Several debates regarding the
effectiveness of various teaching methods can arise when attempting to examine
how students learn best. Peter Weir’s 1989 film, Dead Poets Society, juxtaposes the portrayal of two different
pedagogies that are undertaken at Welton Academy, specifically the liberal
methods of John Keating and the conservative approach of his colleagues. By
comparing Keating’s unconventional method of attempting to invoke a sense of
passion in his students with his colleagues’ method of a more traditional and
disciplinary approach to teaching, it will be suggested that both pedagogies,
to a certain extent, would be embraced by Ontario’s curriculum for Senior
English; however, it is also essential to bear in mind that these pedagogies do
not have to be considered mutually exclusive since the diverse nature of
various student populations will call for the need to incorporate various types
of instructions and strategies.
A brief comparison of Mr. Keating’s liberal teaching
methods and his colleagues’ conservative and traditional approaches will illustrate
the goals and the intended effectiveness of each of the methods. Early in the
film, the conservative approach utilized by the majority of the instructors at
Welton Academy can be seen in three different classrooms. While the Chemistry
teacher hands out the course text to his students, he sternly instructs them to
“pick three laboratory experiments from the
project list and report on them every five weeks” and assigns them
twenty questions for homework that are due the following day (Dead Poets Society). In another scene,
the audience is taken into Mr. McAllister’s classroom, where he drills his
students by instructing them to repeat several Latin terms (Dead Poets Society). Lastly, the
audience witnesses a Math lesson, in which the instructor proclaims to his
students that their “study of trigonometry requires absolute precision” and
asserts that any incomplete homework assignments will result in a grade
deduction (Dead Poets Society). The extremely
orthodox and meticulous teaching methods of Welton’s instructors become
apparent in these examples. Through the use of direct instruction, rote
learning, extensive homework assignments, and negative punishment, Mr.
Keating’s colleagues maintain this preparatory school’s ethos of achieving
excellence in a disciplined manner in order to prepare students for an Ivy
League education and a successful career later on in life.
Interspersed throughout the film, the audience gets a sense of Mr. Keating’s liberal teaching methods which, in direct comparison, differs greatly from that of his colleagues. In one of his first lessons, Keating has a student read the introduction to their poetry textbook, which prescribes a method of rating poems emchanistically (Dead Poets Society). Claiming that this is “excrement”, Keating demands that every student rip out these pages from their text and states: “Now in my class you will learn to think for yourselves again. You will learn to savor words and language.” (Dead Poets Society) He later invites his students to stand upon his desk in an effort to encourage them to view the world with various perspectives and find their own voice (Dead Poets Society). Additionally, in a very powerful scene, Keating pushes Todd, a shy and introverted student, to realize his potential by facilitating an opportunity for him to improvise and communicate his thoughts in front of his peers (Dead Poets Society). Rather than the technical, mundane breakdown of a poem’s structure, Keating allows his students to savour and experience the words in order for them to think for themselves by making connections to others and the world around them (the audience can really see the effect of this intention when the boys bond with each other in nature during the meetings of “Dead Poets Society”). Through his unconventional and experiential teaching methods, Keating intends to inspire a passion and thirst for living an extraordinary life in his students, as opposed to merely submissively getting through school as a means to launch into a successful career.
In attempting to
formulate a connection with the pedagogies observed in Dead Poets Society with our education system today, it can be
argued that both of the teaching methods portrayed in this film would be
embraced by Ontario’s new curriculum for Senior English to a certain degree;
however, while the instructors at Welton focus more on the strict and
mechanical execution of curriculum, Keating loosely adapts the essence of the
curriculum in order to essentially promote the growth and development of the whole student. The general introduction
to the Senior English policy document states that: “The updated Ontario
curriculum, in combination with a broader range of learning options outside
traditional classroom instruction, will enable students to better customize
their high school education and improve their prospects for success in school
and in life.” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 3) This document also states that
the “English curriculum is based on the belief...that all students can become
successful language learners”—namely those who are able to “think critically”
and communicate “effectively with confidence,” “make meaningful connections
between themselves, what they encounter in texts, and the world around them,”
and “understand that all texts advance a particular point of view that must be
recognized, questioned, assessed, and evaluated” (4). Keating’s teaching style really
does exemplify these principles that underlie the English curriculum in ways
that his colleagues’ methods would fall short. As mentioned in the examples
above, Keating’s non-traditional approach that counters traditional instruction
and involves methods that push students to think for themselves, express
themselves effectively, and find their own voice fits nicely with the
document’s definition of “successful language learners”. However, Keating’s
teaching style would not entirely deliver the curriculum as laid out in this
document, as it also states that: “The expectations identified for each course
describe the knowledge and skills that students are expected to develop and demonstrate
in their class work, on tests, and in various other activities on which their
achievement is assessed and evaluated.” (12) While standard and conventional
evaluation methods do not seem to fit within Keating’s classroom, this section
of the curriculum would likely embrace his colleagues’ teaching style, one in
which a more traditional approach, where students are asked to demonstrate
their knowledge and/or skills, is more appropriate. Therefore, Keating through
the means of education and curriculum promotes success and passion in all
aspects of life, while his colleagues would measure success in terms of strict
observation and completion of curriculum.
To conclude this
comparison of the two pedagogies evident in Dead
Poets Society and their relation to Ontario’s English curriculum, it is
essential to note that these teaching methods do not necessarily have to be
considered mutually exclusive. Certain methods work well with particular
students, while others do not and we, as teachers, must employ a variety of
instruction techniques and strategies in order to ensure that we are reaching
out to our students in the most effective way possible. Rather than advocating
one method of teaching, capitalizing on the advantages of various methods would
be most beneficial for our students.
Works Cited
