Traditional and Constructivist Teaching in Dramatic Arts

As a student in the Concurrent Education program at Brock University, I have witnessed many forms of education for secondary level students in regards to the education system itself and education in relation to theatre.

As someone who has studied in many of the Drama and Education classes for my first teachable subject, I have learned how theatre can be used for teaching other subjects but also how it can speak about social issues, society, and how it reaches out to all types of students with different styles of learning and self-expression.

As someone who wants to teach Theatre in the high school classroom, I not only want my future students to learn about the performance art world that Theatre is a part of, I also want my future students to be able to discuss what is going on around them critically and informatively using theatrical tactics to educate themselves on the outside world.  Through verbal and written reflection, scaffolding activities and group discussion and facilitation, I hope to make this possible for my future students and meet all their needs with different forms of assessment and work so that their individual performance matches the requirements of the curricula.  With this, I hope to combine traditional and constructivist theories for the betterment of my future students' education.

Thinking of combining the traditional and constructivist methods reminds me of one method discussed in my first year Drama in Education class where theatre for informing audiences can be done in two ways: it can be constructed as a birdcage (structured and rigid) or a Christmas tree (free-flowing with many clustered ideas).  When we sat and discussed this idea, we all decided that the best option would be a Christmas tree inside a birdcage.  Teaching is similar in that it needs to be structured but also free flowing and compelling for students to be able to enjoy learning and expand their knowledge and interest in the same environment.