Creative Approach 1: Drama

Drama is a creative approach which is shown to be beneficial for both Primary and Secondary schools. Some of the benefits of using drama as a creative approach in the twenty first century’s education system are highlighted in the video below.

When referring to a Primary school setting, according to Baldwin (2012), drama is essential for role play, which according to Vygotsky is essential for enhancing children’s communication and social interaction skills. This is further supported by New and Cochran (2007) who suggest that role play, which is a type of drama, provides children the medium to express their ideas creatively. 

As part of the Enquiring mind module, a guest speaker was brought in to discuss with us some of the activities which teachers can use in the classroom. The first activity which we took part in was an exercise in which we had to repeat random words as loud as we could after the guest speaker. Baldwin (2012) uses an image which suggests ways in which drama can be incorporated in schools, in the form of circle time. Some of the benefits of using circle time are highlighted in the image below.

Another activity which we carried out with the guest speaker involved first drawing a picture and then using it as a visual aid to tell a story. I drew a cat to retell the story of when I got my first pet as a child. As suggested by Shadiow (2013), using drama to tell stories can improve children’s key skills across the curriculum in Primary schools. Children can use this idea of drawing a picture to tell a story to help enhance their English Language skills. It can help children to practice presenting or speaking to their fellow peers. This therefore can improve social interaction skills. 

The video below demonstrates how role play can be linked with story writing; it highlights some of the benefits of using the creative approach of drama in today's education. 

Reference List 

Baldwin, P. (2012) With Drama in Mind: Real Learning in Imagined Worlds. New York: Continuum.

Department for Education (2012) Confidence through role play: Rhyl Primary School. [Video]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeW_PnOeMyU (Accessed: 22 April 2016).

JETSPressJCHS (2015) STEAM- The Importance of Arts in Education. [Video]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igu50uuGQ5Qm (Accessed: 23 April 2016). 

New, S.R. and Cochran, M. (2007) Early Childhood: An International Encyclopaedia London: Praeger.

Shadiow, K.L. (2013) What Our Stories Teach Us: A Guide to Critical Reflectionfor College Faculty. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.