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RESOURCES FOR YOU

Useful Apps for Teachers: -Sock puppets -iBroadway -Dramatic music app -Index card -Index card board for iPad -Story liner -Story skeleton -Belfry sound effects player -Drama prop box -Drama resource -Vocal warm-ups and tongue twisters

Useful Books for Teachers: -Creative Drama and Music Methods: Introductory Activities for Children. Janet E. Rubin & Margaret Merrion Includes: Resources, project ideas, group story building, improvisation, creative movement, sound awareness, ice breakers

-Curriculum: Art, Music, Movement, Drama; A Beginnings Workshop Book. By Bonnie Neugebauer Includes: Fabulous Activities (pp 78-80) -Improve teaching and learning in the arts. By Mary Kear and Gloria Callaway. Includes: Information around why the arts is important

-Getting the buggers into drama. By Sue Cowley.             Includes: A humerous take on effect strategies to incorporate drama in lessons and the importance of drama - Games, ideas and activities for Primary Drama. By Michael Theodorou Includes: 150 unique games/activities to support drama in the classroom

Useful Tips for Teachers: -Have a prop box in your classroom, 'full of unusual odds and ends that stimulate ideas’. -'Be open’ do not prepare predetermined responses, withhold personal responses in order to allow students to determine their own. You need to be flexible and adaptive. -Use drama as a warm up or engaging ice breaker to mix the lesson up and re-focus students

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DRAMA RESOURCES + TEACHER = CONFIDENT TEACHER = ENGAGED KIDS

Students need the opportunity to both view and experience art. Viewing/observing art: Children need 'suitable, interesting and challenging stimulus and experiences' as starting points. As adults we have been exposed to a lot of art experiences, it's important we give students these opportunities too as the arts are a 'response to our thirst for knowledge, insight and revelation', we use and develop our ability to question, explore, collaborate, extend and develop ones ideas’. We need to teach children to genuinely 'see and listen' to art. We need to teach them 'how to be a member of an audience', become 'discerning, active consumers, able to engage with the arts at all levels in an informed and critical way'. It's important we expose them to a variety of different art forms so we can model and teach these skills. Art forms such as: -creative writing (literature and poetry) -visual arts -drama -music -movement and dance -new media (photography, film, television, computer art) "HEY YOU COPIED ME!!" is a phrase I hear often in the classroom, however in the arts 'we need to acknowledge students may have been inspired' by a work of art. We need to ensure we model these excellence art forms to our students as 'excellence inspires and motivates greater understanding, effort and achievement'.  Do not punish your students for 'copying' or taking ideas, rather acknowledge that they are trying to achieve excellence. Creating art: Firstly, we need to expose students to 'valuable, thought provoking, intense and satisfying or challenging events' such as: -Live or videoed performances -YouTube videos (Miniscule, movie trailers) -Trips to the farm or zoo (Chesterfield Farm, Healsville Sancturary, Australia Zoo) -Visits to galleries or museums (National Gallery of Victoria, Scienceworks, Melbourne Museum, Melbourne Gaol) These experiences give us opportunities to reflect upon new understandings, questions and feelings. Examples: -create a soundscape, each student creates one sound and repeats, students join in one by one when they feel ready -brainstorm questions students may have after the experience, research them, present them through drama -students recreate their favourite part of the excursion/experience by re-creating/enacting -students to imagine what might happen if… 'The animals escaped from the farm' or 'The animals began to talk' and work in groups to create a drama piece -students create a news report/mini movie/ad by filming themselves and using technologies such as iMovie -create a claymation -students to imagine what it is like to be a convict/endangered animal, individually starting from the floor in a neutral position, come alive (like a flower growing), go through different stages of their lives perhaps, exploring emotions, actions, body stance, expression -students to walk through the room in neutral, then with a purpose, then challenge students to walk through the room as if they were 'Annie from the musical we recently viewed'… 'Now try Mr Warbucks when he found out Annie was kidnapped' ect. Incorporating Drama into Literacy: Narratives: are 'the telling of stories with words, still or moving pictures, movements and sounds, forms or the basis of much human communication'. 'Teachers read, tell and re-tell stories about the past, present and future. They may dramatise, personalise, sequence, chronicle, illustrate and contextualise subject context to support learning, because they know that children respond positively to these strategies and they have found that working in this way helps children to think and learn'. -Kear & Callaway 2000 Ideas to use drama when exploring narratives: -Students to act out narratives already created/ones they create, going through the same process of a beginning, middle/problem and an ending/solution. -Students watch other narratives, record the important parts of the story (summarising and determining important information) -Students to explore the use of minimalist words to tell a story (explore Indigenous storytelling) -Students to explore the use of sound when telling a story, tell your story only using sound (no words), facial expressions and movement. -Students to act out and film narratives, edit and add sounds/text if necessary. -Improvisation, ask students individually to listen to a narrative read out, act it out using movements as the story carries on. -View short movies/YouTube clips, watch only the beginning or the end, ask students to create the missing part of the narrative through drama.

