Drama forms that promote this learning include: storytelling, improvisation, role-playing, puppetry and mime.

The ‘suspension of belief’ underpins all drama activities (Dinham, 2023). Students must be willing to commit to the reality within the internal parameters of drama.

Protocols for Participating

The drama classroom is a safe space for children to explore understandings of their world and the diversity of characters and situations, and all students must adhere to this (Dinham, 2023).

Signals can be used to identify the beginning and end of a lesson i.e. a tambourine (Dinham, 2023). Students must collaborate and be supportive of the imaginary world and their dramatic partners within the time of the tambourine beginning and ending the lesson.

Social Participation

Drama provides a space for students to work together and build awareness regarding how they interact intuitively and compassionately with peers (Dinham, 2023).

These classroom practices positively contribute to students stepping out of their comfort zone and finding reassurance in the exploration of ideas. The teacher’s role is significant in promoting this confidence where their own participation and energy within the space are central to building strong foundations for students to be their most authentic and creative selves (Dinham, 2023).

Warm up activities are a great way for students to get to know each other and slowly build confidence in their dramatic capabilities. They can also be a helpful tool to guide focus and attention back to the task at hand.

Mime: a powerful drama form that involves acting without words (non-verbal communication). This YouTube video examines various mime activities which focus on exaggerated expressions and movement. One particular activity that highlights how mime caters to various students is using tableaux as a form of storytelling. Students are encouraged to use levels and space to create a frozen picture inviting them to explore drama elements without the pressure of voice, encouraging the group to take ownership of their tableaux and work collaboratively.

(Reference 9)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAZML7RXsww

Mime provides an opportunity for all students to be involved in the creative process regardless of any speech or physical difficulties.

In my Arts seminar the tutor took my class through a story-based drama on a piece of children’s literature based on a dinosaur inhabited island. The activity included dramatic aspects such as ‘Mantle of the Expert’ where the class was divided into groups with our own fields of expertise, and hot seating https://dramaresource.com/hot-seating/ where the tutor sat in a chair and answered our question while fully embodying her character in the story.

We began the activity by lying on the floor and listening to a soundtrack of jungle sounds. This signalled the beginning of the activity and transported our minds from our personal reality into the dramatic reality.

We also packed our imaginary backpacks using mime actions and followed the teacher through the ‘jungle’ with exaggerated movements to indicate wading through a thick foliage. The teacher is not in a dominant role but rather facilitates the activity to encourage student involvement (Dinham, 2023).

This activity pushed me out of my comfort zone as I had to pretend to be an expert in something I knew nothing about but this only further encourages me to learn more about process drama so I can refine the skill and incorporate it into my teaching. This activity can be used across the Australian Curriculum and provide an outlet for student creativity in education. For example, in a geography lesson based on ‘Place’ I could use teacher in role and mantle of the expert to encourage students to delve into what ‘Place’ means to them on a personal level.

Dance education in primary schools builds off creative movement which encompasses the development of body and spatial awareness within children through open-ended activities to encourage self-expression and exploration(Dinham, 2023).

The Thousand Hand Guan Yin shows how impactful dance sequences can be using only hands and arms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD7SBgLvjqY.

A teacher's most important duty when creating a dance education program is ensuring that all children are afforded the same opportunity to be engaged in movement to the best of their abilities and circumstances (Dinham, 2023).

Within First Nations communities, physical activity is embedded in their culture and connection to Country and has a significant impact on self-confidence, wellbeing, pride, stress reduction and self-esteem in First Nations peoples (Biles et al. 2023). It is important that I recognise the importance in creating opportunities for participation in dance for First Nations students as it can provide an avenue for them to express emotions, experiences or understandings without the pressure of voice (Biles et al. 2023).

I am hoping to work in rural and remote regions when I graduate and therefore see it as increasingly important to understand the positive impact dance can have within First Nations communities and their perspective on school and learning.

David Vadiveloo, the filmmaker from the docuseries Voices from the Cape, demonstrated how teachers can show narrative structure to students. He used a physical display using himself and two students from the class to model the beginning of a story, obstacles that get in the way, and then the end. This helped to engage the class and keep the energy high and is definitely something I will take into my teaching.

Narrative codes = symbolic, written, audio and technical (SWAT)

Voices from the Cape is a great example of how media arts education can motivate students to engage in their learning and find motivation to participate, especially when given the chance to tell their own story. This docuseries examines how First Nations students in the community of Arukun can employ media technologies as a channel for their voice. Agency was a strong theme as the kids were empowered to tell their own story and find ways to connect to community and culture through media arts education.  

As previously mentioned, I plan to work in remote communities when I graduate. Seeing the impact media arts had on the young community in Arukun will strongly guide my approach to teaching in rural environments.  

https://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/12865/Voices-from-the-CapeLinks%20to%20an%20external%20site

The codes and conventions of media education are the pillars of creation.

This YouTube video can be used to introduce codes and conventions to students:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-zUHkkcq7s

Supporting Diverse Learners

Digital tablets are shown to be beneficial for students with Autism as it provides a visually rich way to communicate and find immediate satisfaction (Dinham, 2023). As a pre-service teacher wanting to specialise in special education, my understanding of the capabilities of digital technology will be integral to my success in the classroom and therefore it is imperative I build skills within media arts education.