Role Of Dramatic Play In Literacy - Book Report/Review Example

Role Of Dramatic Play In Literacy Brief Introduction of Drama: What is drama? Drama is not a new concept. It comes from Greek words standing “to act” or “to do.” Basically drama involves some play that is acted out. This play may be a serious one or something humorous. Speech and action combine together to make a perfect blend of drama. So, it can be well said that drama gives life to a play. Moreover, drama is nothing that can stand alone. It is a joint effort of many people involving author, actors, director, designer and many other people. Dramatic performance always requires the process of rehearsal. Furthermore, dramatic language may range between great to low extremes. Generally great extremes mean ritualistic and theatrical manner. On the other hand, low extreme means the exact reproduction of the actual life. (http://www.google.com.pk/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:drama&ei=RH6BS82LIofHrAfNhrncBw&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title&ved=0CAYQkAE) Classification of Dramatic Plays: Plays are either classified as comedies or tragedies. The difference can be well understood in the ending of the drama. Comedies end cheerfully and happily. On the other hand, tragedies end unhappily. Tragedy may be classical or domestic. Domestic tragedy mainly focuses on the life of ordinary people that are brought low by the adverse circumstances that may be beyond their control. On the other hand, comedy may be romantic comedy involving some love story. Main characters of such dramas are usually lovers whereas the secondary characters are the comic. However, in the end of comedy the lovers are always united. Moreover comedy may be Farce which involves much fun or it may be Sentimental. Sentimental comedy is a great blend of emotions and humor. How to Make a Story More Dramatic: Basically, drama involves the quality movements of all the characters and it is based on some story whether true of fake. It does not matter. The thing is that how various images, words and sounds are carefully balanced to make the drama more exciting and interesting for the viewers or audience. So, to make any story more attractive for the viewers, each and every bit is very important including the words, actions, images, events, characters, ideas as well as the environment. The surrounding should go with the story. Remember, if an environment will be not according to the story and play then it will never creates a lasting impression on the minds of the viewers. So, particular images, words along with appropriate environment are very much required to bring life in the story. (http://litera1no4.tripod.com/drama.html) Story Telling: Here I also want to explain a bit about story telling. As already mentioned that drama always depends on some story whether true or imaginary. However, story is very essential for drama. Story telling is not a new concept. It is something very old that is still very popular in various cultures. Story telling may involve the personal experiences of the story tellers as well as the listeners. However, the definition may differ according to the experiences of various people. Here I want to describe something more about story telling. Story telling is an art. As art is the creation of beautiful things. It is the product of human creativity that involved superior skill. This skill is developed by study, practice and observation. So in the light of the definition of art, we will see that story telling is also an art that involves the creation of human mind. Striking and significant things are created for the listeners. So, story telling is the narrative account of imagined or real events. In storytelling, specific style and characters are used to describe each and every bit. Stories may have several purposes. They are told to build knowledge, relate some history of past occasions, teach any particular lesson or simply told to entertain others. However, stories are very diverse and can be told through different mediums. You can use pictures, poetry, books and songs to depict any situation. Oral story telling is the most popular way for many tellers and listeners. This is considered the oldest and the easiest way to entertain others. Oral story telling involves a particular teller and listener as well. In previous times, thousands of years ago, human being sat around the fire and told stories to entertain their tribesmen and family members. These stories were told to educate and entertain the people. Nowadays, story telling is very famous in various cultures including North American, African, Irish, West Indies and Asian countries. You can easily develop your own stories according to your own styles and choices. Moreover, some people also adopt story telling as their profession to create fun and to earn some profit. Mothers also prefer stories to entertain their kids at bedtime. Moreover, in schools teachers also use stories and plays to create interest in students. (http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_art_of_storytellling/109697) Some Important Ingredients of Drama: Remember, there are some important ingredients that must be made and carefully balanced while developing any story for drama. Here I am describing these essential and making you aware how they can better serve you. First of all characters are very important. They should be rich enough and interesting that can better conflict with one