All drama experiences are metaphorical; they are symbolic representations of life. As students make connections between dramatic situations and their own life experiences, they will discover meanings that they may not have otherwise uncovered. Making and sharing these connections will enable students to clarify, deepen and extend individual understanding of human behaviour and to discover universal meanings within dramatic situations.
Reflection is an important part of this process, as it is during periods of reflection that students will take the time to consider and clarify these meanings and to share their understanding with others. Their spoken and written comments will provide evidence of the extent to which they genuinely use reflection to uncover meaning in the work.
Evaluation
When evaluating an individual student's progress toward achieving this objective, the teacher can observe the following:
Experiences in drama provide students with opportunities to become self-confident, self-disciplined, self-motivated learners. By working with other students in a supportive, co-operative environment in which all contributions are honoured, students will develop trust in the group and will participate openly and confidently.
The more secure the students feel in the class and the more experience they have working in dramatic situations, the more confident they will feel and the deeper will be their commitment to the group and its work. Each individual will accept more responsibility for the success of the collective work of the class. Students will learn that many of their in-class experiences can be enhanced by out-of-class activities such as researching, rehearsing, participating in workshops, working with other drama groups and attending dramatic presentations. Self-motivated students will become independent learners who will initiate enrichment
experiences for themselves and will bring back to the class the insights and understanding they have gained from those experiences.
Evaluation
When evaluating the self-confidence, self-discipline and self-motivation of an individual student, the teacher can observe the following:
All drama experiences are collective in nature. Through experiences in drama, students will learn to work co-operatively with others and will develop an understanding of the processes involved in working in groups of various sizes. Students will develop abilities in listening, expressing and initiating ideas, negotiating, problem-solving, decision-making and consensus-building.
Increased experience in group work will result in increased competence in group processes. Students will be able to work in both large and small groups with a minimum of direction from the teacher. They will not only perform a number of different functions within groups; they will also initiate out-of-class experiences to enhance the work of the group. They will learn to use self-evaluation to set personal goals for growth in their abilities in group processes.
Evaluation
When evaluating an individual student's progress in group process abilities, the teacher should observe the student's behaviour in various groups, provide opportunities for the student to reflect on his or her contributions to the work of these groups, and ask the student to evaluate his or her own contributions to specific group projects. The teacher can consider the following:
As students work together to create their own works of dramatic art, and as they study works created by others, they will develop an understanding of the processes and elements involved in creating such works. Processes in which students may be involved include choosing topics, researching, synthesizing, identifying the focus of their work, translating ideas into dramatic form, reflecting, refining, scripting, rehearsing and performing.
Students will also incorporate into their work the theatre elements of focus, tension, contrasts and symbol. It is the existence of focus, tension, contrasts and symbol within drama that creates form and uncovers and deepens meaning. These elements function to serve the intentions of all dramatic artists (playwrights, actors, directors, set designers, etc.) and to connect the work of all of them in the dramatic art they create together. It is important that students learn to recognize the theatre elements and understand how they function, both within their own work and within works of dramatic art created by others.
Students' understanding of these processes and elements will be demonstrated in their increased ability to work productively in structuring and participating in contextual dramas, improvisations and episodes in collective creation, as well as in their ability to apply their understanding to their work with scripts. By using a process like "Looking at Plays", students will also be able to recognize and discuss the existence and function of the theatre elements in drama experienced as audience.
Evaluation
When evaluating an individual student's progress toward achieving this objective, the teacher should observe the behaviour of the student and provide opportunities for the student to reflect on the progress of the work. The teacher can observe the following:
When students translate their ideas into dramatic form, they strive to symbolically represent life as they know it. The skills and abilities that students use in these dramatic representations are ones they have acquired, for the most part unconsciously, in their daily lives. Acting skills are essentially communication skills.
Students who have extensive experience working within dramatic situations will have developed a number of skills and abilities that they will apply to the creation of works of dramatic art. The students will be able to refine the skills they have developed and to explore various acting styles that may be new to them.
These skills will not be developed in isolation but will be incorporated throughout the students' drama experiences. Depending on the requirements of the work at hand, students may work on developing specific acting skills that will help them to better express and communicate their ideas. The development of a specific skill might be one of several objectives for a unit of work; development of another skill might be included in the objectives for the next unit.
Evaluation
When evaluating the development of acting skills for an individual student, the teacher should observe the student's work and provide opportunities for the student to reflect upon his or her progress in the development of specific skills. The teacher can observe the following:
Students may have opportunities to view live dramatic presentations. Productions are mounted regularly by professional theatre companies, community theatre groups and school groups. Some of the provinces professional and non-professional theatre companies sponsor touring plays for schools and communities.
Teachers can guide students toward deeper understanding and greater enjoyment of their experiences as playgoers. A process like "Looking at Plays" provides students with opportunities to thoughtfully discuss dramatic presentations and to write carefully considered play reviews. Students should also practice applying critical analysis to their own work and that of their classmates. Open, supportive discussion of student work in class can help students to become more informed audience members outside of class.
Evaluation
When evaluating an individual student's progress toward achieving this objective, the teacher can observe the following:
Through the creation of works of dramatic art and the study of works created by others in present and past cultures, students will learn how drama both reflects and influences societies. In their work in drama, students will draw on their own cultural backgrounds and learn how their drama reflects their understanding of their world. By studying the works of some of today's dramatic artists, students will have opportunities to explore the cultural views expressed by them and to increase their knowledge and understanding of various cultures. By studying the various forms that dramatic expression has taken in the past, students will become aware of the cultural influences and effects of drama in earlier times and across cultures and will begin to understand how dramatic art form has evolved.
Students will demonstrate the connections they have made between their cultural backgrounds and their own work in the form and content of the work itself and also in oral and written comments during reflection periods. They will demonstrate their understanding of the role of drama in various cultures in their critical analysis of dramatic presentations and in their ability to share with their classmates their knowledge of the various forms that dramatic expression can take.
Evaluation
When evaluating an individual student's progress toward achieving this objective, the teacher may observe the following: