Drama and Literacy in the classroom Essay

The widespread saturation of non-literary narrative gos with which students interact in ultramodern society has resulted in a distinct change in the methods and subject matter of literacy skills and education. Researches have discovered that advantages exist for students who be enrolled in cross-discipline curriculums and specific endorse exists to show that the enjoyment of romp inwardly a classroom backdrop provides and ample boost to the educational experiences and efficacy of students.The TES has reported on explore from Durham University which found that primary pupils academic performance may break if their schools devote time to drama. Children from inner-London primaries achieved better than expected results in maths and recitation tests after their schools took part in an outreach project run by the field of study Theatre. (Literacy Trust) Such a boost is the result of the multifaceted levels of steepment and inter legal action that drama provides for student s.In addition to boosting literacy and math skills, inquiryes have discovered that drama withal enhances verbalizeing and listening skills, which, in turn, enhance performances across the spectrum of scholastic activity drama great deal be a powerful tool to pose childrens speaking and listening skills National Theatre children learned to speak more clearly and listen more attentively than their matches. (Literacy Trust)Other cited benefits are children who participated in drama in the classroom reported an increased use of school, higher self-esteem and self-confidence, a clearer ability to set and meet goals, and an deepen understanding and interest in the creative arts When drama is use in literature-based reading programs, it often remains as simulated share play to rec every and/or provide an alternative ending for every last(predicate) or part of a story. In order for a drama activity to enhance both literary and literacy development, the activities must engage the ch ildren in a thorough reading of the story. (Hertzberg, 1998) The success of drama-enhanced curriculums may be attached to human headspring function, thus demonstrating an organic merit to the dramatic form as a teaching technique and educational aid. Education is directly beginning to take account of recent research into the way the brain works and the ways in which children learn and to relate this to the teaching and learning of todays curriculum. The result is likely to be an increase in creative and multi-sensory approaches to teaching, linked to clearly defined learning objectives.(Neelands, Baldwin & Fleming, 2003, p. 4) Because drama requires mesh in group-work and interaction with sets of individuals all working toward a shared goal, text-work through dramatic readings and performances, creates a sense of shared ownership through which children can investigate and develop characters, fill the gaps left in the text, reveal the subtext, and use their imaginations to brid ge the divide between writer and reader, integrating and encompassing all aspects of literacy.(Neelands, Baldwin, and Fleming 5) Perhaps most importantly of all, the participation in drama encourages students to engage with texts emotionally, intellectually, and with a vested interest and connection to the material which seems to be absent from traditional learning methods. Drama creates motivation for students to participate and facilitates students responses in reading instruction dramatization is a source of scaffolding for emergent readers by providing rich background experiences for future tense reading dramatization leads students to develop symbolic representation, which is the same concept children require in order to understand the alphabetic principle. (Lin,2003). Other benefits certainly exist within the drama enhanced curriculum only practice of the theoretic techniques and research will fully disclose the potential for this type of dynamic educational process. Referen ces Hertzberg, M. (1998). Theory into Practice Using Drama to Enhance Literacy Development.Australian ledger of Language and Literacy, 21(2), 159+. Neelands, J. , Baldwin, P. , & Fleming, K. (2003). Teaching Literacy through Drama Creative Approaches. London RoutledgeFalmer. www. literacytrust. org. uk 3-31-07, accessed 4-9-07. http//www. literacytrust. org. uk/Database/drama. hypertext mark-up languagetest Lin,Chia-Hui. Literacy Instruction through Communicative and Visual Arts The Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication Digest 186 12-03, Accessed 4-10-07. http//reading. indiana. edu/ieo/digests/d186. html