Options
Using ensemble theatre to facilitate twenty-first century drama literacy in the literature classroom
Abstract
In secondary Literature education, whether in Singapore or elsewhere, the genre study of drama has always posed both problems as well as possibilities for its teachers. It poses problems as dramatic works were never meant to be studied exclusively as print-bound texts, which the discipline refuses to acknowledge out of a strict reverence for outdated traditions. Drama has a double life, on the page and on the stage, that is necessary for teachers to appreciate if they are ever to promote a full and rich understanding of the genre to their charges. Yet, Singapore teachers have shown little interest or inclination to do so in the past. For most, the very notion
of exploring the dramatic qualities of a play in any shape or form is well outside their comfort zones, disciplinary training, and lesson priorities that they would rather avoid altogether. It implies high levels of risk and uncertainty. Accordingly, if teachers are required to teach drama at all (and oftentimes they are not), they do so in the manner that they teach works of prose and poetry, which is typically line-by-line with a heavy emphasis on teacher-centred instruction. Not only is this approach impersonal, unmotivating, and unengaging for students–thereby eroding Literature’s reputation–but it also makes drama incomprehensible to most. Drama only becomes visible and vital for students through dramatic enactment. This is especially true if they have had no prior exposure to theatre and drama with which to start building a theatrical imagination.
Despite a general reluctance of teachers to embrace drama’s unique character, it nevertheless offers them many possibilities for revitalising the study of Literature by making it a crucial aspect of the larger project of twenty-first century literacy education. In the new media age, literacy education must prioritise multimodality, convergence, and participation as these are the broad and observable trends shaping social worlds which students must have active and critical knowledge of. This means that students must become well versed in varied and often completing modes of communication, learn how to make meaning by borrowing and blending media forms and texts, and appreciate what it means to have a genuine stake in public conversation and in community. Drama can help address these twenty-first century priorities responsibly and meaningfully. In this multiple-case study research, I examined the actions of three secondary school teachers in Singapore as they integrated ensemble theatre pedagogy into the design of their units of work on drama. Informed by my experiences as a teacher educator and drama practitioner, ensemble theatre pedagogy is an Athenian-modelled approach to drama work that I specifically developed for use in the Singapore Literature classroom. Comprised of five pedagogical practices, it offered the teachers an easy-to-apply set of drama tools that could help convey their personal convictions, learning outcomes, and student-centred ambitions. The findings showed that ensemble theatre pedagogy had a powerful and positive effect on teacher identity. It also allowed their students to see the study of drama as something deeply personal and socially significant.
of exploring the dramatic qualities of a play in any shape or form is well outside their comfort zones, disciplinary training, and lesson priorities that they would rather avoid altogether. It implies high levels of risk and uncertainty. Accordingly, if teachers are required to teach drama at all (and oftentimes they are not), they do so in the manner that they teach works of prose and poetry, which is typically line-by-line with a heavy emphasis on teacher-centred instruction. Not only is this approach impersonal, unmotivating, and unengaging for students–thereby eroding Literature’s reputation–but it also makes drama incomprehensible to most. Drama only becomes visible and vital for students through dramatic enactment. This is especially true if they have had no prior exposure to theatre and drama with which to start building a theatrical imagination.
Despite a general reluctance of teachers to embrace drama’s unique character, it nevertheless offers them many possibilities for revitalising the study of Literature by making it a crucial aspect of the larger project of twenty-first century literacy education. In the new media age, literacy education must prioritise multimodality, convergence, and participation as these are the broad and observable trends shaping social worlds which students must have active and critical knowledge of. This means that students must become well versed in varied and often completing modes of communication, learn how to make meaning by borrowing and blending media forms and texts, and appreciate what it means to have a genuine stake in public conversation and in community. Drama can help address these twenty-first century priorities responsibly and meaningfully. In this multiple-case study research, I examined the actions of three secondary school teachers in Singapore as they integrated ensemble theatre pedagogy into the design of their units of work on drama. Informed by my experiences as a teacher educator and drama practitioner, ensemble theatre pedagogy is an Athenian-modelled approach to drama work that I specifically developed for use in the Singapore Literature classroom. Comprised of five pedagogical practices, it offered the teachers an easy-to-apply set of drama tools that could help convey their personal convictions, learning outcomes, and student-centred ambitions. The findings showed that ensemble theatre pedagogy had a powerful and positive effect on teacher identity. It also allowed their students to see the study of drama as something deeply personal and socially significant.
Date Issued
2022
Call Number
PR51.S55 Miz
Date Submitted
2022