The Benefits of Drama in Education - Essay Example

?The Benefits of Drama in Education The Benefits of Drama in Education Creativity is crucial in the improvement and development of society especially among the developing children. Therefore, I have ever applied the drama techniques in my teaching to help children develop through effective and proper learning skills (Bresler, 2007; Pg. 78). As a drama teacher, I have come to learn that it is essential to be flexible, sensible, and multidimensional in thinking in creative drama to make learning environment interesting to the pupils. These elements and principles often influence the pupils’ fluency, thinking, and independent interactive. Hence, I have ever used drama techniques throughout my career to help pupils arrive at various solutions to their learning and social problems and difficulties. The main concepts of drama that have helped to achieve my teaching goals as well as helping in solving numerous problems include pupils are often encouraged through drama to exercise originality that usually help them have different solutions to their problems especially when they apply the simple creativity achieved through drama skills or techniques. Many pupils usually misunderstand thereby misuse the word drama. The main problem that I have realized among my pupils is they whenever the word drama is mentioned, they only think of acting. However, I usually change this notion by teaching them to understand that drama techniques and concepts are the surest way of enhancing the learning process and development. Through my practice, I understand that drama concepts provide appropriate activities that provide opportunities for supporting, revealing, and developing creativity in pupils that usually lead to their career realization and development. Therefore, I helped them through educational concepts including words, sentences, behaviours, ideas, and events including game or games. Drama is a vital element in learning since it develops a sure means of understanding and conceptualization as well as integration of learning objects, forms, techniques, and elements. Pupils especially of the stage 3 are usually challenged in life and in most cases they often lack direction. Drama techniques are in themselves instructional methods; therefore, I applied same drama instructional techniques to help pupils to develop themselves into multi dimensions. In this case, I often use the drama skills that are geared towards emphasizing instructions and education processes with a high degree of creativity. This skill has ever been successful since it enables pupils to perceive life from different perspectives. Moreover, the technique makes the learning process productive and interactive as opposed to the current norm of teacher student learning that leaves the entire teaching processes passive. Pupils often come from different background and community setting; thus, they often have different and varied character traits that makes it difficult to interact freely and constructively (Bresler, 2007; Pg. 105) among themselves. This problem of erects barriers of communication, collaboration, and cooperation. In such cases, I help the affected pupil or pupils by creating constructive behavioural opportunities practices. Through this concept or skill I usually incorporate the basic cooperation and collaborative skills to help the pupils in developing their self-esteem and self-confidence. Notably, I usually execute this drama skill by encouraging collective responsibility by grouping pupils and encourage them to work as a unit (Ruppert, 2006; Pg. 22). The group work encourages socialization through learning. Additionally, I usually use group work since the groups encourage the pupils’ social potential energy through group participation that in turn helps them develop good communication skills and problem solving skills. Many pupils usually have the problem of hiding self identity. In most cases, when pupils are grouped for a task, most of them often tend to leave the task to others. Through drama, I usually offer active participation as opposed to being passive. This usually encourages independence as opposed to dependency. In other words, I often use group work, which is also a drama skill to encourage independent decision making and making my pupils democratic in their individual thinking, problem solving, decision making. Unlike other group works that the harbours lazy student, I usually apply drama grouping and encourages pupils to demonstrate individual skills since drama processes usually provide an individual with an opportunity of self-actualization (National Foundation for Educational Research in England and Wales, 1995; Pg. 41). Moreover, the sense of group work enables sharing of responsibility; therefore, widening the pupils’ application of concepts. Additionally, pupils often develop some fear due to different environments that they come from as well as because of a new face and persons they meet for the first time (Peter, 1994; Pg. 122). In this case, I use drama to develop courage by introducing them to new drama experiences especially those that enable them to be at peace with themselves. Moreover, I use drama to develop tolerance among pupils and towards each other and this is usually achieved through slotting responsibility to each member of the drama group. Other than delegating responsibility to members, I ask them to independently examine a particular educational concept, synthesize, and apply their knowledge, as it would be in real life thereby widening their thinking. At the stage 3 and 4, it is appropriate that pupils recognize themselves since it is at this stage that pupils often develop a creative personality and realizes their skills. However, in some cases, these concepts are never be encountered. It is worth noting that creative drama helps me train pupils towards self-development especially through oral creativity (Omeroglu, 1990; Pg. 77). For instance, just like Omeroglu (1990; Pg. 80), who conducted his research among the pupils of between 5 and 6 years and concluded that he who participated in the oral creative drama were highly successful in their post-test compared to those who did not participate in the same. On the other hand, in the year 1993 (Pg. 52), Akin examined the effect of drama in education particularly in relation to the child's socialization level. In his findings, Akin realized that a reasonable increase in the level of socialization among the students who had experience in drama education than those who had none. Therefore, I usually use drama to encourage socialization among pupils. Creative drama activities are essential and invaluable techniques in education teaching and solving problem experienced by pupils. To achieve effective problem solving skills, it is proper for the teacher to adopt and apply appropriate the teaching drama skills in education. Therefore, as a teacher, other than being a leader of pupils, I often become pupils’ peers by taking a subservient role and I usually apply this concept of first understanding the problem and developing teaching lesson plan that will eradicate the same. Additionally, I often put the pupils into groups and slot them roles individually to encourage full individual participation as opposed to passive participation in class as it is in their groups. I usually slot responsibility for each pupil thereafter I step into and out of such slotted roles to encourage the development of pupils within the topic or developmental area targeted by lessons and problem solving. List of References Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form AKIN, M. (1993). Farkl? Sosyo-Ekonomik Duzeylerdeki Ilkokul Ucuncu S?n?f Ogrencilerinin Sosyallesme Duzeylerine Yarat?c? Draman?n Etkisi (The effect of creative drama on 3th grade students’ socialization in different socioeconomic level). Yay?nlanmam?s yuksek lisans tezi (Unpublished master thesis). Ankara: Ankara Universitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitusu. BRESLER, L. (2007). International handbook of research in arts education, Pt. 2. Dordrecht, Springer. NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH IN ENGLAND AND WALES. (1995). Register of educational research in the United Kingdom. London, Routledge. OMEROGLU, E. (1990). Anaokuluna Giden Bes-Alt? Yas?ndaki K?z ve Erkek Cocuklar?n Sozel Yarat?c?l?klar?n?n Gelisimine Yarat?c? Drama Egitiminin Etkisi (The effect of creative drama on 5th and 6th year pupils’ development of verbal creativity). Yay?nlanmam?s doktora tezi (Unpublished doctoral thesis). Ankara: Hacettepe Universitesi Sagl?k Bilimleri Enstitusu. PETER, M. (1994). Drama for all: developing drama in the curriculum with pupils with special educational needs. London, D. Fulton. RUPPERT, S. S. (2006). Critical Evidence. How the ARTS Benefit Student Achievement. NY: the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and the Arts Education Partnership. Retrieved May 7, 2013, from http://www.nasaa-arts.org/Research/Key-Topics/Arts-Education/critical-evidence.pdfBottom of Form Read More