Drama as a Tool for Learning

Irish M. PangilinanBA Theatre Arts

MA Educational Psychology

The Importance of Arts in Education (Maslow)Systems of communicationTeach us about human interactionDemand creativity in problem-

solvingTeach us about coping and growingChallenge our perceptionTeach us to sense and interpret the

world around usBring us pleasure

The Importance of Arts in Education (Maslow)Teach us to enjoy both learning and

livingEmploy metaphor and teach us to

discover and likeness among things seemingly unlike

Depend upon individualism and teach us to discover our strengths and weaknesses

Like the sciences, the arts have a power to train and motivate.

Drama

It directly involves the child, and an involved child would be interested in learning. (Smith, 1972)

“…theatre answers man’s universal demand to have his feelings moved, the monotony of his life broken up, and his nobler self started into action. The drama, is therefore, inescapable in the social life of the children and must be considered in their education.”

(Merill and Fleming, 1930).

Common Problems Encountered by Teachers in the Use of DramaDramatic activities tend to be placed

at the “edge” of the official curriculum

Time-consuming and unnecessaryTeachers are unfamiliar with

facilitating dramatic activitiesDramatic activities are so playful

that teachers might be afraid that children will not take learning seriously

Studies on the Use of Drama as a Teaching Tool

Ulas (2008)

He carried out a study on the effects of drama in developing oral skills in primary school children (p. 876).

Ulas (2008)

The results of the study show that there is a significant improvement on the cognitive skills of students through the use of dramatic activities compared to the use of traditional teaching methods (p. 879)

AldaveroShe applied drama in conducting her class focusing on the development of oral spontaneous communication and she believed that drama can help students to communicate through a second language regardless of limited vocabulary (p. 40).

Aldavero

“The students improved self-confidence, use of language, vocabulary, and a good capacity for cooperative work in the classroom.” (p. 42).

Bellieveau (2007)He did a study on the implications of a drama-based practicum on pre-service teachers and grade six students (p. 47). The study proved that there was a great advantage in the implementation of drama as a pedagogical approach (p. 62).

Bellieveau (2007)

In addition, development on strengths such as collaborative work, leadership skills and self-esteem was clearly manifested (p. 62).

Murillo (2007)

“I needed to trigger communicative competences in my students. Along with language awareness, I desired to activate critical thinking skills and include a socio- affective component, all within a short period of time, and Drama seemed to be an interesting and effective tool to accomplish those requirements. Interesting, because it is motivating and fun, and effective because it deals with a variety of aspects of language and communication.” (p.9)

Krueger and Ranalili (2003)They focused on improving

literacy skills such as expression, fluency, and comprehension through the use of drama in the reading curriculum (p. ii).

Krueger and Ranalili (2003)Results show that the use of drama as an intervention in the reading curriculum had a positive effect in developing literacy which included the areas of fluency, comprehension, summarization, and sequencing.

Fernsler (2003)

He did a comparative study on social studies instruction which incorporated drama and that of which remained traditional.

Fernsler (2003)

The results manifested a significant difference between the two. Students who received social studies instruction with drama got higher test scores on their exam compared to those who did not (p. 18).

Littledyke (2001)

He examined the effects of dramatic activities in the study of primary science. The author also did a comparative study between instruction with and without drama.

Littledyke (2001)

Results showed that for those who participated in dramatic activities, there was an increase in the understanding of concepts, an improvement in recall of details and scientific accuracy and a manifestation of positive attitudes toward health.

Murillo (2007)“In conclusion, drama applied in the

classroom significantly enhances the students´ cognitive, metacognitive and socio-affective skills, providing them with new tools to understand their own inner processes and those of others, and to develop strategies for learning and communicating more effectively.” (p. 2)

Drama in Promoting Literacy McMaster (1998)

Drama motivate students to participate and facilitate ideas in reading instruction;

Dramatization provides a wide range of experiences for future reading;

Dramatization helps in developing symbolic representation;

Dramatic activities provide a room for one to practice language fluency;

Drama may introduce new vocabularies that may help the students acquire meanings visually, aurally, and kinesthetically;

Drama serves as a room for developing word order, proper phrasing and punctuation;

Drama helps the students to get familiarized with genres of literature especially non-fiction;

In drama, the students may observe their comprehension skills and develop strategies in reading; and,

Drama can be used by teachers as a medium for evaluation since it provides an immediate comprehension check. (p. 3)

What Drama Helps to DevelopProblem-Solving Skills and CreativityPositive Self-ConceptSocial AwarenessEmpathyValues and AttitudesAn Understanding of the Art of TheatreLanguage and Communication

Significance of the StudyIt may provide new perspectives on the field

of theatre arts as a venue for discovering new learning strategies that can be applied in the field of education.

It may introduce and serve as a collaborative effort between theatre practitioners and educators for the advancement of the country’s educational system.

Thank you very much!