This week focused on the importance of the arts within education, and how it assists in developing essential skills within primary school students. The arts develops students' cooperative, creative and collaborative skills, just to name a few. 

WEEK ONE TUTORIAL: 

In our first tutorial, we participated in some warm up games, that introduced us to people within the classroom, and the space we were working in. 

As we moved through the lesson we explored the elements of drama, and tableaux. 

ACTIVITES I MOST ENJOYED:

Postcards Cityscapes: I thoroughly enjoyed creating the postcard tableaux. My group and I decided to portray the city of Paris, with each person portraying a different element of the city e.g. A croissant, baguette, the Eiffel Tower, and a tourist.

Nursery Rhymes: In our groups, we then moved on to create a tableaux of the nursery rhyme 'I'm a little teapot'. We then created movement to flow between each freeze frame, highlighting how the use of tableaux can provide structure within a drama piece, and from there, can be developed into a performance. 

PERSONAL REFLECTION 1

Although nervous to be in a new environment with new people, the drama workshops were fun and engaging, and made it easy to 'jump right in' and meet new people in a safe environment, free of judgement. The workshop reminded me of my high school drama class, which I loved being a part of, and I am excited to get straight into this unit!

What were your most uncomfortable moments?
I found having to speak in front of others or perform in front of others to be quite nerve-wracking, however it was done in a fun and interactive way and everyone was in the same boat. Knowing that we could 'pass' if we didn't have an answer really helped put me at ease. 

 

My emotions were heightened during the workshop, with feelings of nervousness, as it was the first class, with new names and faces, and new areas of learning, however, it was a fun and interactive workshop, where we could act out strange things in a safe environment, with everyone participating. These feelings encouraged me to participate within the class more openly, making me eager to join in and explore how these workshops and activities can assist in primary students' education. 

When involved in dramatic workshops, primary students are able to express themselves fully in a safe environment, free of judgement, overall benefitting skills such as confidence, collaboration, and creativity. 

 

What did you discover about how you learnt in this workshop?
I discovered that I learn best when getting the chance to practice concepts myself. Embedding us within the workshop activities, highlights how primary students may feel and learn when participating in similar workshops, themselves. Hattie was extremely encouraging and kind, highlighting how having an encouraging and judgement-free teacher, assists students in expressing themselves fully. 

 

Primary students will have the ability to express themselves through drama, discover what they like and dislike, start to form their personality, experience working with other students  and practice future life skills such as public speaking. 

This week we focused on using vocal devices in order to tell a story. Modulative devices alter the way we deliver our speech, and these can be used to place emphasis on certain words, and influence the mood or situation within a drama piece. This week's module also explored readers' theatre, choral speaking, story making and story telling.

Readers' Theatre is the process of developing a script from a narrative. It combines reading aloud with drama and encourages students' to concentrate on voice, facial expressions and gesture to tell a story to the audience.

Cusworth, R., & Simmons, J. (1997). Beyond the script. Newtown, NSW: Primary English Teaching Association.

Choral speaking is usually memorised, and involves the speaking of a text's passage as a group, fostering a sense of teamwork and co-operation, and encouraging the use of modulative devices to create expressive speech.

Christine Lovering 2008

Story telling involves telling a story using words, expressions and gestures, and does not involve simply reading a story.

Story making is the creation or acting out of a story using dialogue, improvisation, mime, and other dramatic techniques. 

WEEK THREE TUTORIAL:

This weeks tutorial began with some vocal work, with us going round in a circle saying the phrase 'Hey you, get outta here!', placing emphasis on certain words and using modulative devices to change the meaning of the phrase. We participated in a vocal warmup and explored vocal dynamics before moving onto readers' theatre and story making.

Soundscape:
-Using 'ah, oh, ooh, shh' sounds to set a scene. My group and I created a haunted house scene by incorporating the suggested sounds and implementing modulative devices. We also incorporated vocal techniques such as unison, cumulation and overlapping, to create an eerie soundscape that gradually got louder. 

-Building from this activity, we transformed our soundscape into a short scene, using sound effects deciphered from the word 'slash', for example, paired with an arm movement, to portray a killer with a knife. 

After reviewing the elements of story, we moved into groups and worked on story-making, based off the stimulus image of a dark and eerie lake. 

ACTIVITY I MOST ENJOYED:

Story-making: My group and I, based off the dark lake in the stimulus image, created 3 tableaux, showing two people rowing on a lake, a two headed monster watching and then jump-scaring them. We then developed movement between the 3 tableaux, and by incorporating our soundscape work, along with vocal devices and onomatopoeia, we created a short drama piece. 

