Teaching drama draws on your breadth of knowledge – your drama content knowledge about Drama and Theatre and your pedagogical knowledge, your understanding of how to teach drama (Darling-Hammond, Hammerness et al. 2005).
Begin your journey towards teaching drama with a review of your drama knowledge and understanding.
Remember, this is a checklist not a test!
Knowledge about Drama and Theatre Practice
How much do you know about…? What are your experiences in…?
This is not an exhaustive listing. There are gaps and personal preferences. This does however represent a snapshot of dominant concepts and knowledge.
What can you add to this list?
Knowledge and experience about teaching drama
Turning your focus now to drama teaching (Pedagogical content knowledge):
What can you add to this list?
Knowledge about schools and their contexts
Are you confident in your understanding of Teaching Standards
Students and how they learn
Planning for teaching and learning
Assessing student learning
Managing Drama – facilities, people, budgets; safety and health standards
Knowledge about using ICT [Information and Communications Technologies] in your teaching
Use technology to
draft and publish teaching plans, support materials, plays, texts, publicity
locate information for teaching drama
communicate with students, parents, colleagues and community
reflect on your teaching and student portfolios
run standard sound and lighting equipment provided in your school
You could also add:
Knowledge about teaching Cross Curriculum Priorities: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures; Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia; and, Sustainability.
(https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/cross-curriculum-priorities/)
There are many aspects to the complex task of teaching drama in schools. This is not an exhaustive listing but designed to orient you to the learning of this unit.
What can you add to this survey?
Knowledge for its own sake can be empty knowledge. What matters is knowing how to apply knowledge in practice as a drama teacher.
Bibliography
Darling-Hammond, L., K. Hammerness, P. Grossman, F. Rust and L. Shulman (2005). The Design of Teacher Education Programs. Preparing Teachers for a Changing World What Teachers Should Learn and Be Able to Do. L. Darling-Hammond and J. Bransford, Jossey-Bass/Wiley.
