Cultural diversity in Drama

Dear MIMU,

How can I incoporate cultural diversity into my drama class?

Signed, 

Drama Queen

The answer is VERY EASILY, Ms. Queen. Read what Udy has to say about that very topic!

The basic aim of drama is to increase pupils awareness of themselves and others, their strength, weakness and emotions through the use of their senses. it is a time when student have the opportunity to explore, experiment and improvise both individually or as a groups, working towards something that can be performed. Drama is powerful because its unique balance of thought and feeling makes learning exciting, challenging and relevant to real-life concerns- Dorothy Heathcote.

Edmiston & Wilherlm, (1998) in their book,”Imagining To Learn: Inquiry, Ethics, and Integration Through Drama”  sums up the value and power of using drama in the classroom very well. He calls the type of learning in which students are actively engaged in the subject and have some control of their learning, “student inquiry.” He writes:

Organizing the curriculum around student inquiry has begun to be recognized as a powerful way to move students beneath the facts and beyond a skill-and kill approach to learning. Inquiry that centers on students’ questions and real world issues is intrinsically motivating, engages students in high level critical creative thinking, and connects the classroom to the world - past, present and future. Teachers are freed from being the authority to being an authority who can guide, assist, and wonder with students - most of all are freed to ask questions with students and join together in joint exploration (Pg. 133).

Research indicates that using drama in the classroom as a means of teaching helps students learn academically, socially, and developmentally. Bolton (1999) in his book “Acting in Classroom Drama:  A Critical Analysis” calls the form of drama used to teach in the classroom, “ dramatic playing”. Dramatic playing is characterized by a high degree of spontaneity as teacher and students work to create a fictional world in which they assume roles to explore issues that are of concern to them.