Puppets and pedagogy in foreign language education: the use of Bloom’s revised taxonomy to model Hispanic puppet theatre as an integrated learning platform

Abstract

This essay explores the unique characteristics of puppet theatre and stage performance in foreign language education using an innovative modeling approach. The study focuses on the learning mechanisms of puppet theatre as demonstrated by an interdisciplinary model that incorporates both Portfolio Analysis as well as Benjamin Bloom's Revised Taxonomy in cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains. The paper uses an original Spanish language play written for the Hispanic Puppet Project, which is a community‐oriented and interactive puppet theatre, comprised of college‐aged students and children from the community. This article examines students' learning objectives, hands‐on tasks, learning outcomes and performative teaching and learning from the staging of a Spanish language play tilted, "Moctezuma y los cinco soles poderosos. La resurrección del imperio azteca." I have created a website with ancillary materials that can be accessed at the following address: https://www.hispanicpuppetsproject.com. The site contains 1) a brief overview of the article; 2) a two‐page synopsis of the legend of Moctezuma and the Five Mighty Suns; 3) an annotated legend written in Spanish and in verse and rhyme; 4) a practical guide for stage directions; 5) a video of a teaching assistant reading the refrain for the children in the puppet play.