This week focused on planning and managing a lesson, specifically focusing on improvisation and process drama. We specifically explored the drama process 'Teacher-in-role' which offered insight into how we are to structure a similar lesson plan in the coming weeks.

KEY IDEAS IN TODAY'S TUTORIAL: 

-Imagination
-Improvisation
-Spontaneous process drama
-Teacher-in-role

Warm up:
Splitting into 2 groups, we lined up on either side of the room, our backs facing one another. We played a few rounds of 'Shazzam', collectively agreeing whether we want to be knights, giants, or wizards. When we turned round, we 'versed' the other side of the room.
-Giants (Fi, Fi, Fo, Fum) : beat knights
-Knights (En guard) : beat wizards
-Wizards (Shazzam!) : beat giants

This activity was extremely fun, and immediately broke the ice and got us ready to participate in today's workshop.

Improvisation activities:
Focusing on improvisation, today we gathered in a circle and played 'What are you doing?'. 
Someone enters the circle miming an action e.g. brushing their hair, and the next person enters the circle and asks them 'what are you doing?'.
The person in the middle responds with a random action, that the person who just entered the circle has to act out. 

I love this improvisation activity, even though every time I participate I can never think of an action for someone else to do, and I blank and end up saying the most random action you could think of. 

We then participated in the teacher-in-role activity, which was extremely entertaining, as explained in the audio above, before the commencement of our partner talks on the importance of arts within education. 

This week, we focused on how participating in the arts can allow for imaginative thought and creative output, exploring imagination, improvisation, mime, and puppetry, and the act of suspending disbelief when watching/being part of a dramatic performance.

WEEK TWO TUTORIAL:

In today's tutorial, we begun with a name game, rolling a ball and naming as many countries/cities we could. This was followed by a guided visualisation, where we imagined we were characters in a story being spoken aloud to us.

Imagination in action - 'In the mind's 👁'
1. Using a prop for what its not (e.g. scarf as a baby)
2. Balloon statues (e.g. balloon as a basketball)
3. Mime with a balloon (e.g. balloon used as umbrella)
4. Group improvisation with a Balloon

Mime
1. Pass around the box (act out adjectives)
2. Mime box (Mime we are trapped in a box)
3. Mime wall and walk (Walk on the spot like a mime, move along the wall in mime)
4. Group 'the escape'
       -linear (drawing mime)
       -manipulative (use an invisible object)
       -personification (become an object to move)

Puppetry
-Bin-bag balloon puppets 

ACTIVITIES I MOST ENJOYED:

Using a prop for what it is not: I thoroughly enjoyed this activity, as it is incredible to see everyone suspend disbelief, and pretend that the scarf/newspaper getting passed around the room was a baby, for example. It is a great way to introduce the concept of imagination in drama, and highlight how anything can be used a prop if it is portrayed correctly. I used the scarf as a hairbrush, and the newspaper as a microphone, and enjoyed trying to portray this.

Bin-bag puppets: This was an interesting activity, as I have never experienced anything quite like it in drama! It was interesting to manipulate simple items such as a balloon and a bin-bag, into a resource to enhance understanding on puppetry in a practical way. Primary school students would love this activity, as they can work with their peers to manipulate the bin-bag puppet to do any action e.g. dancing.

This week, we have moved on from drama to our first lesson of dance. To effectively participate and learn through dance, students must have a balance between making and responding. Making relates to the improvisation, choreographing, rehearsing, and performing of a dance piece. Responding refers to appreciating dance works by viewing, reflecting and analysing dance works. 

ELEMENTS OF DANCE:

The elements of dance, as highlighted above are:
-Body
-Energy
-Space
-Time

DANCE EXPERIENCES:

Primary school children experiencing dance develop:

-Kinaesthetic intelligence (expressing themselves through body movements)
-Critical thinking and awareness (Learning what they can do with different parts of the body)
-Movement vocabulary (Ability to understand and describe what they are creating)
-Aesthetic understandings (Acknowledging the aestheticism in particular dance works for creating meaning and expression)

READING - CREATIVE DANCE VS MOVEMENT:

Creative dance focuses on children's self-expression and growth through dance. 

Creative movement is a primary focus within the early childhood curriculum in order to develop body and spatial awareness encouraging children to develop their own movement responses. 