another. Basically, this conflict gives rise to a story into a drama. Next to it is the plot that should be strong enough where these characters can play different situations. Moreover, a plot should be logical to tell the audience about various happenings. It must be cleared that what is happening and why it is happening. Important Features of Drama: Basically, drama has three important features. First of all, the viewers should be mentioned clearly what has happened before. In the middle of the drama, action and situations are carried forward and finally the conflicts mentioned in the drama are carefully resolved. The story turns into a satisfactory ending. However, it is not essential that the ending would be happy. Characters should be full in action to show all the misery and glory associated with each one. Moreover, actions should be in a way that penetrates the hearts and minds of people. Significant contribution of Drama in many areas of life Drama is not an art. It is a complete way of learning and studying various things. Moreover, various situations and experiences can be analyzed with the help of drama. Here I want to describe some areas that are strongly benefited by drama. With the help of dramatic play you can enhance the understanding of these areas in children. Social, emotional and personal development Language, literacy and communication Mathematical development Understanding and knowledge of the world Physical and creative development So, we can say that drama or role play is a creative learning and teaching medium that can be linked directly to all important areas of human concern. (Patrice, Baldwin. & Kate, Fleming. Teaching Literacy through Drama Creative Approaches: Drama & Literacy, Chapter 3) Effectiveness of Drama in Education and Literacy: Drama is a performing art that can be used in various situations. If we talk in the context of drama and its impact on literacy skills, we will find that drama is really a helpful tool plus it is also very interesting. However, before going through any drama, it is very important to understand the context of the story in a broader sense. (Neil, Toye. & Francis, Prendiville. Drama & Traditional Story for the Early Years: Part 1, Thinking about Drama: Ideas 1 & Ideas 3) How Drama is helpful in the development of Literacy Skills? Drama is considered one of the powerful tools that can better serve in the development of literacy skills. The strategy of drama is very helpful and effective in teaching. Actually when a teacher conveys her lesson to students by reading and writing, it may be monotonous for many children. With continuous reading, children may lose their interest. On the other hand if the same lesson is conveyed by role play or story telling then it would be more effective and attractive for the students. Drama will leave a lasting impression on the minds of the children. Furthermore they will enjoy it more. So, we can say that the strategy of drama is more effective in teaching and learning. Here I want to explain something more about this concept. Usually, it occurs that boys are action driven than girls. Boys do not like to read. They more prefer active responses. So, dramatic skills may help such boys who lose their interest in studies while reading and writing continuously. There are many other researchers who explore the true meaning of drama in education and literacy. Moreover, teachers learn to employ different drama techniques in classrooms to assist and motivate unenthusiastic students and readers that want more joy and excitement. Drama is not a new method of teaching. This is successful methodology in which text is used to explore. This methodology enables children to develop active and reflective relationship with others. Children can learn more diverse things in exciting ways. Drama is a cooperative and shared activity that is used to fire collective and individual imagination. This involves some artistic expressions which can be written as well as spoken that are presented individually as well as in collective manner. Through drama the teacher can explore personal and interpersonal responses of the children. In drama mind, emotions and body work together to give some meaning that enhance the experiences and help a lot in further learning and development. (Neil, Kitson. & Ian, Spiby. Drama 7-11 Developing Primary Teaching Skills: Drama in Education. Chapter 1) Impact of Drama on SEN students: As already mentioned, that drama is a powerful tool to enhance the capabilities of students. In drama skills children are deeply involved in developing conscious and subconscious learning of all the social rules. They learn the art of interacting others. They also learn the art of working with other people. Moreover, they learn great confidence. Remember if you are a teacher and you are introducing drama to the children very first time then you should be careful while working with young and SEN students. You may ask children that what they think is necessary to make drama more successful. So, if the children response that they think working together will make it successful. You can use their response in drama. How Role Play helps the children in Learning: The role play provides a great opportunity to children to experiment with different ideas that are taken from the world or from personal experiences. However, these ideas can involve some imaginations as well. Children can assume various roles that may be familiar or unfamiliar; they also