of strong thematic
words/phrases and developing them
into a new poem (a “found poem”).
This teacher noted the importance of
patterning skills because, in having
students learn the original Hamlet
text, she reflected that: