Teacher Preview Packet

Department of Education

The Birmingham Children’s Theatre, as an educational organization, wants to be more than just a location for a field trip. We are a resource for all educators to: develop professionally, enjoy the strategic selection/design of each show, implement our shows into your classrooms, and create a comradery of educators within the area.

This packet is to be used as a source of information which includes: research/articles, classroom/lesson planning resources, and information for your collection to keep and share with fellow educators and practitioners.

**From ‘Learning Through Drama in the Primary Years’ by David Farmer.**

Drama strategies can be used as everyday teaching tools for a wide range of subjects. They can illuminate the human dimension of subject areas, such as how scientific progress may impact on individuals and communities. Drama is particularly useful when working on cross-curricular themes as it naturally bridges subject areas. If children take on the roles of archaeologists in Egypt, drama can link history, geography, mythology and art as well as the mathematics of pyramids and the science of building them. Ideas for using drama strategies in individual subject areas are summarized below.

Where does drama feature in the National Curriculum?

Art:

Art can be used as a way of reflecting on drama activity alongside, or as an alternative to, writing and discussion. Drama can help to spark children’s creativity and lead them into imaginative and vibrant artwork. Incorporate art into drama by doing collective drawing in groups alongside the drama activities to develop storylines or explore characters and situations.

Geography:

Cultural and environmental issues linked to geography can easily be explored through drama. Teachers in role and role on the wall can be used to present a character from a particular locality and to examine an issue from their perspective. This can lead on to role-play with pupils working in pairs or small groups to deepen their understanding. Still images, tableaux and soundscapes can be used to create the atmosphere of different locations and environments.

History:

Characters from any historical period can be examined through hot seating, role-play and role on the wall. Tableaux, improvisation and thought tracking can help to bring historical accounts, illustrations and artwork to life. Key decision-making moments for historical characters can be explored using conscience alley.

Mathematics:

Math makes a lot more sense when it is applied to real (or fictional) situations. For younger children, this can be through role-play in shop or restaurant situations. Journeys across the sea, through space or around the world offer potential for acting and storytelling which can include mathematical activities such as calculating journey times and duration, quantities of food and fuel and recording of temperature. Mathematical patterns can be demonstrated and explored through physical movement and dance. Pupils are more likely to remember geometric shapes if they have made them with their own bodies in ten second objects. When forming groups, ask pupils to get into even or odd-numbers. Children can even become human bar graphs.

Personal and Social Education:

Drama techniques such as conscience alley and image theatre offer valuable opportunities for pupils to share their opinions and explain their views. Role-play and improvisation allow them to discover how their behavior can affect others. Group negotiation and discussion helps to encourage such key skills as listening, working cooperatively and learning to respect one another’s similarities and differences.

Science and Technology:

Science learning can be extended through activities using dance, mime, movement and ten second objects to explore physical forces such as gravity, friction or magnetism, or to represent the action of molecules, planets, geological phenomena or electrical circuits. A journey through the body gives great potential for storytelling and drama. Pupils can model food chains or create human bar graphs to display living representations of scientific results. The human aspect of science is particularly suitable for exploration through drama. Where do you stand? helps to dissect moral dilemmas. Role play, improvisation and teacher in role can explore how human activity affects living things and the environment, highlighting controversial ethical issues. This can lead on to improvised drama such as the enacting of documentary TV programmes, debates and discussions. Technology can help to extend and develop drama activities through the use of multimedia, such as photography, video, animation and sound recording.

Source: https://dramaresource.com/drama-across-the-curriculum

Drama-Based Pedagogy

Drama-based pedagogy (DBP) uses active and dramatic approaches to engage students in academic, affective and aesthetic learning through dialogic meaning-making in all areas of the curriculum (Dawson & Lee, 2016).

DBP is a collection of teaching tools (including activating dialogue, theatre games as metaphor, image work, and role work) designed to be used in conjunction with classroom curriculum. The beauty of these techniques is that they easily engage students and immediately help create an environment for focused inquiry and cross-curricular learning opportunities. In addition, these techniques support a variety of learning styles and will keep your students actively involved in the learning process. The use of drama as a teaching tool across the curriculum first gained popularity in the United States in the 1920s as “creative dramatics.” Over the years, teachers in countries around the world have continued to experiment with and further develop these invaluable teaching tools.

The American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE) defines drama-based learning strategies (which includes creative drama and drama-in-education) as “an improvisational, non-exhibitional, process-centered form of drama in which participants are guided by a leader to imagine, enact, and reflect upon human experiences.” Other terms for drama-based pedagogy include: creative drama, informal drama, creative play acting, improvisational drama, educational drama, role drama, and process drama.

Applications for your classroom:

Drama-based pedagogy can be integrated into numerous curricular areas. It can be used to introduce a new concept or theme, check for knowledge, or extend your student’s learning. It can be used to explore a character’s motivations, infer a story’s outcome, or illuminate facts and concepts. The instructional techniques emphasize the broader goals of problem-solving and creative thinking through the creation of a kinesthetic, interactive experience. Using Drama-based pedagogy you can:

re-create Galileo, Newton, or Einstein’s presentations of new scientific ideas
examine tensions in literature such as Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry; Bridge to Terabithia; Journey To Jo’berg; etc.
explore events leading up to major historical moments such as the Boston Tea Party, the battle over the Alamo, or the Civil War, etc.
solve math story problems literally—as the characters in the story!
enact struggles over policies such as slavery or apartheid, as well as governmental representation, the right to vote, etc.
debate controversies over taking care of rainforests, endangered species, habitat, drinking water, etc.
learn language and practice techniques to resolve conflicts, improve self-esteem, combat racial or gender stereotypes, manage anger, etc.

