Hello blog followers,
Below is my critical evaluation of five internet resources for Drama students in years 8 – 10.
1). Drama Based Activities for an ESL Classroom – http://esl-art-drama-resource.wikispaces.com/Drama+Based+Activities
This online resource is designed to assist teachers with students whose second language is English. Five Drama based activities are suggested that have intrinsic value for learning by developing students improvisational performance, communication and interaction skills.
The first activity involves students questioning and answering one another in response to the distributed ‘identity cards’. Once the activity has been completed, the class re-groups to discuss what occurred and conduct reflection. This activity develops students’ interaction, performance, communication and reflection skills.
The second activity is a follow on task where students must act out their character which is allocated using the shuffled ‘identity cards’ collected at the end of activity one. This Drama workshop activity develops students awareness of body language as a means of non-verbal communication.
The remaining three activities involve students acting out an emotion, an inanimate object and a familiar story. These Drama workshop activities allow students to further develop their communication, performance, interaction, group work and reflection skills and can assist teachers of students whose second language is English. These activities are beneficial to a diverse student cohort as performance skills are developed allowing for a supportive and inclusive classroom environment.
Contributions to http://esl-art-drama-resource.wikispaces.com/ are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 License. This license allows others to remix, tweak and build upon the work even for commercial purposes providing that you credit the work and license your new creations under the same terms.
ADDITIONAL COMMENT BASED ON PEER FEEDBACK:
This online resource is easy to navigate and would be valuable to beginning teachers and also supervising teachers as it includes easy to follow steps. This user friendly site would allow relief teachers to prepare a valuable lesson with very short notice and minimal planning.
2). Building Trust in the Classroom – http://trustanddrama.wikispaces.com
This online resource is a valuable tool for teachers of students in the junior years of secondary school. The suggested activities are suitable for all secondary students however modifications to games such as ‘wink murder’ have been made so that they are appropriate for younger secondary students.
The aim of this resource is to assist teachers when attempting to develop trust amongst groups of students in an effort to establish a creative space where all participants feel comfortable when expressing themselves. Developing an environment where students trust one another and feel free to express themselves is imperative to the quality of learning students receive throughout their school years studying The Arts.
The website provides: an overview of the topic, lesson plans, workshop activities, games, strategies, tips and links to other resources.Teachers must establish and enforce classroom rules to ensure that students move about the performance space safely and engage with each other in a safe and respectful manner.
Contributions to http://trustanddrama.wikispaces.com/Trust+Activities+and+Games are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 License. This license allows others to remix, tweak and build upon the work even for commercial purposes providing that you credit the work and license your new creations under the same terms.
ADDITIONAL COMMENT BASED ON PEER FEEDBACK:
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3). Literacy Methods – https://literacymethods.wikispaces.com/Classroom+Drama
This online resource is designed to assist teachers who are seeking information, ideas and resources aimed to improve student literacy standards. It includes strategies for teachers of all subject areas however some are specific to The Arts. There are several Drama workshop activities that develop student literacy skills through script writing, reading and spoken performance. Reading and speaking to an audience develops confidence and also creates a supportive classroom environment where students demonstrate respect whilst listening to others. Metalanguage specific to the Arts is developed through tasks such as script writing. Students explore characters and historical events whilst using the elements of Drama and literacy skills. ICTs are required for the recorded audio and audiovisual resources provided on the site allowing for a diverse range of Multiliteracies. Recommended ICTs include: interactive white board, laptop and internet access.
Contributions to https://literacymethods.wikispaces.com/ are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 License. This license allows others to remix, tweak and build upon the work even for commercial purposes providing that you credit the work and license your new creations under the same terms.
4). 20 ICT ideas in 20 minutes – http://www.effectiveict.co.uk/ictac/20ideas.shtml
This online resource is a booklet containing information about how ICTs can be used within schools to enhance the learning experience of students. Although the resource is not specifically designed solely for Drama students in years 8 – 10, it includes information relevant to teachers of those classes.
Suggested ICTs relevant to year 8 -10 Drama students include digital: count down timers, backdrops, storyboards and tools for self-reflection such as recording devices. These ICTs assist with the creative process and can enhance student performances.
Effective and efficient ICTs used for communication applicable to all subjects are explained and include: podcasts, email, online feedback forms, online forums and blogs. These are also useful when ascertaining student knowledge to determine students current level of understanding when planning appropriate learning sequences and scaffolding knowledge. Information collected through these sources also allows for feedback about student learning outcomes and professional development through reflection and evaluation of teaching.
Teachers must ensure that students are aware of the schools ICT policy and procedures and that these are upheld at all times. Teachers should model appropriate behaviour whilst using ICTs and monitor students to ensure that these expectations are maintained.
Contributions to http://www.effectiveict.co.uk/ictac/20ideas.shtml are licensed under a Creative Commons, Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Generic license that allows others to remix, tweak and build upon the work non-commercially providing that you credit the work and license your new creations under the same terms.
5). Icebreakers – http://www.funandgames.org/games/GameIcebreakers.htm
This online resource contains activities designed to ‘break the ice’ which are suitable for Drama students in years 8 – 10. These activities are particularly useful when students are nervous about performing in front of others or when teaching a new group at the beginning of the school year.
Although the resource includes several activities with no single learning goal, they each have a purpose in the Drama classroom. Depending on the time of day, students may benefit from a high energy opening activity or alternatively an activity designed to focus and settle; activities designed for both of these purposes are included on this site and can assist teachers when planning introductory Drama workshop activities.
Contributions to http://www.funandgames.org/games/GameIcebreakers.htm are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license that allows others to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format. Under the license users are also able to remix, transform and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
ADDITIONAL COMMENT BASED ON PEER FEEDBACK:
The ‘Communicating Challenge’ detailed on this online resource requires students to line up in order of their date of birth without using speech. This task is aimed to develop students’ non-verbal communication skills which include: body language, facial expressions and gesture. This task also allows for a group discussion, evaluation and self reflection about the effectiveness of the communication methods used.
I do hope that you have found these 5 x internet resources valuable in some way and I invite and appreciate your feedback.
Thank you in advance.
Regards, Carlee.
References:
Cope, B., Kalantzis, M. (2008). Language Education and Multiliteracies. Retrieved May 22, 2015 from http://newlearningonline.com/_uploads/springerhandbook.pdf
carlee0410 