Pedagogical Activities for Teachers and Students

My research for Learning to Kneel, and particularly the experience of taking lessons in noh performance technique, challenged many of my assumptions about effective teaching. I became more comfortable claiming my authority and expertise and acknowledging the power differentials at work in any pedagogical space. I learned not to fill the classroom with talking, to allow long silences to be instructive, and that the discomfort produced by silence, uncomfortable physical positions, and the risk of performance can be part of a very effective pedagogy. I also learned that lessons confronting cultural, racial, or gendered difference should be uncomfortable.

Here, I offer pedagogical ideas for a variety of classes using materials from Learning to Kneel. Teachers should feel free to take any of these lesson plans for their own courses and adapt them to their teaching styles.