Drama and Literacy “The drama is a great revealer of life.” George P. Baker George P. Baker
LITERACY lit’er’a’cy (noun) knowledge of or training in a particular subject or area of activity DRAMA dra’ma (noun) arts works written for performance
GOAL: AN EDUCATION WHICH, THROUGH DRAMA, CREATES LITERATE/WHOLE HUMAN BEINGS To create safe space; To have dialogue; To explore choices and the consequences they can bring; To practice for real life; To enhance their skills of communication and decision making; To understand how self- esteem affects moments of decision; To take risks in fictional worlds with the potential to learn rather than fail; To take action and to be the protagonist in one’s own life; To analyze life situations and one’s own responses; To utilize the multiple perspectives different individuals bring to every interaction as a positive tool for problem solving.
“Theatre … the ‘direct experience shared when people imagine and behave as if they were other than themselves in some other place and at another time’. It is a meaning- making endeavor that interprets life and helps us to understand our world.” David Booth
“Drama is a bridge of understanding between students and the text.” Melissa McQueen
MOVEMENT “Adding physicality, voice and emotional value to a text shifts students from decoding to comprehension.” Melissa McQueen
IMPROVIZATION “We learn by doing, not by being told or even being shown.”
DIALOGUE “Humans create themselves by means of the dialogue made possible by language, art and culture.”
CHARACTERIZATION “Identifying moments of new understanding or the turning points in a character’s life requires: reflection and analysis of role and situation; offers insight into the character’s present situation through the creation of their possible past and future; accentuates the relationships between cause and effect.”
Resources Structuring Drama Work Structuring Drama Work Jonothan Neelands and Tony Goode Jonothan Neelands and Tony Goode Theatre for Community, Conflict and Dialogue Theatre for Community, Conflict and Dialogue Michael Rohd Michael Rohd