use some appropriate languages and gestures to emphasize the ideas. Drama may involve reality as well as fantasy. This role play area also encourages a creative response to different situations. Moreover, it creates original and independent thinking in children. Children can also express their feelings and they can perform accordingly. Dramatic Play should be structured in a way that it gives learning outcomes. This is especially important when dramatic play is used at school level. Drama can be a very helpful tool for future literacy development. In drama children make connections between listening, reading and writing to understand the actual purpose of dramatic play. Children gain more confidence while working and acting in dramas. This further helps to prepare them for more formal education and for new aspects of literacy. Interrelationship between Drama and Literacy Drama provides a great and particular powerful methodology for the development of learning and teaching in broader sense. Definitions of literacy are also expanding and extended at great rates. They are more concerned in social, cultural and intellectual contexts. Nowadays, you can hear about visual literacy, computer literacy and cultural literacy. So, drama itself considered a great tool for the creation of education and literacy. Role of Dramatic Play in Literacy: Here I am further explaining that how drama acts as medium for developing language, communication and literacy or how drama really helps in education and literacy. Drama provides powerful contexts for listening and speaking which is very essential in literacy development. In drama children talks are valued that enable them to stand at public forums. Through dramatic plays, small kids are also facilitated. They learn a lot with different rhymes and songs. Children get opportunities to communicate their ideas, thoughts and feelings with the help of drama. Integrates literacy development within shared contexts. Children can get more opportunities for discussion and speaking Drama also extends the use of language and motivates the children in doing different things in the accomplishment of many tasks. This also gives opportunities for questioning with other characters. Children learn the art of making different statements of their imagined thoughts and experiences. Drama also provides the opportunities to ask questions and initiate and refuse various situations that are present. Moreover, characters also greet others in the role play. This is an art of learning symbolism and the art of words and silence. Drama is a use of verbal and non verbal communication that includes gestures, body language and expressions to convey various feelings and meaning to other people. So, this is a great way to literacy. People learn to interact and communicate with others. Drama also involves the creation of imaginary characters, plots and various settings, narration by retelling and revising various characters, imaginations and stories. So, creation of anything is also an art and a great way to learning and knowledge. With the help of dramatic play, early literacy skills can be developed which further polishes the broader concept of literacy and learning. Child plays various roles to achieve a range of learning outcomes. Drama is also a great way to introduce reading and writing materials that can further assist in learning and literacy development. A child gets knowledge about various things present around. Dramatic play is also a great way to promote and support literate and imaginative environment which further makes connections between writing and reading enable the children to understand their real purpose to convey meaning. Provides a setting that can help the child to gain more confidence before running towards more formal education and literacy. Finally, drama is a great way of developing knowledge and understanding the world. (Patrice, Baldwin. & Kate, Fleming. Teaching Literacy through Drama Creative Approaches: Drama & Literacy, Chapter 3) Experiences that children practice in Dramatic Play With the help of drama children practice three types of experiences. These include the most uncomfortable, most enjoyable and the most meaningful. However, the drama may be the combination of all these. In drama sometimes teacher’s interference is prohibited and children are allowed to act freely. In that way children can grow and learn independently. On the other hand if you give them something they can grow personally. (Debbie Diller. Literacy Work Stations) & (http://www.creativityinstitute.com/earlychildhooddevelopment childrenanddrama.aspx) Teacher learner relationship in Drama As already mentioned that drama is both a way of learning and a great method of teaching. However, here I will clear the relationship between teacher and the learner. Actually drama has its own demand on both the learner and the teachers. Both of these groups need to adapt particular strategies to meet the demands of the drama. In fact a proper relationship is very required to build a climate of learning. Here some teachers and learners attitudes are briefly described that must be followed if you want drama more effective and helpful in real life. Teachers Attitude Teacher should be willing to introduce several different experiences to the little kids. The teacher or the instructor should encourage the children to do something to broaden their horizon. Teacher should allow the students to organize themselves in groups and working