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INTEGRATING DRAMA/THEATRE INTO THE
CURRICULUM
Drama means doing. Infusing drama/theatre techniques into the
curriculum allows for hands-on learning that is meaningful and lasting. Such lessons
provide learning opportunities in two
content areas - drama/theatre and the subject with which it is paired.
According
to Zemelman, Daniels, and Hyde, the following are among features that are
desireable for promoting effective teaching and learning across the curriculum.
- experiential, inductive, hands-on learning
- student-centered learning
- active learning in the classroom
- cooperative, collaborative activity
- learning and practicing many forms of expression
1
These features are inherent in the drama/theatre experience.
Creative drama is process - oriented, student - centered, informal, and
ideally suited for classroom activity. Theatre, while more product-centered and
formal, also offers innovative instructional approaches. These ends of the
drama/theatre continuum offer ample opportunities for integration and
demonstrate that the arts are powerful partners for learning. The many types of activities available through this art form appeal to students with
diverse learning styles, allow movement from teacher - centered to student -
centered practices, involve and motivate students, and engage learners
of all ages through active participation. Those busy but caring teachers who
fear that incorporating drama/theatre will add to their workload should weigh
that against the benefits for students. In addition, they should take heart from
the knowledge that, "We don’t have to steal time away from reading, math, or
science to do art; art helps us to do science, math, and reading - to explore
them, express them, and connect them."
2 Drama/theatre is an art
that puts learning in the spotlight!
As you look at the lessons designed for this project, you will see how
drama/theatre can be integrated into elementary, high school, and university
classes. You will notice the diversity in terms of students’ ages, content
covered, and activities used. Participants need little, if any, experience with
this approach to curriculum. Once they try it, however, they are likely to be
impressed by the results. Students are learning and having fun; teachers are
taking pride in the creative achievements fostered.
The chart below is offered to help you in selecting activities to integrate
into your curriculum. While not comprehensive, it provides a foundation
from which you might start. 3
| ACTIVITIES |
DEFINITIONS |
| Beginning Activities |
These are warm-up activities
such as name games, chants, listening games, and other simple exercises
designed to relax and motivate participants. |
| Games |
These are more challenging
than beginning activities and often focus upon developing players’
concentration, imagination, and teamwork skills. Frequently, they are played
with students seated or standing in a circle. |
| Sequence Games |
The teacher takes a story or
similar material and divides it into particular events or scenes, placing
each on an index card. These are randomly distributed to players. When a
student recognizes his/her cue being performed, that student goes next.
Index cards should have the cue at the top and the new action at the bottom,
preferably in a different font or color. The teacher should keep master
list, in order, of cues. This helps students if the correct sequence is
interrupted or lost. |
| Pantomime |
Players use their bodies
to communicate rather than their voices. Pantomime sentences and stories,
creative movement exercises, and miming games are common examples. |
|
Stories |
A
number of activities can be based upon stories and can range from simple to
complex. In the former category, for example, are Noisy Stories.
These are simple stories which players help to tell by making sounds or
saying words associated with characters. Story Creation activities
require that players develop stories and these activities can be stimulated
by various items, including props, titles, students’ own writing, or
true events. Open-Ended Stories are those from which students build
stories given only a beginning and then share their creations either orally, in
writing, or through performance. Story Dramatization is the most
complex informal dramatic activity, as it utilizes players’ previously
developed skills in service to playing stories. Once proficient here,
students move naturally to formal theatrical endeavors. |
|
Improvisations |
These are spontaneously created performances based upon at least two of the
following: who (characters), what (conflict), where (setting), when (time)
and how (specifics of interpretation). Performed either in pantomime or with
dialogue, improvisations should not be planned or rehearsed. Interesting
episodes that emerge may be further developed through story creation. Role-Playing improvisations deal
with problem-solving. By replaying and switching roles, students are exposed to differing points of view.
Role-Playing should not be
confused with playing In-role, which is when the teacher enters the
dramatization as a character.
|
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Choral Reading |
The
voice is an expressive instrument. Interpreting text through choral reading gives
students opportunities to experiment with sound shading,
dynamics, pitch, pace, etc. Practice using solos, duets, and full
choral offerings is good preparation for Readers Theatre. |
|
Readers Theatre |
Called Theatre of the Imagination, Readers Theatre offers performance
opportunities without elaborate staging. Traditionally, this type of
performance has players using stools, onstage and/or off-stage focus, and
notebooks or music stands to hold scripts. A narrator may be used and
readers may or may not play multiple roles. This type of performance is
wedded to literature. A common misconception, however, is that this is
simply expressive reading. To truly impact an audience, Readers Theatre must
be more than that. Rich characterization, suggested movement, and clear
interpretation of the literature are required. In their minds' eyes,
the audience completes the stage pictures suggested by the interpreters. |
When using these techniques, the atmosphere in the classroom may be lively and there
is, for some educators, risk in being a co-explorer with students rather than an
authority figure. Creativity, however, is looking at things in new ways. Look, therefore, at yourself and your students as partners in the great
adventure of learning through drama/theatre. Enjoy the challenges and the
rewards you will encounter. Have fun while learning!
1 Steven Zemelman,
Harvey Daniels,
and Arthur Hyde. Best Practice: New Standards for Teaching and Learning
in America's Schools, 2nd ed. (Portsmouth: Heinemann, 1998) pages 5 - 10.
2 Steven Zemelman, Harvey Daniels,
and Arthur Hyde. Best Practice: New Standards for Teaching and Learning
in America's Schools, 2nd ed. (Portsmouth: Heinemann, 1998) pages 163.
3 For resources related to activities and definitions,
please follow the link to Books.
Contact Information
Janet E. Rubin
Saginaw Valley State University
Professor of Theatre
- Telephone
- 989-964-4019
- FAX
- 989-964-4675
- Postal address
- 185 Curtiss Hall
- 7400 Bay Road, University Center, MI 48710
- Electronic mail
- General Information:
rubin@svsu.edu
Webmaster:
partnership@svsu.edu
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