mercredi 15 avril 2015

Teaching Made Fun With Short Plays For The Classroom

By Joanna Walsh


Educators all around the world have one thing in common. They want their students to learn and to enjoy doing so. With short plays for the classroom they can achieve this goal. This is why these literary learning aids are so sought after by educators and curriculum designers around the world.

Engaging the students is a key role of any teacher. Short drama works are ideal for this. The students may be placed in groups and allowed to prepare and make presentations of the drama piece. This keeps students engaged as they work enthusiastically on their presentations, using an estimated fifteen to twenty minutes to plan for a typical five minute performance. When the time for presentation arrives the class is one more engaged as students get to play the role of audience and performers alternately.

The presentation can be turned into something bigger such as a whole school play. In fact, many large school plays had their genesis in classroom productions. Dramatic displays that are done at this level are quite achievement for younger students and older ones alike. Remarkable growth in self esteem is reported by teachers of students who engage in these activities.

Participation in these plays is one way of preparing the youth for the roles they will have to play in society as adults. The fact that they have to work with others during the planning and presentation stages helps them to practice interpersonal communication. This type of communication is key to developing positive social and business relationships. Leadership skills are developed as well since students who are natural leaders can take on the role of directors or producers.

A teacher may use a play as a springboard for the teaching of one or more lessons. The principles explored through the storyline serve as re-enforcers of behavioral goals. These principles include, loyalty, trust, determination and justice. These principles are brought to the fore when discussions on characters and their traits are facilitated. The teacher, in discouraging the emulation of negative characters can highlight the consequences that characters with negative traits face. For characters that demonstrate positive traits the rewards or resulting triumph can be highlighted.

During the preparation and presentation of dramatic pieces students learn curriculum based concepts. One curriculum based goal that these teaching tools help to accomplish is the development of language skills among students. Tactile learners get to develop their skills when they work on the creation of set or stage items. Science principles are taught and enhanced when students have to work out the lighting setting for the stage.

Finding the right drama script is easy for many teachers. They are able to browse one of the many teacher support websites and find a script that suits their students age group and interests as well as the lesson. Some teachers craft their own scrips to make them unique to their situation. Sometimes the script is created as a special project with students and teacher contributing to the finished play. This is very important as, in some circumstances, the perfect script is simply not out there as yet.

Inspiring teachers fill their students with an enthusiasm for learning. In the long term this converts into a desire to excel and to change the world for better. The power of drama in the hands of the right teacher cannot be underestimated as it plants the seeds of knowledge, growth and ambition that later bear fruits such as innovation, progress and security.




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