Structured drama experiences play an important supportive role in the speaking, listening, writing, and reading processes by allowing students to discover and experience the interdependent nature of communication. Drama experiences such as drama in context help students to develop:
Dramas in context are structured explorations of situations, issues, or topics. A drama in context is an evolving drama experience, rather than one based on a script. The structure evolves as the drama progresses through constant reflection and on-the-spot planning by the teacher and students. The overall structure of the drama includes starting points (beginnings), exploration episodes (middles), and closure (endings). This attention to structure differentiates dramas in context from role plays. Contextual dramas may take place in one class period or they may continue over several periods, evolving in new directions as students’ imaginations lead them to explore new possibilities.
Within dramas in context, students explore fictions, issues, events, or life experiences and create their dramatic explorations based on personal response and group decision making. Drama in context includes students in all phases of the experience, from the initial planning right through to the final reflection session.
The main purpose of drama in context is to have students imagine the thoughts and feelings of others in meaningful situations. Students should also attend to the aesthetic aspects of their drama by considering such elements as conflict, contrasts, and the use of imagery. Although dramas in context are usually not intended for an audience, some might be developed into "collective creations" and presented to other students or parents.
Role of the Teacher
The teacher’s role is extremely important in contextual dramas. In addition to maintaining a classroom climate that is conducive to creative thinking and problem solving, the teacher adopts roles in the drama and works along with the students. This places the teacher in a position to guide the students’ learning from within the drama. The teacher can stimulate the students’ imaginations by providing starting points for their thinking (e.g., by adopting the role of a messenger with a mysterious letter).
It is essential that the teacher ask appropriate questions throughout the drama. The most important questions in helping students plan a drama in context begin with "what if" (e.g., What if this character encountered ...? What if this took place in ...? What if the battle had been lost and the people were faced with ...?)
Before the Drama in Context
Before participating in a drama in context, students and the teacher should:
During the Drama in Context
During the drama both teacher and students work in role. Some students will adopt the role of a particular individual (e.g., the chairperson of a board) and some students will work as a group (e.g., the stockholders at a company meeting). The roles should change throughout the drama and students should be provided with opportunities to work in a variety of groupings: whole group, small group, pairs, individually, and half and half ( half work, half watch).
During the drama, the teacher asks questions that encourage students to explore, seek information, branch out in different directions, express opinions, reflect on their work, and decide in which direction to go next. At any point in the drama, the work can challenge the teacher and students to choose new strategies and alter their process. They should remember that dramas in context develop episode by episode as the work progresses and as students’ imaginations provide new possibilities.
After the Drama in Context
Reflection can take may forms. Discussion can be initiated with questions such as the following: What was our purpose and did we achieve it? What new thoughts did we have about the situation we explored? If we were to continue the drama, in what direction might it go?
Reflection can also include journal writing, drawing, and other personal responses. Participation in dramas in context should be assessed in a variety of ways, as it cannot be assumed that quiet students are not engaged in the drama.
| Structuring a drama in context is a complex process involving extensive planning, problem solving, and reflection by both teacher and students. Teachers wishing to explore drama in context further should consult the drama strand of the arts education curriculum guide for planning information. Teachers might consider a collaboration with the drama teacher. |