WEEK 5 TUTORIAL:

This week's tutorial introduced us to dance, and how it can be used, along with drama, to develop primary students' skills. We discussed the elements of dance, and how to manipulate these within a dance performance to promote meaning and expression a specific scenario or emotion.

One activity we participated in, was the guessing of the element. In groups, we were to create a short movement phrase. We were then given an element of dance which we had to incorporate within our phrase. After mastering this we had to perform to the class, who had to guess which element we had used to manipulate our phrase.

Although I am not very co-ordinated, I love dance, and I am very excited to learn how to incorporate elements of dance into primary students' curriculum, and experience these for myself. 

This week, we have focused more closely on the elements of dance, and how we can incorporate these into our dance works. We also looked movement skills, specifically locomotor and non-locomotor movement.

Locomotor movement

-travelling movements from one space to another

-e.g. walking, running, hopping, skipping, leaping, crawling

Non-locomotor movement/Axial movement

-movement of the body occurring above a stationary base 

-on the spot movements

-e.g. bending, stretching, twisting, shaking, bouncing, rising, sinking, pushing, pulling, swinging, swaying

WEEK 6 TUTORIAL:

Key Ideas:
-Dance elements (Body, Energy, Space, Time)
-Locomotor/Non-locomotor movement
-Beat and Rhythm
-Improvisation

Improvised drama plan activity
Before beginning our dance work for the lesson, we gathered around people who had a narrative to base their improvised drama plan off, and assisted them in the planning process to help them develop their ideas further. We brainstormed some themes from their stories, discussed some drama processes, and began to create a 'beginning, middle, and end' storyboard.

Mirroring partners
-In pairs, we copied each others movements, as if looking into a mirror.
-This assisted in the exploration of non-locomotor movement, as our mirroring movements occurred primarily above a stationary base.

Colour Museum
Within this activity, we used exaggerated movements to 'paint our bodies' different colours.
-Arms were to be painted red
  Legs to be painted blue
  And our backs and heads were to be painted yellow

Breaking eights
In our own individual space, we were asked to generate 2 dance moves that we wished to show a partner.
Once generated, we joined with a partner to combine and learn each others movements.
After mastering these 4 movements, we joined another pair to create a dance phrase of 8 movements, which we showcased in a performance carousel.

Dance maps and machines
Using the dance map shown above, we picked out certain movements and combined them, travelling from one side of the room to the other, based off where the dance map guided us.

'I left my luggage'
In groups, guided by the slide projected onto the screen, we read the words to 'I left my luggage' aloud in unison, and paired the words with different movements, incorporating a variety of dance elements to vary the delivery of our performance. This activity encouraged us to focus on beat and rhythm within dance, in order to remain in time with the words we were saying, our movements, and each other. 

ACTIVITY I ENJOYED MOST:

Dance maps and machines: My group and I, choosing from a list a locomotor movements, put together a dance map, where we chose movements, and the path that they would lead us in, to guide us from one side of the room to another. Our dance phrase explored the movements 'stretch', 'tall', 'wriggle', 'twist', and 'spin', the dance map leading us diagonally, backwards, forwards and diagonally once again. 

After everyone had practiced their movements, we performed our dance phrases at the same time, with everyone crossing over each other and finishing their movements at different points around the room. It was interesting to see what movements everyone chose, and how they came together to create one big mixture of dance phrases.

PERSONAL REFLECTION 3:

Through information from the lectures, and experience within the workshops, it is clear that dance is used a form of expression, and altering dance works by varying how different elements are incorporated within, can impact the expressive meaning greatly.

Dancing allows students to see situations from a different perspective, enabling them to devise creative solutions. By encouraging students to participate within the dance curriculum, and give it their best go, they are benefitting students social and emotional wellbeing, as well as the unleashing of students full creative potential.

Do you have strategies for managing pressure as you move through this unit? What are they?
As I move through the semester, it continues to get busier and busier, meaning I have to manage my time more efficiently. Within the arts unit, in order to manage any pressure from assessments, or disheartened feelings due to not feeling like I am performing well enough, or grasping particular concepts, I will continue to review the work on canvas, and complete any activities and readings in my spare time, to ensure that I continue to feel on top of things. I will have to manage my time more efficiently, so that I can prioritise all of my subjects equally, and remain organised and prepared.

What has been the most important personal realisation in the last few weeks in this unit?
Although enjoying elements of the arts, I have never felt like I am 'good' at it. However, within Hattie's classroom, everyone is extremely supportive and judgement free, making me feel like whatever I put out there, as long as I give it a go and am trying my best, is worthwhile.