The curriculum is FULL of dramatic moments and tensions. Drama can help you extract those tensions from the pages of your textbooks and worksheets and “enact” them with your students. Ideally this will lead to a classroom of engaged learners who have new and different perspectives on the topic at hand.

Understanding the philosophy behind the work is important as a facilitator of DBP. Through constructivist practices we aim to invite students to actively enter the teaching and learning process. The resulting “creative chaos” can, at times, be disconcerting for some teachers, but the learning that results will be worth it!

Drama mirrors the ways in which children learn through their early experiences of dramatic play. As a more structured kind of improvisational role-playing, Drama-based pedagogy generates and cultivates many cognitive skills. Of these skills, the following are important for ensuring a student’s success in school:

language and communication abilities
problem-solving / critical thinking skills
decision making capabilities
creativity and imagination
collaboration skills
Drama-based pedagogy, when used with structured moments of oral or written reflection, provides an excellent link between various classroom curricula and the specific knowledge and skills required for success with the STAAR tests.

Source: https://dbp.theatredance.utexas.edu/about

The Effectiveness of Theatre Within School

Numerous studies have demonstrated a correlation between drama involvement and academic achievement. In addition to having higher standardized test scores than their peers who do not experience the arts, students who participate in drama often experience improved reading comprehension, maintain better attendance records, and stay generally more engaged in school than their non-arts counterparts. Schools with arts-integrated programs, report high academic achievement.

Self-Confidence:

Taking risks in class and performing for an audience teach students to trust their ideas

and abilities. This confidence will apply in nearly every aspect of their future.

Imagination:

In a world addicted to technology, theatre provides an outlet for making creative choices,

thinking new ideas, and interpreting the material in expressive ways that are the essence

of drama.

Empathy & Tolerance:

Acting roles from different situations, time periods, and cultures promotes compassion and

tolerance for others.

Cooperation/Collaboration:

Theatre combines the creative ideas and abilities from its participants.

Concentration:

Playing, practicing, and performing develop a sustained focus of mind, body, and voice which helps with other areas of life including school.

Communication Skills:

Drama enhances verbal and nonverbal expression of ideas. It improves voice projection, articulation, fluency of language, and persuasive speech.

Problem Solving:

Students learn to communicate the who, what, where, when, and why to the audience. Improvisation fosters quick-thinking solutions, which leads to greater adaptability in life.

Fun:

Theatre brings play, humor, and laughter to learning; this improves motivation and reduces stress.

Trust:

The social interaction and risk taking in drama develop trust in self, others, and the process.

Memory:

Rehearsing and performing the words, movements, and cues strengthen this skill like a muscle.

Social Awareness:

Legends, myths, poems, stories, and plays used in drama teach students about social issues and conflicts from cultures past, present, all over the world.

Aesthetic Appreciation:

Participating in and viewing theatre raises appreciation for the art form. It is important to

raise a generation that understands, values, and supports theatres’ place in society.

Abstract

Adolescents who have Social Anxiety Disorder do not receive the support they need. Improvisational theater involves regular exposure to social performance situations, and is recognized as a potential psycho-social support to enhance well-being and symptom reduction. The current study examines whether participating in a school-based improvisational theater program predicts reductions in symptoms of social anxiety. A total of 268 middle and high school students who participated in a ten-week school-based improvisational theater program completed surveys in a single group pre/post design. Adolescents who screened positive for social phobia at the beginning of class reported reduced symptoms of social anxiety at post-test. This change predicts increases in social skills, hope, creative self-efficacy, comfort performing for others, and willingness to make mistakes, along with marginal decreases in symptoms of depression. Given that no prior study has examined school-based improvisational theater training and its relationship to social anxiety, this work offers an important early contribution to the empirical literature on improvisation and mental health. School-based improvisational theater training offers an accessible, non-clinical alternative for addressing social anxiety problems among adolescents.

Highlights:

•Teens screened for social phobia showed reduced anxiety after improv training.

•Reduced anxiety was correlated with improved social skills, hope, and creativity.

•Students who were more engaged in the program showed the greatest benefit.

•Students agreed that improvisational training was useful in life outside of class.

•The non-clinical setting for improvisation programs may be advantageous.

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0197455618301928

BCTeach

BCTeach is a cohort of like minded individuals (educators, actors, playwrights, choreographers, designers, musicians) working within the spirit of collaborative community to achieve the goal of using each gift and talent of its members; to continue a lifelong impact of the arts in our area.

BCTeach Cohort program is established in recognition that practitioners of the arts and curricula have a role in the culture and impact of a school’s learning program. It is a way to foster leadership while keeping skilled professionals in classrooms, developing mentor roles, and sharing ideas across an ever-broadening array of school requirements and needs.

Possible outcomes as a cohort:

Showcase or production performance guidance – Teachers will be provided feedback and guidance on the various aspects of their performance – vocals, choreography, scene work, staging, etc.

Teacher workshop on using drama in the classroom – Teachers will experiment with different strategies for implementing drama across the curriculum.

Class attendance drama performance with linked lessons – In addition to attending the performance, teachers can request lessons that relate to the themes of the performance.

Drama games session (general) – Students will engage in a fun, high-energy drama games session.

Drama games session targeting a specific drama skill – Students will engage in a drama games session targeting a basic drama skill such as vocal projection, expression, movement, etc.

Drama activity linked to a specific lesson – Teachers will send lesson ideas and content in advance and a drama activity will be created that helps to meet the outcome of the lesson.

One-on-one or small group work on a particular project – work one-on-one or in small groups with students who are interested in creating a drama-related performance.

Resources and activities for using drama across the curriculum – A list of online resources will be collected and sent to teachers upon request.