Reading a book -Act it out with students and have a narrator -Bring the story alive using voice and imagination -Ask students to imagine parts of the story they aren't told, 'How do the three bears make the porridge? Where do they go on their walk? What do they do?' allow students to use their imagination and 'accept all contributions' -Allow students to create their own play to retell the story -Allow students to improvise a different ending -Incorporate musical instruments, exploring when best to use them and what emotions/experiences they may represent. Read a story once for comprehension and get students to think about when it might be appropriate to bang the drum loudly or jingle the tambourine happily. In groups ask students to retell the story with a narrator and instruments, perform to the class/record themselves. Using puppets -works well for 'shy children' as they feel comfortable 'speaking to or through a puppet' -create your own, give them character profiles

Making music and singing songs -Enable us to absorb vocabulary, rhythm, and structure of language -Dramatic songs that encourage movement -Create soundscapes using our bodies focusing on movements and sounds. Can link this to our senses. Can also link this to digital literacy and descriptions. - Experiment with sounds and try out different body movements

Incorporating the arts into Numeracy: There isn't a lot out there in the world wide web  on this particular topic. However I usually include drama a lot during worded problems in maths. Getting students to act them out helps give them a visual and kinaesthetic understanding. Check out this website for some ideas: http://susanpope.com/lesson-plans/math-drama-lessons.html

Incorporating Drama into Science: Science is pretty easy to incorporate drama into. Most lesson plans online have dramatic aspects. Students can use their bodies and voices to explain understandings. -Students act out their predictions and results. -Students to create movies/news reports to demonstrate understanding on specific content (example natural disasters).

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INCLUSIVITY + DRAMA

How can drama be inclusive you ask?? Are you thinking about your diverse group of students, wondering how on earth they are all going to react and participate in drama? ‘Naturally the arts invite -participation -response -inspiration -challenge’ As teachers it is our responsibility that we cater for the diversity our children bring to the classroom. Our students all bring their past experiences, feelings, questions, ideas and thoughts to school and it is our job to engage, challenge, grow and motivate these students to be the best people they can be. In our classrooms it is likely we will have students with disabilities, english as an additional language and students with challenging behaviours. Drama is such an easy way we can engage all of these students, whether 'alone or with a group of peers, the sense of self-satisfaction that can be gained from creating something in this way can serve to develop a child's self-esteem’. Students who may have 'limited spoken or written language or some form of impairment' (sensory, physical, intellectual, emotional, behavioural)  need opportunities to express their ideas and feelings in a multi sensory approach. It is important to adapt and adjust drama activities to ensure all students are included and will get something out of the experience. Peers need to see these students for their abilities, not just the disability. A way to include disabled students may be to create the drama/art experience around them, giving them the spotlight and feeling of importance. A quote I love: 'The arts in school celebrate diversity. They teach that there are many ways of seeing and interpreting our world and that people can look at the world from many different perspectives. Through a rich and varied arts education, students can discover common perceptions and interpretations and learn to celebrate similarities and differences between each other. Children learning together in this way can enjoy worthwhile educational experiences, educational equity and perhaps ultimately, achieve greater social justice' -Kear & Callaway

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DRAMA + CHILDREN = GROWTH + LEARNING

It is so important that we include drama in our teaching as we know that students all learn in different ways and through different forms. There are SO many benefits that the arts offer, they 'support intellectual, social and emotional development, while offering children opportunities to develop subject-based skills, knowledge and understanding that can apply across the rest of the curriculum'.