Why is it the most important?
This is important to acknowledge because before I entered ECU at the start of this year, I had no idea what to expect, unsure of whether I have picked the right course, or if I will be able to do well and wondering if I would enjoy it. After being here for 6 weeks now, I have enjoyed it more than I can ever imagine, and at times of doubt, I remember how I felt 6 weeks ago, compared to how I feel now. I have met so many incredibly kind people, and have enjoyed my classes more than I can ever imagine, with the best tutors I could ask for, inspiring me to tackle whatever is coming next in the course. 

This week, we focused on dance choreography, and in particular, the structure of dance, how to transcribe dance, and choreographic devices. Through the incorporation of choreographic devices such as canon, unison, contrast and repetition, students are able to manipulate their movements, enhancing, exaggerating and embodying their actions in an expressive manner. 

WEEK 7 TUTORIAL:

Key Ideas:
-Dance elements (BEST)
-Choreographic process
-Learning in and through dance

Birthdate dance
Using the numbers of our birthdate, we were asked to create a dance phrase, based on the corresponding numbers and movements on the board.
My birth date is 02122003 and so corresponded with the movement phrase:
Jump, Roll, Fall, Roll, Jump, Jump, Roll
After practicing this phrase, we paired with someone in the room, and learnt their birthdate movement phrase.

Dance Whispers
As a part of this activity, the class was separated into 2 lines, facing the back of the room
The students at the end of the line, furthest from the back of the room, created a movement phrase to pass onto the next person
As the phrase moved down the line, it slowly got lost in some parts
This manipulated phrase was then shown to the original creators, to compare the difference.

Universal writing
Individually, we were asked to practice writing with exaggerated letters, trying to use as much of our body as we could.
We then had to write our initials with our whole body and combine this with someone else. 

ACTIVITY I MOST ENJOYED:

Combining: After practicing our birthdate and initial dance phrases, we had to join another person in the room and learn their dance phrase. Orathay and I worked well together, and decided perform my initial and birthdate, following by her initial and birthdate. We were then encouraged to manipulate our movement phrase to incorporate a choreographic device that would alter one section of our phrase.

This week, we were introduced to media arts, which is another unit explored within arts education. Media arts is important within primary students' education, as creating media artworks engages the senses, imagination and intellect. 

-Through creative and critical use of language and technology, students develop aesthetic control that allows them to communicate with clarity and impact through the media they both create and consume 

Delivering Authentic Arts Textbook, Chapter 9

With media being a large part of today's society, is important that childern are able to utilise the advancements in digital technology to enhance their learning. Many schools have interactive whiteboards, laptops, and iPods, primarily for student use. 

By using digital technologies and media, students are exposed to a new way of presenting their knowledge and work. Through the use of skill-based, evergreen, and sandbox applications, students can enhance their learning further, with access to a variety of digital resources. 

MEDIA ARTS CODES AND CONVENTIONS:

The creative use of media within arts involves using technology in innovative ways, in order to communicate ideas. There are 4 media arts codes, including:

TECHNICAL: editing images to create a specific meaning or purpose e.g. the use of camera shots and angles

 

SYMBOLIC: using costumes and props to represent fictional/non-fictional characters.

 

AUDIO: use of loud or soft music/sound effects to convey mood

 

WRITTEN: selecting and editing text to organise important features of an idea/story. 

WEEK 8 ACTIVITY:

 Due to class being online this week, we were asked to submit work to the discussion board, regarding camera angles and shots. We were asked to create a storyboard conveying a particular story through the use of a close, mid, and long shot, shown in the attached image.

Continuing on with media arts, this week focused on how media arts comes with problems and inquires, resulting in the development of students' critical thinking and problem solving skills in a fun an engaging way. 

WEEK 9 TUTORIAL: 

This week, with the focus of incorporating a media arts element into our group performance, we looked at different types of media arts designs, in particular:
-Film
-Photography
-Slowmation

POSSIBILITIES WHEN USING MEDIA ARTS:

-Film creation (Use of iMovie/Movie Maker)
-Photography (Exploration of camera shots and angles)
-Stop motion (Creating an animation from a collection of still photographs)
-Slow motion claymation (3D piece of clay, slowly manipulated to create a story)

PERSONAL REFLECTION 4:

Reflect on the most important points to consider when teaching Media Arts:

The skills most relevant to media arts applications are those related to artistic expression (p. 282, Delivering Authentic Arts Education).