together. Moreover, self assessment is also offered and encouraged in children. Give more opportunities to your children. Make children independent to do many choices and to understand different materials for making sense of learning. Teacher should act as an active and interested listener rather than a story teller. Value each and every well intentioned contribution by your children regardless of their aptitude. Children should build a bridge between the things they already know and those information that is unique for them. Another important aim of a teacher should be that they can discover their voice and how to use them in a variety of purposes and situations. The priority of the teacher should be given the level of confidence to use language and action willingly. All the learning in the classroom should be applied to offer actual, concrete and purposeful situations to students. Learners Attitude Here it is very important to understand that how children react to different situations plus what strategies they follow to carry out different actions. This will really help in understanding the importance of drama for students. Moreover, it does not matter that they are unfamiliar to many situations and inexperienced. Basically children employ drama or role play strategy to make the sense of the behavior of other people. For example in early childhood we may see that children love to play families, schools and sometimes war as well. We may further see that they distribute all the characters accordingly. Sometimes they act as mothers in homes or angry school teachers teaching small kids. So, they love drama to pretend different characters working and living around them. It can be well said that this is something that is by birth in their nature. Children also love in making different things and in doing several acts. Drama is a way through which they can materialize the issues from imagination to concrete structure. Drama or roles play help in the examination of various issues that may be abstract otherwise. Children also know and understand the fact that there are certain rules in all the games as well as in dramas. So, they create their own rules and boundaries to make drama more successful and working. (Jonothan, Neelands. P, 1984. Making Sense of Drama A Guide to Classroom Practice: The Teacher Learner Partnership in Drama. Chapter 3) Conclusion: Finally we can conclude the overall discussion as, drama is the best way to define and experience real situations. Drama or role play is a branch of performing art in which many actors work and play together on a stage to create some experiences and situations for the viewers. It is considered the most creative and exciting experience for many people. You can explore many situations with the help of this medium. In drama language, actions and gestures are carefully balanced to open and explore different situations. So, when we use these dramatic skills in classrooms then they obviously serve us in a better way. Drama is a great and the most interesting way to create awareness among small kids and students as well. References: 1. Patrice, Baldwin. & Kate, Fleming. P, 2003. Teaching Literacy through Drama Creative Approaches: Drama & Literacy, USA & Canada, Routledge. 2. Neil, Kitson. & Ian, Spiby. P, 1997. Drama 7-11 Developing Primary Teaching Skills: Drama in Education, USA & Canada, Routledge. 3. Jonothan, Neelands. P, 1984. Making Sense of Drama A Guide to Classroom Practice: The Teacher Learner Partnership in Drama, Jordan Hill, Oxford, Heinemann Educational Publishers 4. Neil, Toye. & Francis, Prendiville. P, 2000. Drama & Traditional Story for the Early Years: Part 1, Thinking about Drama, Routledge. 5. Philip, Taylor. P, 1996. Researching Drama and Arts Education: Paradigms & Possibilities, London, Falmer Press. 6. David, Davis. P, 1997. Interactive Research in Drama in Education: London, Trentham Books Limited. 7. Debbie Diller. P, 2003. Literacy Work Stations: USA, Stenhouse Pulishers. 8. Ronald Allan, Chionglo. Drama [online] Available at: http://litera1no4.tripod.com/drama.html [ Accessed 18 Feb, 2010] 9. James Foster, Robinson. What is Storytelling? [online] (Updated 5July 2004) Available at: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_art_of_storytellling/109697 [Accessed 19 Feb, 2010] 10. Marilynn, McLachlan. Children & Drama: A Creative Institute Guest Column. [online] Available at: http://www.creativityinstitute.com/earlychildhooddevelopment-childrenanddrama.aspx [Accessed 19 Feb, 2010] 11. Effective Learning & Teaching: Drama. [online] Available at: http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/publication/eltd-03.htm [Accessed 19 Feb, 2010] 12. Learning English through Drama: [online] Available at: http://www.japantoday.com/category/executive-impact/view/learnign-english-through-drama [Accessed 19 Feb, 2010] 13. Kate Marie Ryan. Effectiveness of Drama in English Classroom [online] Available at: http://www.edarticle.com/k-12-subject-areas/the-arts/effectiveness-of-drama-in-the-english-classroom.html [Accessed 19Feb, 2010] 14. Definitions of Drama on the Web [online] Available at: http://www.google.com.pk/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:drama&ei=RH6BS82LIofHrAfNhrncBw&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title&ved=0CAYQkAE [ Accessed 19 Feb, 2010] 15. Dramas, Plays, Skits and Theater: [online] Available at: http://www.indiana.edu/~reading/ieo/bibs/drama.html [Accessed 20 Feb 2010] Read More