What People Say
You are motoring ahead with the drama in schools. The fact that you can be left without a teacher is going to make you very popular! Plus you can deliver the drama element that many teachers find hard.
Amanda Harris: Kernow Education Arts Partnership
Overview of DramaWorks
An initial letter was sent out last September to around 150 schools in Cornwall - within 3 days 10 schools had signed up with a further 12 expressing an interest and being put on a ‘reserve’ list. Eventually 11 schools were part of this project with a further school (from the reserve list) having a similar input (but over 3 weeks rather than 3 terms) as part of another initiative. Most schools selected 2 classes to have 3 half days each over the year, a couple of schools gave the whole day to one class.
In most schools it was the Head or Deputy Head along with the Literacy co-ordinator sometimes in consultation with the whole staff who decided to ‘sign up’ for DramaWorks. As for why – the following reasons were offered:
To increase provision for drama in school – curriculum enrichment an OFSTED action point
Becoming involved for this class was an issue of equality. Also having worked with Kathy before the school knew how good she was
It offered the children a great opportunity and it was also a chance for the staff to learn
It was an amazing opportunity not to be missed
Area of focus: to develop creativity and cross-curricular links through drama
To extend the range of activities for the children, especially to create links to literacy and music
To get specialist input for an exciting area of the curriculum
DramaWorks has given us so many more ideas and increased our knowledge – made us realise the power drama has across the curriculum
It [drama] has further developed its use, especially by our NQT (Y6 teacher)
More staff involved and attending drama courses. A focus for whole school development involving teachers, TAs and governors. Development of resources
Incorporated drama into Arts Week and blocked units
We are now able to link drama across the curriculum more successfully. It has helped out speaking and listening activities
Have the project as part of my repertoire
Being involved with an outside agency such as DramaWorks is motivational and inspirational for both pupils and teachers. Both groups improve skills and develop ideas
and the most useful experience being involved in DramaWorks for the teachers?
Useful to see a skilled practitioner at work and gain ideas of new possibilities
Seeing the children . . . use their imaginations
Experience / relevant training
Gaining confidence in leading drama activities
Seeing the children’s confidence grow
Learning how to teach drama
Getting ideas
Having an ‘expert’ on site and watching her operate
Seeing the developments of confidence of other teachers using drama techniques plus increase in pupils’ listening skills and co-operation and paired work developing creative use of improvisation
Giving children opportunities to express themselves without relying on text
Seeing how far the children moved the stories on
Having the expertise of a professional to learn from
Good teaching always looks simple – specialist can do this. Drawing out the ideas fro movement from the children – also good
When you have another practitioner in the class the class teacher has an opportunity to evaluate their own pupils – often a difficult thing to achieve if you are leading the subject. I always gain new ideas and methods for myself
and the most useful experience for the pupils?
Growth in confidence
Benefit to ability to verbalise emotions and ideas
Varying group interactions – abilities vary but with drama they don’t matter so much
Opportunity for different children {then usually the case] to express themselves
This year’s class has proved very fragmented. One of the main benefits has been to see them gradually learning to work together
Group work and discussion
Cross-curricular liaison with Y2 and Y3
Looking at Literacy from different angles
Improve listening and group dynamics
Stimulating ideas, opportunities for S and L, and for group work and co-operation
Consolidated ideas in a lively and ‘non-pencil’ way!
They enjoyed ‘making scenery’ with their own body shapes. This encourages creative thinking – problem solving skills
Development of confidence and listening skills
Copying techniques and questioning patterns
The discussion following work on ‘3 Little Pigs’, performing at Gwennap Pit – the rehearsals and co-operative group work leading up to it
The class got better at listening and working together as a team
It helped make potentially ‘dull’ topics more interesting
and comments from specific schools:
The huge impact you have on the children and their learning, justifies you having to come in more regularly.
This area [drama] has been developed with teaching staff having more confidence to explore it. It has also moved onto quality interaction between characters and also ideas to make characters more effective. Areas of their writing have also improved, gaining a more sophisticated grasp of story and character.
Being given the opportunity to follow a project through, starting off with guidance, with an outcome in mind - a real performance!
Teaching staff being given the chance to observe and follow through ideas – fantastic way of training.
Teaching staff enjoyed the enthusiasm created and the motivation of children to be involved and create a good product. We would find being involved next year a fantastic opportunity – the teaching staff already experienced it would find it helpful to extend their skills and ideas and staff not worked with Kathy would benefit from this hands on training.
St Ives Junior School
it's revived my own enthusiasm for the subject and my class now has a fairly regular weekly slot for drama and circle time activities. Before being involved with DramaWorks the emphasis previously was on the large-scale one-off project but I'm finding that we're doing more regular small-scale stuff. It's been useful to see a skilled practitioner at work and to gain ideas of new possibilities. This year's class has proved very fragmented. One of the main benefits has been to see them gradually learning to work together.
Headteacher: St Breage C of E School
and comments from pupils involved with DramaWorks:
We especially enjoyed doing the interview with the three little pigs and the Wolf
When we did tableous, we liked modelling our class mates into different shapes
Our favourite drama story was the real story of the three little pigs. We liked interviewing people to see if they were telling the truth.
I even enjoyed being a lawyer in the first session
The wolf story was very exciting because we loved acting the different parts like Granny Wolf and the bad pigs
The three little pigs were fun becos the wolf [teacher-in-role] was funny
We loved doing the masks because as soon as you put one on you felt that person inside you
We personally liked the session with the masks because we could get ideas and get creative
The mask idea was a good idea . . . because it was fun and exsiting
We are really looking forward to Gwennap Pit and seeing the other pupils perform
The rehursals are going really well and I just can’t wait to get to Gwennap Pit and to see all the other schools perform their part
I can not wait to perform and do our bit
The play is going really well, we are ecstatic about going to Gwennap Pit
I hope you will like are play. We have worked on them for a long time and we have worked hard . . . I bet all the schools like it and we will like theres
I think you will be really pleased with all of us
We acted it all out in assembly. When little Red Riding Hood (who was Molly) took the pistol from her trousers and the school laughed
We are all so excited about performing at Gwennap Pit