Pre-service teachers must educate themselves on skills relating to media arts, whether it be the development of videos, podcasts, presentations, brochures, and more, in order to effectively teach media arts to students.
Teachers must also consider that whilst students are surrounded by forms of media every day, their competence may vary, and so media arts education should focus on developing these skills that they will them be able to utilise in the future.

What do you know about media arts? What technical skills in media arts do you feel confident with?
Although I am not very skilled in all aspects of media arts, I love being able to use applications to create a form of media. My favourite form of media is iMovie. I have been using iMovie since primary school, having to create short videos and skits, and love being able to edit photos and videos to create something bigger. It is amazing when all of the editing comes together at the end. For our group project, we are thinking of creating a spooky video, by which we will collate a group of videos taken with a dark filter, accompanied by an eerie soundtrack.

How can you plan to develop your competency in media arts education?
With a variety of new applications and platforms to create forms of media, there are endless tutorials and walkthroughs in order to acquaint people with the inner workings of specific websites and applications. In order to develop my competency, in media arts education, I will need to source a website explaining the latest applications being used in education, and watch walkthroughs explaining how to thoroughly and appropriately use them.

Social and Emotional Wellbeing:
Have you noticed whether you are kind to yourself as you move through this unit?
Throughout this unit, although there are times of doubt in my ability, I have continually pushed through, striving to tackle everything thrown at me, and refusing to give up.

Have you noticed thoughts that get in the way of you embracing the workshop content?
Doubts of my ability, and feelings of nervousness when performing have often left me feeling a little uneasy during the workshops, however, I have tried my best to embrace every aspect of this unit, with the help of peers, and the constant encouragement and kindness from Hattie. 

Weeks 10, 11 and 12, focused on the creative arts process, specifically exploring the elements involved in creating a presentation or performance, the consideration of the primary audience, and the sharing of arts work. 

This focus on the creative arts process informed our own devising work, as we were able to identify what needed to be done in order to be successful in the presentation of our dance, drama, and media group project. 

Personally experiencing the creative process has enabled us to understand the process and planning involved in devising a creative arts piece, and in turn assists in the transfer of this knowledge to primary students.

After careful planning, organisation and rehearsal of our piece, all of our hard work and content learnt in AED1260, began to pull our piece together, and we were excited to perform what we had done. 

The collaboration of images attached above document our time together working on this piece to create what we worked so hard to perform!

Mime focuses on conveying dramatic meaning through action and gesture. It assists students in learning how the body works and moves as an expression of meaning. Mime is a sensory and illusionary experience, with a large focus on non-verbal communication, body, gesture, and facial expressions.

I decided to include the video above to highlight one component of the lesson I found extremely interesting. Mime is something I have never properly explored within drama, despite it being a key concept in setting a scene or atmosphere within a drama piece. Practicing the mime walk within class highlights how primary students, using this in their workshops, can focus specifically on their movement, gesture, and facial expressions in order to portray a specific scenario or emotion, showing rather than telling. 

MIME ACTIVITY I MOST ENJOYED:

'The escape': Working with people in the class I didn't really know was nerve-racking, however, after coming up with an idea and acting it out, our group pulled together a mime that was engaging and fun to be a part of. Our group mimed a getaway car, where two of us leaned out of the back window and pretended to shoot at someone behind us. We then mimed a crash, which signified the end of our short piece.

MY TAKE ON WEEK 2: 

This week, we explored various forms of drama, exploring the idea of the suspension of disbelief, imagination, and creativity, when engaging in a dramatic piece of work. This tutorial was extremely interactive and engaging, and made me think about a form of drama I haven't really explored before. Mime is used more often that realised e.g. waving or signalling to a friend or trying to mime an object. Mime can be used in drama to portray a specific scenario or object, setting the scene for the audience, without the need of a physical representation. Primary school students would benefit greatly from today's workshop activities, as they can use mime as a means of expression, rather than feeling the need to have a prop, or real-life setting to portray something.

When exploring readers' theatre within today's tutorial, we split into groups and were given a text. Allocating ourselves lines, we performed to the class, presenting the text with the incorporation of gesture and vocal devices, to emphasise particular words and phrases. We specifically placed emphasis and slowed our pace on the words 'Hairy toe', contrasting this with how we read the rest of the text. 

This was my favourite activity within today's tutorial, as we were able to collaborate with others to experience readers' theatre, and explore the process that primary students, who are given this activity, will also have to go through. Learning through this practical experience enables us to guide primary students' when they are tasked with their own readers' theatre activity, as we have experienced it for ourselves. 

