Ed. 3601 Class Log #2

Education 3601 - Drama
Class Log #2 – Jan. 14, 10

Activities:

- Curriculum examination (Junior High)
- Drama both an art form and medium for teaching and learning (drama is a darn good way to learn as evidenced by John’s PHD research)
- Three goals of drama:

1) Learn about self and others.
2) Develop competency with communication.
3) Develop an appreciation of drama/theatre as an art form

- Looked at page 7 -> drama natural growth out of play. Play -> frolicking etc. Play -> house etc. Structured dramatic play -> ie. teacher/parent guided, dramatic forms
- Spoke about definitions (forms) page. 33
- Then did group drama thang; dirty 30’s hoonah (role play/role drama)

Homework: examine why so much detail could be valuable to my growth as a teacher
- Thinking about scripting my lesson plans; email to John and everyone else; paragraph long
- For log cont. pg 7-35ish Junior High, page 7-35ish High school
- Year plan -> after curriculum talk
- Unit plan -> after group drama

Why so much detail could be valuable to my growth as a teacher:
I will be the first one to admit that the reason I ever got into drama was the sheer fact that it was something fun to do. I enjoyed the games, being in school productions, and all that kind of jazz, basically seeing it as a fun way to occupy my time. Truth be known, however, I never truly started to appreciate the subject as much as I do now until learning more about it at University. While I naturally picked up some of the basics of the subject in Junior High and High school, I was sorely missing many of the other “details” that have allowed my love for the art to grow as much as it has. It only seems natural, that adding those extra little details with my lesson plans would be valuable to my growth as a teacher similarly.

With regards to scripting my lesson plans, I can see nothing but benefits for numerous reasons. Yes, one does not want to be tied down by said script as that would make for one boring class, but isn’t a lesson going to go far better if you have a much more clear idea as to what you are going to say/do? I would have to say yes as it is just like performing a play. You need to know your lines, and all the other stage business long before you ever perform a play and the same can be said for a lesson. I do not think that one needs to put quite as much effort into memorization etc. for a lesson, but it is going to go far more smoothly if you are not just up in front of a class taking an improvisational approach. Scripting your lesson plans would only add yet another layer of needed structure, but also provide you a means to reflect on your lesson even before you bring it into the classroom. You may catch something you missed while creating your plan if you are actively thinking about/scripting it. Things of course are not always going to go as they planned, which is where flexibility and quick thinking will play an invaluable role, but heading into a classroom with a pre-determined script alongside your lesson plan is only going to strengthen your lesson as a whole. Going back to the play analogy, you are going to put on a far better production of Death of a Salesman knowing the lines etc., than just getting up on-stage with the basic story in mind and ad-libbing.

Reflection on pages 7-35 in both curriculum's:
Even though the curriculum for both Junior High and High school have not been updated in sometime, the information from pages 7-35 is incredibly valuable. It is wonderful to see in plain English the benefits of drama to an individual, for example, along with the fact we have access to a handy little glossary of various drama terms. We may think we are masters of our domain, but I’ve always been of the mind that it never hurts to keep your resources close for a bit of a reminder every now and again. Page 9, with its list of further resources, is also incredibly good to see included, offering a number of solid recommended sources to turn to, in addition to whatever other ones we may have discovered over time.