Drama in the primary classroom and beyond (tute ppt)

J Heron 2010

Source: Attic Studio "Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember. Involve me and I will understand." Chinese Proverb

Rationale: Why teach drama in primary classroom? What can drama do?

• Collaborative, kinaesthetic, pleasurable, inter/intra-personal skills (Gardner)

• VELS Social and personal learning building self-awareness and empathy

• Imagination/creativity skills • Enables students to develop symbolic and transformative thinking• Drama skills mastery• Links to other art domains and other disciplines (see Flynn School

on your ways of sheet for an example in geography)• Allows in depth critical reflection on a fictional world which

parallels or draws on real world understandings and situations (Arts discipline/interdisciplinary) (see Meager for an example)

• Tool to promote literacy development through opportunities for early childhood dramatic play (See “Sanja is a VET” NZ curriculum )

Drama continuum

Initial Teacher Educationhttp://www.ite.org.uk/ite_topics/drama_at_KS1-2/006.html

(Improvised/unstructured) (Structured)

Which Forms of Drama?

Playbuilding

Planning dramaSource: Curriculum on-linehttp://www.curriculumonline.ie/en/Primary_School_Curriculum/Arts_Education/Drama/Drama_Teacher_Guidelines/Classroom_planning_for_drama/The_content_of_the_drama/

• It is important to identify an overall body of content for drama for the year. This will have a number of sources, which will include:

• drama drawn from children's everyday experience particular issues, such as responsibility, that the teacher may wish to explore through drama [Sanja is a vet - unit]

• aspects of life from the past, the present or a possible future that will arouse children's curiosity [history, newspaper snippets, current and future events, eg.working as archaeologists, scientists going to Antarctica]

• the needs, concerns and preoccupations of the children [Picture books, children’s popular culture]

• content and issues from other curriculum areas• link to appropriate curriculum standards

Planning sequences unit/lesson

• Beginning – opening drama space

• Middle – variety of activities

• End - closing drama space

• Sharing outside drama space

• Process drama’s extend over time from several hours (see Sanja) to entire semester, may move into playbuilding

Improvised, process drama, roleplay playbuilding

Pedagogical or educational drama • Dorothy Heathcote http://vimeo.com/3300469

• Cecily O’Neill• Improvised group work including teacher • In and out of role (planning/doing/reflecting)• Open ended but can be developed for audience

(playbuilding)• Problem solving, seeing others points of view• Collaborative: students and teachers work together to

create an imaginary dramatic world• Draws on existing student knowledge (mantle of the

expert) and ongoing student inquiry

Generating improvised drama/role-play

Who? (improvising in role)

What? (pretext)

Where? (pretext)

When? (pretext)

Why? (hotseating)

Students and teacher-in-role

Level 1. Sanja is a vethttp://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/exemplars/arts/drama/dr_1b_e.php

www.hunteranimalrescue.com.au/successstory.htm

Teachers work• Guide, modify and move understanding

along in and out of role

• Structure activities/techniques

• Generate and maintain “safe space”

http://www.bigwheel.org.uk/Voulez%20Vous.htm

References• Attic Studio

www.atticstudio.com/Children%27s%20Drama.htm

• Curriculum on-linehttp://www.curriculumonline.ie/en/Primary_School_Curricuum/Arts_Education/Drama/Drama_Teacher_Guidelines/Clssroom_planning_for_drama/The_content_of_the_drama/

• Initial Teacher Education http://www.ite.org.uk/ite_topics/drama_at_KS1-2/018.html

• Meager, N. (2006) Creativity and culture: art projects fro primary schools.Corsham, Wilts: nsead. (For an easy to develop cross disciplinary approach).

• Mooney, M and Nicholls, J (eds) (2004) Drama Journeys Sydney: Currency Press (Different approaches to drama. Different ways to approach drama unit on Antarctica).

• Munster Express http://www.munster-express.ie/community-notes/tramore/children%E2%80%99s-drama-classes/

• New Zealand curriculum (Drama Exemplars)http://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/exemplars/arts/drama/