To Act, Or Not To Act? Drama In The Classroom Lauren E. Duerson ED-7201 Fall 2011

Table of Contents Statement of the Problem Review Of Literature The Pros The Cons Educational Theorists Current Implementation Hypothesis Statement Resources

Statement of the Problem Economic recessions create widespread budget cutbacks that greatly effect the public school system. As a result, job retention and hiring consists of multi-subject and special needs teachers verses those who specialize in the arts such as drama. No Child Left Behind Act legislation has created a focus on math and literacy achievement in the United States of America with a goal of general and mass achievement by Testing is the determining factor in student and teacher success. Therefore teachers and administrators are forced to teach to the test with a focus placed on math, science, and literacy. This means that social studies and the arts are not covered in classrooms in the same detail as the other subjects, if at all.

Review Of Literature The Pros Drama improves the cognitive ability to remember, therefore, by acting in a story or history’s dramatization, children retain and understand more of the story’s concepts and content. (George. 2000) Drama improves personal self-confidence for teachers and students. Drama improves social skills between peers and creates communication with teachers and students. Drama can improve physical and emotional abilities through expression and movement. (George. 2000) Drama encourages children to question material, create images, determine the importance of details found in the texts, and encourages further inference and synthesis of reading. (Rosler. 2008)

Review Of Literature The Pros The arts, such as drama allow children to participate through movement, which is crucial for non-native speaker participation. (Ulbricht. 2011)

Review Of Literature The Cons No Child Left Behind Act counts three subjects as ‘core’ subjects, therefore there is no balance between the arts and tested curriculums. Tested subjects always win attention over non-tested. (Chapman. 2005) Instructional time is taken away from the subjects that students are tested on when teacher focus on social studies and the arts. If test scores drop in other tested curriculum areas, teachers are scrutinized. (Wills. 2007) Some teachers are uncomfortable or unfamiliar with the arts processes, curriculum, and standards, therefore they do not wish to teach learning through dramatic practices. (Stanfa, O Shea. 1998) Dramatic presentation and implementation (as well as action research) in the classroom can take more preparation than other subjects of the curriculum. (Sanders. 2006)

Educational Theorists Lev Vygotsky: Social interaction plays a large role in cognitive development. Only once social interaction has occurred can an individual understand on a personal level. Teachers should collaborate with the students to help facilitate meaning and learning. Howard Gardner: Multiple intelligences includes bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, where entire body is used to solve problems in the process of learning. Interpersonal and Intrapersonal intelligence, which includes understanding one’s own motivations and the motivations of others in the process of learning.

Current Implementation Margaret Goodnow- Has students choose a civilization in order to create a play. ‘The Golden Apple’ was utilized to socially have students find cooperative solutions to problems while learning about other cultures and historic peoples. Brenda Rosler- Fifth-grade teacher in an urban community found that drama infused lesson plans unite classes, and create leaders in social studies learning.

Hypothesis By integrating dramatic role- playing activities within social studies lessons over a six- week period of time to twenty-eight students at Public School X in Brooklyn, New York, students will increase test scores in the social sciences curriculum.

Resources Chapman, L. (2005). No child left behind in art? Art Education. 58(1) George, N. J. (2000). Beneficial use of dramatics in the classroom. The New England Reading Association. 36(2), Goodnow, M. (2004). Bringing history to life in the elementary classroom. Montessori Life. 16(3) Lynch, P. (2007). Making meaning many ways: an exploratory look at integrating the arts with classroom curriculum. Art Education. 60(4) O’Donoghue, D. (2009). Are we asking the wrong questions in arts-based research? Studies In Art Education. 50(4), O Shea, D. J. & Stanfa, K. (1998). The play’s the thing for reading comprehension. Teaching Exceptional Children. 31(2), Rosler, B. (2008). Process drama in one fifth-grade social studies class. The Social Studies (Washington D.C.). 99(6), Sanders, J. H. (2006). Performing arts-based education research: an epic drama of practice, precursors, problems, and possibilities. Studies In Art Education, 48(1),

Resources Ulbricht, J. (2011). Changing art education’s master narrative. Art Education. 64(3) Wills, J. S. (2007). Putting the squeeze on social studies: managing teaching dilemmas in subject areas excluded from state testing. The New England Reading Association. 36(2), Websites Howard Gardner: Multiple Intelligences and Education Retrieved October 10, Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory Retrieved October 10,