As ways of making meaning in drama strongly resemble the ways that meanings are made in everyday social life, forms of drama learn from everyday life and, at a societal level, people in everyday life learn from drama. Through history, from the emergence of drama in Western culture, the learning that results at a societal level from the interactions of everyday social life and drama have been noted by scholars. In contemporary culture, electronic and digitized forms of mediation and communication have diversified its content and massively expanded its audiences. Although there are reciprocal relations between everyday life and drama, aspects of everyday life are selected and shaped into the various cultural forms of drama. Processes of selection and shaping crystallize significant aspects of everyday social relations, allowing audiences of and participants in drama to learn and to reflect critically on particular facets of social life. In the 20th century, psychological theories of learning have been developed, taking note of the sociocultural relationships between drama, play, and learning. Learning in and through drama is seen as being socially organized, whole person learning that mobilizes and integrates the bodies and minds of learners. Making signs and meanings through various forms of drama, it is interactive, experiential learning that is semiotically mediated via physical activity. Alongside the various forms of drama that circulate in wider culture, sociocultural theories of learning have also influenced drama pedagogies in schools. In the later part of the 20th century and into the 21st century, drama practices have diversified and been applied as a means of learning in a range of community- and theater-based contexts outside of schooling. Practices in drama education and applied drama and theater, particularly since the late 20th century and into the early 21st century, have been increasingly supported by research employing a range of methods, qualitative, quantitative, and experimental.
drama and theatre in education contemporary research
Bethany Nelson teaches in the areas of theatre education, playmaking, and multicultural education at the graduate and undergraduate levels. She has taught drama and theatre K-12 in urban, suburban, and rural settings, and her research interests are focused on using Applied Drama and Theatre for meeting best practice in multicultural education with at-risk urban youth.
Research on the effects of in-role drama, process drama, and playmaking are published in Youth Theatre Journal, Drama Australia Journal, Drama Research: international journal of drama-in-education and Research in Drama Education Journal: the journal of applied theatre. She regularly presents workshops and papers at national and international conferences and is a contributor to Key concepts in Theatre/Drama Education (2010), an international textbook on the state of the field edited by Shifra Schonmann.
The program prepares graduates for multiple career paths in education, community and non-profit organizations and professional theatre for young audiences. The three-year M.F.A. degree stresses flexibility and encourages participation in classes throughout the Department of Theatre and Dance and the university at large. The program culminates in a practical thesis project and a written thesis document, which applies theory from a wide range of disciplines to an area of practice in drama and theatre for youth and communities. Thesis projects apply reflective practitioner research to address applied drama/theatre, arts integration, community engagement, drama-in-education, theatre for young audiences, teaching artist praxis, theatre education, theatre-in-education, youth theatre and/or the creation or production of original works for young audiences. Within higher education and the theatre profession, the M.F.A. in Theatre with a specialization in drama and theatre for youth and communities is considered a terminal degree for related fields of study. The degree does not lead to public school teacher certification; however, students interested in teacher certification may take additional classes to achieve this goal.
Restricted to Department of Theatre and Dance majors. Establishes foundational vocal technique for musical theatre singing. Develops successful vocal practice strategies and effective, healthy technique through the study of a comprehensive range of musical theatre styles including musical comedy, Golden Age musical drama, and concept and rock musicals. One laboratory hour a week for one semester, with additional laboratory hours to be arranged. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Consent of Instructor.
Introductory topics in theatre and dance, including basic research methods, contemporary and local performance, the role of the artist in society, the philosophy of a fine arts education, and the exploration of campus resources. For each semester hour of credit earned, the equivalent of one lecture hour a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary.
Theory, materials, and practice, including story dramatization, storytelling, puppets, pantomime, shadow plays, role-playing, and theatre games. Three lecture hours a week for one semester, with laboratory hours as required. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Topics in theatre studies, including creative drama, theatre for children and youth, and theatre with young adults. Three lecture hours a week for one semester, with laboratory hours as required. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Restricted to majors in the Department of Theatre and Dance. Comprehensive introduction to research in the area of theatre and dance. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing; admission to the Honors Program in Theatre and Dance; and consent of the head of the Theatre and Dance Honors Program.
Topics pertinent to students' training and development in drama and theatre for youth. Three lecture hours a week for one semester, with laboratory hours as required. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.
Topics, restricted or broad in scope, concerning theory and criticism as they relate to drama or theatre. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.
Advanced independent study projects in performance studies, theatre history, theory, criticism, performance as public practice, drama and theatre for youth, theatre outreach, and dramaturgy. For each semester hour of credit earned, the equivalent of one class hour a week for one semester, with laboratory hours as required. May be repeated for credit when the projects vary. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.
PhD, is an assistant professor in educational foundations and inquiry at the University of South Carolina. She teaches courses in qualitative inquiry, foundations of education, sociology of education, and critical race theory. She studies the everyday experiences of targeted youth, contexts of education, and qualitative methodologies. Her research includes work with incarcerated youth, children with refugee status, and LGBTQ+ students and educators.
is Professor of Theatre/Drama Education at the University of British Columbia, Canada. His research interests include research-based theatre, performed research, drama and L2 learning, drama across the curriculum, drama and health research. He has published 5 books along with many scholarly publications that can be found in various arts-based and theatre education journals and edited books. He is a professionally trained actor, and has participated in over 100 theatre productions as an actor, director, or playwright. He is a member of the Royal Society College of Canadian Scholars and Artists.
is a Principal Lecturer in Community Performance and Applied Theatre, and course leader for the MA Applied Theatre at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. She is an applied theatre practitioner who works in prison settings, youth theatres, and with young people living in adverse conditions both in the UK and internationally. Current projects include work with communities who have experienced homelessness in India and New York and those in the prison system in England and in Malta. Her research focuses on theatre that invites the possibility of change, both through contemporary plays and participatory performance.
is Professor of Youth Wellbeing and Director of the Youth Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia. She leads research and teaching in the area of youth wellbeing, with an interest in the use of poststructuralist theory and drama-based methods to address social health issues relating to gender, mental health and sexuality education. Her body of work includes transformative education programs developed for a range of United Nations agencies working within countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including UNICEF, UNESCO and UNFPA. They variously encompass a focus on gender rights, sexuality, social and emotional learning, violence prevention, alcohol education, and youth participation.
is Associate Professor at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada. Lynn was Academic Editor of Educational Insights (www.educationalinsights.ca). She co-authored Exploring Curriculum: Performative Inquiry, Role Drama and Learning with George Belliveau (Pacific Educational Press, 2008), and has written numerous articles and chapters about performative inquiry, arts across the curriculum, arts and leadership, arts and technology, and curriculum as lived experience. Lynn is co-editor of Arresting Hope: Women Taking Action in Prison Inside Out (Inanna Press, 2015). Lynn is one of six co-investigators in a five year Canadian SSHRC Partnership Grant, researching arts for social change in Canada.
is Senior Lecturer in Drama Education and Education Director at the Sydney School of Education and Social Work, The University of Sydney. Her research focuses on educational drama, social justice, creativity in education and school-community relationships. Her teaching interests include exploring the potential for education to reduce prejudice, drama pedagogy and teacher education. Her recent volume Drama and Social Justice (with Michael Finneran, 2016) is available through Routledge. 2ff7e9595c
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