Constructing a Paradigm:
Examining the content and Delivery of a Middle School Drama Program.
Maggie Kelly
Having taught Drama at a Middle School (grades 7,8,9) for the last 3 years, I found it time to reassess my teaching methods. My course was popular, and both parents and students commented on the success of the program. I started feeling guilty about my subjective assessment and evaluation techniques. Grading in elective courses is often subjective due to the nature of the content. How do you assess someone's creativity? I decided to look at how I assessed students, which led to an examination of the content of my drama program. Encompassing all of this was a desire to find out exactly what and how students learn in drama.
I began my research reading works by Drama professionals: David Booth, Gavin Bolton, Carol Tarlington. This gave me some insight into the bigger picture of Drama and its place in schools. I discussed with my class my desire to find out what and how they learned in Drama and received written parental permission to carry out my research.
My active research began with videotaping a lesson. As we often use a video camera in class the students were very comfortable with this method of recording data and consequently behaviour was consistent with behaviour on any other given day. Transcribing the videotape was arduous but proved revealing. I used data gathered from the videotape as well as knowledge gained from my prolonged and persistent observation of the class to compile interview questions. I interviewed 2 students ( 1 male, 1 female). These interviews were taped and then transcribed. The interviewees read the transcriptions and signed them as being authentic.
From this information I compiled a questionnaire to which the entire class responded. Responses to the questionnaire helped me to understand what and how students learn in drama. The results of my study were shared with the class. Their final responses reinforced my understanding of the content and delivery of my Drama Program. Then I wrote my paper.
Students learn in a variety of ways at different rates. This concept is not new but through my research I came to understand that Drama students often experience success simply because they are able to express themselves in a variety of ways without feeling pressure to attain a certain goal. Process over product. Learning requires the active participation of the learner. Certainly Drama is a "doing" course. Pen and paper are not required, and bad attitude days are not tolerated. Learning is both an individual and a social process. Students told me they learned as much by watching and sharing with other class members as they did by doing . Drama in schools successfully embraces these Principles of Learning. Encompassing these Principles and bound by the Drama IRP (Independent Resource Package , Ministry of Education, British Columbia, 1995) whose Learning Outcomes include such lofty ideals as: Expression and Trust, Critical Analysis, Making Connections, I examined my students' responses to the content of my program . Students told me that they felt safe in the classroom. They were able to express themselves, both verbally and nonverbally because of the trust within the classroom. They were able to explore alternate personalities, relationships, cultural differences, and a host of other ideas and learning opportunities. They enjoyed the challenges I set for them, gaining insight into themselves and the world around them. Note that throughout the year (September to June) the activities become more demanding and more complex, requiring increased risk taking. The students natural maturation process is also reflected in this approach.
The results of my study reaffirmed my belief that students do learn in Drama. What they learn is threefold. Students learn dramatic skills which can be transferred to the real world. The ability to appear poised and confident in a job interview requires dramatic skill. Students learn about themselves: who they are, who they might become, what their values are, confidence. Finally students learn about their place in the world, the value and benefits of communication and cooperation. How students learn these skills, attitudes and concepts is twofold. Firstly it is a process. Building blocks perhaps. Beginning with defining and reinforcing the notions of cooperation, communication, and concentration students "do" Drama. They learn by making mistakes and trying again. Secondly, students learn by sharing the experience. Sharing the experience can be as simple as being the audience for performance work, or watching yourself on videotape, to the giving and receiving of constructive feedback.
In the end it seemed natural to explain what I learned using a diagram. This diagram consists of a pyramid of learning (think Maslows hierarchy of needs) surrounded by a circle which I called the "shared experience". The pyramid is a metaphor for what students learn in Drama. The surrounding circle attempts to explain how students learn in Drama. A further circle surrounds the entire picture. Within this outer circle lie the Learning Outcomes for Drama 8-10 according to the Independent Resource Package (IRP), Ministry of Education, British Columbia. The construction of this paradigm of what and how students learn in drama was an exciting exercise, both for myself as a teacher and learner, and also for my class of students who served as "guinea pigs" for my first attempt at research.
As a result of this study I feel more confident about my evaluation and assessment techniques, which include observation over time and documentation of performance work. The enthusiastic participation of my students in this study reflects their belief in the Drama Program I deliver. The readings for Ed-E 591 proved most valuable. A second, and sometimes third, reading as I progressed through my study helped clarify concepts as well as gain insight into the research process itself. Of particular value to me were Guba and Lincoln , Fourth Generation Evaluation (1989), Roth, Construction Sites: Science Labs and Classrooms (1994) and Strauss, Qualitative Analysis for Social Scientists (1987).