The arts promote: Cognitive development: -organisation -problem solving -sequencing, ordering and sorting -critical analysis -planning -prediction -estimation -memory development -humour -concentration -decision making -flexibility -inventive thinking -imagination

Social Development: - working together -sharing -listening to each other -taking turns -cooperation -collaboration -communication Physical Development: -through movement

Emotional Development: -self esteem -confidence -address anxiety -express themselves in a non threatening environment -use other characters to express themselves

Self expression The arts give students the chance to express themselves in different ways then just speech. Students can 'express themselves, their ideas, and observations' and in turn develop confidence. Allow your students to 'acquire a feel for what it means to transform ideas, images and feelings into an art form'. Students expressing themselves may give you more of an insight into who they are, their emotions and experiences, helping you learn more about your students.

By incorporating drama into our teaching, we can 'enhance and enrich learning, increase levels of motivation and involvement and bring a renewed sense of purpose into the classroom'. We want engaged, challenged and motivated learners and drama is a fabulous tool to help us achieve this!

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SCHOOLS MINUS DRAMA EQUALS DISASTER

So why is drama neglected in your classroom? Is it: a) "I just don’t know anything about the arts!" b) "I just can't do art!" c) "I don't have enough confidence to teach drama"  d) "I don’t have enough resources"  e) "I don't have enough space!"  f) "I don’t have enough time, I need to focus on core subjects first!"

If you were nodding your head reading through those answers, don't be discouraged, you are definitely not alone. Teachers feel unsure about 'their own skills’ often doubting themselves and the vast knowledge bank they contain. But we need to remember, we as teachers are 'skilled organisers and competent managers' and we can definitely do this. No you do not need to be an  expert actress, you do not need expensive elaborate resources or a large space and you do not need to rearrange your entire timetable to include hours of drama. We can integrate drama and art into all subjects, it's just a matter of knowing how!

The first step is understanding that drama isn't all about props and costumes and resources, all you need 'is yourself, your imagination and a desire to learn with and from your students' We expect our student to take risks and step outside of their comfort zones, so why don’t we? Think about it, 'when we teach children, we start with what they know', it's the exact same in drama. Start with what they know, let them be the experts and encourage that exploration. We need to allow students to develop their 'independent thinking' and find a balance between 'expressive action and structured learning'. 'We need to take more courage in daring to introduce ourselves and our pupils to, for example, works of art of pieces of music, which challenge us because they are unfamiliar or even unfathomable'.  Drama gives us the chance to engage and challenge children, it gives us the chance to be courageous (and we all know what happens when we act courageously.... we learn).

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(Eisner 2002)

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Arts are cognitive activities, guided; by human intelligence, that make unique forms of meaning possible

Eisner 1985

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DRAMA + ME

Firstly let me tell you a little bit about myself and why I have decided to create this blog. I was an anxious girl throughout my schooling, very unsure of myself and not too confident. Here are a few memories I have from drama throughout my school life: -I have vague, but positive memories of my drama teacher in primary school, Mrs. Boyce. She always made me feel really good about myself. -In year seven I looked forward to anyday in which drama was scheduled in. It was my absolute favourite subject. -I remember writing my own monologue in year 11 about anxiety, trying to act in front of my peers was the most embarrassing, nerve racking things I had done. -I remember feeling like I wasn’t as good at drama as my peers. -I remember constantly worrying about what others thought of me whilst I was acting. -I remember performing a short improvised skit with some friends in year 12 and the feedback we got. I remember people coming up to me saying “Woa, Rhiannon you’re actually so funny” and “Oh my gosh, your facial expressions are that good!” and my teacher telling me that I needed to use my humor more often in drama. -I remember feeling like I was good enough. -I remember being asked to perform my year 12 drama solo at my high schools annual ‘Master of the arts’ night and in front of my entire year level on the last day of my schooling. -I remember the applause, the laughs, the constructive feedback, the flowers, the whole process that got me there. -I remember it all and I am so thankful I was given the opportunity to grow through drama in my childhood. I truly believe I would not be the fabulous, passionate, expressive, humorous person I am today if it weren’t for drama.