“An involved child is an interested child, an interested child will learn, and drama directly involves the child.”
Learning through drama closely resembles the way young children naturally learn through pretend play, in which important skills in perspective taking and social interactions can be developed.
It provides a safe space for the students to experiment with language, and empowers students by allowing them some ownership and control over their own learning. When we teach through drama, we provide our students the opportunity to
actively organize knowledge and experiences to construct their own stories, instead of passively listening to information.
Vocabulary development
Drama can help to expand a child’s vocabulary by introducing new words and concepts in a fun and engaging way. Acting out story events is beneficial for children as they experience the text through sounds, words, actions, and tactile sensations as they perform and watch others perform. Thus, by providing sensory experiences, creative drama helps to build a bridge to the intangible.
Reading comprehension
Drama can help to improve reading comprehension by bringing stories to life and helping children to understand the meaning and context of the text. By acting out scenes from a book or story, children can gain a deper understanding of the characters, plot, and themes. This provides a space for them to engage in
multilevel comprehension of what is being said (word selection and meaning) and how it is being said (sentence structure, prosody, tone), drawing skills in the areas of vocabulary, syntax, perspective taking, and interpersonal communication.
Writing skills
Drama can also support writing skills by helping children to develop their imagination and creativity. When our students read and reread a story in preparation for performance, they will be able to “sharpen their sense of how a story “works’ and how the clements of character, plot, action, and setting work together”. By creating and performing their own stories, children can practice their writing skills and learn to express their ideas in a clear and engaging way.
Speaking and listening skills
Drama can help to develop speaking and listening skills by encouraging children to communicate effectively with others and being exposed to multiple points of view. When acting and listening to other actors, children also understand diversity as opposed to one “wrong” way of speaking or one “correct way” of speaking. Indeed, one of the main purposes of having students work in a role, is to provide them with new and different language possibilities in a safe environment
In essence, drama is simply more fun and engaging than the usual drill and kill monotony of typical literacy intervention. This improves motivation and engagement, and helps us to develop more confident and competent readers, writers, and communicators. To find out more about our Dramatic Literacy programme, click here.