The following process has been adapted for this document from the Drama strand of the Arts Education Curriculum Guide for Grade Nine.

The Process At A Glance

Step Two (Process in Detail) Structuring the Drama Contextual dramas and subsequent collective creations do require planning, and it is important for teachers to become familiar with and use the process for structuring a drama as they approach drama teaching. (This process is described in the following section entitled "The Process in Detail".) It is recommended that teachers begin the year's work by structuring and working within a short drama (three or four episodes). This enables them to work in role and allows the students to work in roles of their own choosing, through different strategies and in a range of groupings. This will provide all teachers with knowledge about their students' ability to work within dramatic contexts. It will give teachers, who may not be experienced with this way of working, a sense of how dramas "work".

Step Three (Process in Detail) Working Within the Drama Within dramatic contexts, teachers are challenged to undertake some unique functions and responsibilities. This guide will offer some tips on how dramas "work" and suggest a number of ways in which teachers may be required to function within them. Only experience, however, will provide answers to most of the questions that arise out of studying the yearly plan, reading the model units, structuring a drama and attempting to anticipate students' responses. Students who have experience working within dramatic contexts may be able to contribute readily to the shape and direction of the work as it unfolds.

Step Four (Process in Detail) Shaping and Refining the Collective Creation Not all dramas will be developed into collective creations. However, when a class decides to extend the work from one of their dramas into a collective creation, they must be prepared to engage in a process of purposeful decision-making toward that end. They will be required to reflect carefully upon the drama through which they have worked, re-examine the focus of the work and be able to articulate clearly what it is they wish to communicate with their collective creation. They will have to identify those episodes of the drama that they believe best support their intention and commit themselves to refining and sequencing those (and, perhaps, some new episodes as well) into their collective creation. The teacher's responsibility as director of the collective creation begins here. A concept for the development of the play must be established by consideration of such questions as: What is this play about? How can it be structured so that our intention will be clear? What is the "glue" or the "central thread" that will hold our play together?

Step Five (Process in Detail) Rehearsing and Performing the Collective Creation If the students commit themselves to performing their collective creation, their work must be rehearsed and polished whether the audience is to be another class of their peers, younger students, the whole student body, their parents, the entire community or a video camera. Their first collective creations may be as short as ten minutes in length. The collective creations of secondary level students may be rehearsed either as improvisational pieces (works that are not scripted) or as scripted works. Either the teacher or students, who are keenly interested in directing, may function as director. Usually collective creations are produced using simple staging techniques; that is, without elaborate sets, costumes, lighting, etc.

Step Six (Process in Detail) Reflection It is very important that students are provided with frequent opportunities (both in and out of role) to recall, react to and describe their drama experiences. Reflection can take a variety of both public and personal forms. Whole group discussion, tableaux, prepared improvisation, drawing, writing in role, journal writing and other strategies can tap into students' thinking about their work. Times for reflection should be structured into each drama and will be required spontaneously as the work unfolds. Reflection must also occur as a summative or final experience for each drama and, when one is developed, for each collective creation.