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Integrating Performing Arts and Creative Writing Across the Curriculum
For K-14 Schools, gifted and talented education, children at risk, and prison education programs
Multiple Intelligences in Action
All effective teachers agree with this ancient Chinese proverb:
I hear, I forget.
I see, I remember.
I do, I understand.
Recent studies in educational psychology indicate that when a student is having fun in any learning experience, both the left and the right sides of the brain are involved in that learning experience. And any learning-by-doing process results in a life-lasting and holistic learning experience. It is also proven that the complex process of learning any subject matter, such as language acquisition, is not limited to just the two linguistic and logical-mathematical capabilities. Specifically, in teaching creative writing, as the most complex process in human expression, the educator’s traditional teaching style is cognitive and linguistic. With improvisation, the general linguistic and mathematical/rational emphasis is extended to teaching creative writing with more emphasis on creativity and expression rather than on mechanics. This approach primarily encourages and initiates creativity and creative expression, and through a process-based approach and through guidance, leads students to learn more of the language and cognitive process. Other styles of teaching creative writing usually exclude the application of process-based interactive exercises—improvised storytelling, collaborative writing, and the hands-on collaborative rewriting process—from this complex creative process. Harvard professor Dr. Howard Gardner’s recent research has disclosed eight areas of intelligence that include not only linguistic and mathematical/logical models of intelligence but also kinesthetic, musical, spatial, moral, interpersonal, intrapersonal communication models. Dr. Gardner’s profound research encourages educators of all subjects to closely reexamine the effectiveness of our current approach when educating a wide range of students with diverse socio-economic backgrounds and academic abilities. Yet, we traditionally base our educational system on only two areas of intelligence—linguistic and logical/mathematical—despite research that encourages us to examine new ways of learning, specifically in regard to teaching hands-on and interactive creative writing, creative problem solving, and team decision making.
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Dramasports Breakthrough Performance Training
Improvisation for Building Life Skills
Goal: Learn how to use improvisational theater technique and engage your students in the learning process. Learn how to create your own class- and school-based Dramasports improvisational theater troupe and creatively integrate writing and performing arts into your content area teaching.
What is DRAMASPORTSr?
DRAMASPORTS is a pleasant combination of the magic of drama with the thrill of sports. It is theater that plays like sports. It is improvised solo and improvised group storytelling. Its goal is to create stories, scenes, simulations, enactments, and structured games for public presentations. It is Multiple Intelligences in action.
This innovative educational interactive theater format helps to the bridge the gap between the participating audience members and the actors. It creates an experiential learning environment for players and audience members alike. This process-oriented learning is also an excellent way of teaching invaluable social and life skills such as interpersonal communication, teambuilding, creative problem solving, leadership, critical thinking, group decision-making, and self-expression.
What is the theme of this theater production?
The themes of these improvised stories and short scenes can wideky vary. For example in classroom setting, teachers can utilize the fundamentals of imprvisational theater technique and creatively design lessons that engages students in learning. We know when students are engaged they learn more effectively. The use of powerful metaphore that are presented in a playful way encourages students to be part of the process of learning. This promotes healthy interdependence and accelerates learning among all students regarlss of their ability level.
The collaborative process of learning the rules of improvisational theater encourages critical thinking, teamwork, team, individual and group accountability, individual and group creativity, and meaningful interdependence. This process-oriented learning is a microcosm of the real world. The engaging process provides a practical and fertile ground for the development of many life skills among young performers including: communicating, listening, cooperation, demonstrating motor skills, setting purposes and goals, brainstorming, expressing visual composition, developing responsibility, free expression, organizing, sequencing, prioritizing, patience, coordinating, and persuading.
What are the benefits of this educational theater?
As a result of creating a school-based DRAMASPORTS INTERACTIVE theater we can ultimately expect to see a wide spectrum of benefits:
1. Assist students in the discovery of their unique selves and helping them unleash their creativity while learning ensemble performance skills.
2. Provide a safe, supportive, nurturing, and healing environment where students can share their expirences and nd feelings with their supportive peers and teachers.
3. Help students assume responsibility and learn critical thinking and social skills such as camaraderie, accountability, leadership, good citizenship, and interdependence.
4. Support students in developing higher degrees of self-esteem and self-confidence through achievement and excellence in every step of the creative learning process.
5. Prepare these students for public performances as well as assist them in reflecting their thoughts and emotions throughout the performance.
6. Provide a supportive educational environment that helps promote and develop sensitivity, understanding, and acceptance of all people despite their diverse racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds.
How the competitive element is incorporated in this interactive theater format?
The competitive and sporting element in “Dramasports” is aimed to create more excitement and encourage audience participation in creating improvised stories and scenarios. It adds to the excitement and energy of the improvised theater in a friendly and magical way. As in sports, the audience believes that they are experts, so they interactively and voluntarily offer input in the creation of the scenes and they enthusiastically support the friendly competition of the players and teams. The audience judges every created scene.
Rationale and what is to be improved:
This well-designed performance training is flexible and can be used in different educatinal settings.
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