The Structure of a Drama Lesson

The video lesson was structured into 10 parts. The first section was establishing an agreement- the rules and aims of the lesson. The video used the 3 Cs (concentration, cooperation, and communication) which I thought was an interesting idea as they provide the children with a structure and set of guidelines that they need to adhere. It also gives the teacher a base point for reflection when a lesson goes right or wrong, while also being a point that they can use keep the class on task (linking back to it throughout the lesson). I would definitely use this part of the structure as it provides a focus for the class and me, as a trainee teacher, throughout the lesson. By discussing my expectations for the class during the lesson and asking for their lesson rules, I think the children will engage in the lesson more actively while also adhering to the class-made rules. A warmup was then used in the video to get the children warm and ready for the rest of the lesson. I find that because drama is a more active and physical type of lesson, the children need to warm up both physically and mentally. A warmup is also a chance for me to introduce any drama skills that are planned to be introduced in the upcoming lesson. This is then followed on by the focus aspect of the lesson, where the key learning points and topics of the lesson will be first introduced and explored. This is an aspect of the lesson that I think is key because it allows the children to primarily explore what will be developed in the rest of the lesson. By using the lesson’s key points of learning and letting the children discuss what they first think of, the teacher is allowed to draw the children’s focus on the learning outcomes of the lesson. There are many different methods that allow the teacher to draw the class’s focus. In the video, pictures are used and the class is asked to brainstorm their initial responses to them. I found this effective way as it allows the children to explore what they think of a situation and engaging in the selected topic. I think that these first three stages of this lesson structure are applicable in any order and to any subject as they provide a possible introduction point for the teacher to introduce the learning outcomes. The development stage of the lesson is shown in the video to be a teacher-led workshop about the discussion the class had had previously about the stimulus they were given. This further provides pupils with a chance to develop and examine their thoughts and ideas as they are questioned on their thoughts. Through this development stage, the lesson moves onto the visualisation aspect of the lesson where the children are asked what they visualise to be happening in a specific situation given to them by the leader, in order to push the children to think creatively about the specific situation. Such creative thinking allows children to explore and navigate descriptions and emotions- key social skills that a child is to develop. Through visualisation the teacher moves on to what is called Soundscape. This is where the children envisage the sounds they would hear in their situation and using their voice and body they express this. From this, children are able to express sounds that they would hear without the aid of musical instruments which allows them to get creative and examine sounds and how they are used to tell a story. This then can lead the children on to performing what they had come up with or by using what they had learned about in the past two sections to come up with their story/performance-based piece. The video highlights that within a drama lesson the performance stage is key as the pupils see it as the outcome of the lesson and are therefore important to them. I agree with this because throughout the rest of the lesson the children have been developing and learning about different skills and ideas through the drama exercises and would consequently want to show this off. From a teacher’s perspective, I would say the next stage is very important as thought tracking allows a child’s interpretation of the lesson and the scene they are presenting. This then leads on to the children evaluating what they took from the lesson. I definitely would use this stage within my lessons as it allows me to be able to reflect on my targets for the lesson.

Structuring a lesson like this provides both the teacher and the class a step by step guide to a lesson with targets throughout. As a trainee teacher, I would definitely enforce this structure to a lesson as it gives me a good structure and basis for any type of lesson as it can be adapted and used throughout the curriculum. However, as the video reflects, drama can be used to learn about the different parts of the curriculum. Throughout the video, I was brainstorming ideas of ways to incorporate drama into my lessons in placement. I thought that I could adopt a drama lesson into the different areas of the curriculum. For example, we could try to recreate an important event in history through mime or still images. Another idea I came up with was furthering on from a literacy and art lessons examining comic strips and stories, the children could act out the stories they had come up with. I think this would engage the class as they could become active learners that are engaged in what they are doing and learning about. I would also find this quite interesting to teach, so, therefore, would be enthusiastic and engaging with my demeanor and classroom presence. Hopefully, the children would respect and mirror my enthusiasm.

I hope to bring forward all ideas discussed in the video and in my reflection towards my placement and in my future career.

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