After this activity, we gathered as a whole class, and read aloud an excerpt projected onto the screen. We used a variety of vocal techniques and placed emphasis on particular words, highlighting how one text can be manipulated in multiple different ways to portray different meanings, all through the use of vocal techniques. 

PERSONAL REFLECTION 2:

I feel as though I learn best when getting to experience for myself, what is being taught. I love getting involved within the arts activities during the tutorial, and try to get as much out of it as I can, feeling as though I am in a safe environment to do so. I also feel as though I work better with others, knowing that if we are stuck, we have each others to bounce ideas off.

Can you gauge your reaction to this workshop, compared to the first and second?
Although the first and second workshops were fun and engaging, I enjoyed today's workshop, as there was a lot of time for group work. After being in classes with a majority of the same people and getting properly settled in, I feel as though everybody is fairly comfortable with each other, and everyone gets involved with the tasks we are given, making it easier to participate and perform.

What did you notice about the way you collaborated in the workshop?
Being a lot more comfortable with the people in the class, I found it a lot easier to collaborate with others and be a part of the group. I tried to involve myself and others as much as possible in today's workshop, especially since it was very group oriented, and heavily focused on co-operative work.

Drama enables students to step out of their comfort zone and utilise their imaginative skills in order to collaborate with others and create a piece of art. Children are able to embody movements and characteristics that they wouldn't usually on a regular basis, and are encouraged to work with others, fostering important collaborative and cooperative skills.

What did you notice about the emotional experiences of other people in the workshop?
I noticed that everybody within the class was starting to become more comfortable and familiar with one another, making it easier to perform and show our work at regular intervals during the workshop. Not everyone is comfortable or enjoys partaking in these drama activities, however it is amazing to see everybody giving it a go.

Did the group work help you to understand others better?
I definitely think the group work enables people to understand each other better, as they have to interact in order to work collaboratively. Although it may be nerve-racking to be put into a group with people you don't know, the group work within the workshops definitely helps to break the ice.

What did you learn about others in the workshop?
I learnt that not everybody is comfortable getting up in front of others and performing. I love drama, however, I still get extremely nervous when knowing I have to perform, and everybody will be looking at me. Fortunately, everybody within the class is extremely supportive and kind, making the classroom feel safe and judgment-free. 

Although nerve-racking, being our first official assignment in AED1260, the partner talks were extremely fun to do, and enabled us to fully understand the benefits of arts within education in assisting students to reach their full creative and expressive potential. 

After endless rehearsals, research and editing, we formulated a speech, called 'The fundamental parts of the arts'. Kya and I worked hard on our speech, and were extremely happy with the way everything came together in the end.

Looking back - what was your favourite activity in the unit?
The creative arts process was definitely my favourite aspect of the unit, as we were able to comprise everything that we have learnt over the course of this unit all into one. I thoroughly enjoyed working with the people in my group, and I am so proud of how our performance turned out!

What opportunities have you had to express your emotions through this unit?
As the arts are a form of expression in themselves, I would say I have been able to continually express my emotions through the entire unit. Each workshop has introduced new concepts and activities that I will now be able to incorporate within my own future teaching.

Has anything surprised you about teaching dance, drama and or media arts to primary students?
Although the activities we participate in within the workshop may seem lighthearted, fun, and easy, the level of planning behind each activity is extensive. Each activity has a purpose to develop students' skills, and just by participating in an activity can influence the collaborative and expressive skills of a primary school student, as they are continually developing their dance, drama, and media arts skills through a variety of workshops and activities.

Which dance, drama or media arts strategy are you keen to try out with a group of primary students?
In my future lessons, I am eager to try balloon and bin-bag puppetry with students, as I feel like it is a simple yet extremely creative and beneficial activity. I thoroughly enjoyed that activity, and I feel as though it is an activity that primary schools students will thoroughly enjoy, whilst developing foundational skills at the same time.

Can you comment on the process of devising a dance, drama, and media arts performance as a group?
The final group project of this unit was by far my favourite activity, as it solidified the development of every skill, concept and activity that I have learnt over the course of this unit. Primary students' participating in a similar activity will be able to develop their dance, drama, and media arts skills, whilst learning about the planning and preparation process that is constantly developing behind the scenes. Students will learn how to work in a group environment, where everyone is participating and offering their own insight, and work to collaborate with every group member in order to create an art piece that they can be proud of.