Benefits of Drama in Education
Research reveals the positive impact of drama on a student’s Physical, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Development.
· Self – Confidence: Taking risks in class and performing for an audience, teach students to trust their ideas and abilities. The confidence gained in drama applies to school, career, and life.
· Imagination: Making creative choices, thinking of new ideas, and interpreting familiar material in new ways are essential to drama. Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
· Empathy: Acting roles from different situations, time periods, and cultures promotes compassion and tolerance for others feelings and viewpoints.
· Cooperation/ Collaboration: Theatre combines the creative ideas and abilities of its participants. This cooperative process includes discussion, negotiating, rehearsing, and performing.
· Concentration: Playing, practicing, and performing develop a sustained focus of mind, body, and voice, which also helps in other school subjects and life.
· Communication Skills: Drama enhances verbal and nonverbal expression of ideas. It improves voice projection, articulation of words, fluency with language, and persuasive speech. Listening and observation skills develop by playing drama games, being an audience, rehearsing and performing.
· Problem Solving: Students learn how to communicate the who, what, where, and why to te audience. Improvisation fosters quick-thinking solutions, which leads to greater adaptability in life.
· Fun: Drama brings play, humor, and laughter to learning; this improves motivation and reduces stress.
· Emotional Outlet: Pretend play and drama games allow students to express a range of emotions. Aggression and tension are released in a safe, controlled environment, reducing antisocial behaviors.
· Relaxation: Many drama activities reduce stress by releasing mental, physical and emotional tension.
· Self- Discipline: The process of moving from ideas to actions to performances teaches the value of practice and perseverance. Drama games and creative movement improve self-control.
· Trust: The social interaction and risk taking in drama develop trust in self, others, and the process.
· Physical Fitness: Movement in drama improves flexibility, coordination, balance, and control.
· Memory: Rehearsing and performing words. Movements, and cues strengthen this skill like a muscle.
· Social Awareness: Legends, myths. Poems. Stories, and plays used in drama teach students about social issues and conflicts form cultures, past and present, all over the world.
· Aesthetic Appreciation: Participating in and viewing theatre raise appreciation for the art form. It is important to raise a generation that understands, values, and supports theaters place in society.
- From www.DramaEd.net Copyright 2005 J. Basom
· Self – Confidence: Taking risks in class and performing for an audience, teach students to trust their ideas and abilities. The confidence gained in drama applies to school, career, and life.
· Imagination: Making creative choices, thinking of new ideas, and interpreting familiar material in new ways are essential to drama. Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
· Empathy: Acting roles from different situations, time periods, and cultures promotes compassion and tolerance for others feelings and viewpoints.
· Cooperation/ Collaboration: Theatre combines the creative ideas and abilities of its participants. This cooperative process includes discussion, negotiating, rehearsing, and performing.
· Concentration: Playing, practicing, and performing develop a sustained focus of mind, body, and voice, which also helps in other school subjects and life.
· Communication Skills: Drama enhances verbal and nonverbal expression of ideas. It improves voice projection, articulation of words, fluency with language, and persuasive speech. Listening and observation skills develop by playing drama games, being an audience, rehearsing and performing.
· Problem Solving: Students learn how to communicate the who, what, where, and why to te audience. Improvisation fosters quick-thinking solutions, which leads to greater adaptability in life.
· Fun: Drama brings play, humor, and laughter to learning; this improves motivation and reduces stress.
· Emotional Outlet: Pretend play and drama games allow students to express a range of emotions. Aggression and tension are released in a safe, controlled environment, reducing antisocial behaviors.
· Relaxation: Many drama activities reduce stress by releasing mental, physical and emotional tension.
· Self- Discipline: The process of moving from ideas to actions to performances teaches the value of practice and perseverance. Drama games and creative movement improve self-control.
· Trust: The social interaction and risk taking in drama develop trust in self, others, and the process.
· Physical Fitness: Movement in drama improves flexibility, coordination, balance, and control.
· Memory: Rehearsing and performing words. Movements, and cues strengthen this skill like a muscle.
· Social Awareness: Legends, myths. Poems. Stories, and plays used in drama teach students about social issues and conflicts form cultures, past and present, all over the world.
· Aesthetic Appreciation: Participating in and viewing theatre raise appreciation for the art form. It is important to raise a generation that understands, values, and supports theaters place in society.
- From www.DramaEd.net Copyright 2005 J. Basom
Connect Charter School drama will embody the following characteristics:
“Individual growth is facilitated through instruction while encouraging students to explore their own creative energy. We recognize the value of inspiration vs. direction and aim to create a fun, productive environment of respect, positivity, exploration and achievement.”
- Theatre Works Alberta
“Individual growth is facilitated through instruction while encouraging students to explore their own creative energy. We recognize the value of inspiration vs. direction and aim to create a fun, productive environment of respect, positivity, exploration and achievement.”
- Theatre Works Alberta
“It's never just an ordinary day!” (especially in drama!)
“Drama is both an art form and a medium for learning and teaching. It can develop the whole person — emotionally, physically, intellectually, imaginatively, aesthetically, and socially — by giving form and meaning to experience through “acting out”. It fosters positive group interaction as students learn to make accommodations in order to pursue shared goals.
The dramatic growth parallels the natural development of the student. This growth is fostered in an atmosphere that is non-competitive, cooperative, supportive, joyful yet challenging.
The overall goal of drama is to foster a positive self-concept in students by encouraging them to explore life by the assumption of roles and by the acquisition of dramatic skills. The imaginative exploration involves setting up a dramatic situation, “acting out” that situation, communicating within that situation and reflecting on the consequences. It is this reflection that provides the knowledge for self-development. “
- Alberta Program of Studies
“Drama is both an art form and a medium for learning and teaching. It can develop the whole person — emotionally, physically, intellectually, imaginatively, aesthetically, and socially — by giving form and meaning to experience through “acting out”. It fosters positive group interaction as students learn to make accommodations in order to pursue shared goals.
The dramatic growth parallels the natural development of the student. This growth is fostered in an atmosphere that is non-competitive, cooperative, supportive, joyful yet challenging.
The overall goal of drama is to foster a positive self-concept in students by encouraging them to explore life by the assumption of roles and by the acquisition of dramatic skills. The imaginative exploration involves setting up a dramatic situation, “acting out” that situation, communicating within that situation and reflecting on the consequences. It is this reflection that provides the knowledge for self-development. “
- Alberta Program of Studies