Virtual Learning Network

Dramanet Summary to 13^th February

Kia ora koutou,

It’s always a great time of year in Term 1. Don’t get me wrong, I know how busy we all are and the exhaustion felt as we get back into the swing of things after a long-enjoyed summer break, but the vibe of a school in term one is always a happy one – for students and staff alike. I hope this summary finds you all well, re-adjusted and enjoying the warm (actually, let’s face it ‘hot’!) months for teaching and learning…

This summary combines all of the threads and discussions held over the summer break and recent ‘back to school’ period as we head already into Week 3 of 2016…

Note-Worthy:

• My email last week welcoming our 770 subscribers to 2016 gives some timely reminders about how best to utilise the range of resources available to you, all completely FREE, on both Arts Online and within our Dramanet community.
• Also, I hope you did not miss K.C. Kelly’s message, Welcome back educators, which shared the Washington Post photo essay: “How Classrooms look around the world in 15 amazing photographs”. For me, these images made and make for a great talking point with students; writing in role exercises; devising stimuli; and are a spring board for discussion around global equity and equality concerns in education. Print them, laminate them and go from there!

A Primary Focus – for teachers of learners in Years 1-8:

This year will see an increased focus from the AOL team on reaching out to our primary sector to support their delivery of arts programmes and, in particular, on unpacking and exemplifying student and programme learning progressions in the early curriculum levels (1-3), for all strands. This section of our summary provides targeted advice to our primary subscribers:

• A dedicated primary teachers professional learning and development workshop titled: “Getting on Top of It: Drama in the Classroom” is being run by the Drama New Zealand Auckland Branch on Wednesday 24^th February, 4.30-7.00pm at St. Kentigern College in Auckland and facilitated by Dr Elizabeth Anderson from the University of Auckland. I highly recommend any workshop facilitated by Elizabeth – you will walk away with ideas and things you can use straight away in your own classroom the next day!
• This message from Amanda Stone may be helpful to primary teachers wanting to pick and stage a musical production at their school – with scripts, music files, staging suggestions and more all available to “download and go” in an instant!
• Gail Denver from Maverick Musicals also shared to two new release intermediate level productions now available for schools.

He Reo Āwhina, He Reo Tautoko – A voice of help and support:

• Lyndee Hurley asked, regarding 3.2 & 3.8 and 1.6, 2.6, 3.6 & 3.9 - can you use them together?
• Gayle Spence was seeking a Year 10 unit of work for Greek Theatre of Melodrama. Later, Gayle also shared her rules for the drama classroom, framed around our drama techniques vocabulary for others to download and use/adapt.
• Lucy Duffield asked about combining assessments for 2.1 and 2.4.
• Jennifer Gregg started a thread to share our favourite website and books for warm up activities; getting into character and monologue ideas to start the year.
• Gemma Carter asked about designing a programme to meet the needs of a combined Level 1 and Level 3 drama class. She later asked about directing at level 3 and the requirements for assessing this.
• Jane Bennett asked for advice around designing a level three devising task around a study of Brecht.
• I advised subscribers that NZQA’s new Assessor Support options will be announced soon; replacing the previously available Best Practice Workshops.
• Angela Harland asked, apart from the basic assessment support materials on NZQA’s website, where to find some great resources to support teaching and learning towards the PATs. Lots of discussion followed.
• Emily Miller-Matcham re-opened a discussion around drama spaces from late last year.
• Vivien Smith urged subscribers to check with school EO’s around the presence or absence of tagged Arts Coordination funding in schools’ operations grants. [Side-note: I can say that we at Arts Online have not been made aware of any changes to this funding and it should still, to my knowledge, be attached to the operations funding drops schools receive quarterly.]
• Viv Aitken announced our newest drama education community “doctor in the house” – Carrie Swanson. Our heart-felt congratulations to your Carrie on this achievement!
• Jay Versteeg asked for suggestions of short scripted scenes written by New Zealand playwrights which would be suitable for use with junior students; along the line of Ann Cartwright’s Forty Short Plays.
• Gayle Spence also asked for suggestions for good websites for departments to source play resources and copies of play scripts of all types from, in addition to our local Playmarket in NZ.
• Joy Pratt asked for suggestions for open scripts to use with Year 12 students exploring techniques. Some great scripts, activities and opinions were shared. It would be great to see some of the great resources shared on this thread also uploaded to the TRE – hint, hint! J
• Philip Biddlecombe asked a really interesting and exciting question around using online platforms to enable one of his students to work with students in another area/school for 90997. Thanks to those who responded and in particular to Bridget Crooks for seeing the rich learning opportunities an idea like this provides before seeing assessment barriers.
• Megan Herd asked for suggestions of essential texts/books to have in a drama department.
• Bruce Rawson needed access to 16 copies of Caucasian Chalk Circle in a couple of weeks’ time.
• Kim Bonnington was looking to touch base with any early childhood educators who utilise drama in their practice as part of a conference project.
• Belinda Cannan sought advice around hiring microphones for the school musical – thanks to those who put forward suggestions.
• Danielle Rieter was looking for help with finding costumes and set pieces for their musical production of Grease.
• Tracey Dwyer asked about requirements for a student completing level two set design 27704.
• Luke Devery shared and encouraged people adding to a list of Shakespearean scenes for theatre form internal assessments.
• Kristina Walton asked for advice from dance/drama teachers about how best to cater for a Year 13 student who would like to study level 3 dance independently this year.
• Angela Clayton asked for suggestion for good music collections to use in drama classes – great thread Angela, thank you!
• Susan Battye shared this update on the inclusion of Drama in the UK English Baccalaureate.

SGCNZ UOSWSF Dates and Co-ordinator Posts:

• Auckland North – 8^th and 9^th April
• Central Auckland - 8^th and 9^th April
• West Auckland – 12^th and 13^th April
• South Auckland – 10^th April
• Canterbury – 30^th March – 3^rd April. There is a SGCNZ UOSWSF preparation workshop for Canterbury drama teachers and student directors, 20^th February.
• South Waikato – 12^th April

EOTC & Live Performance Opportunities:

• The Young Auckland Shakespeare Company present Much Adoe About Nothing at the Pop-Up Globe in Auckland, Sunday 21^st February at 1pm and 7pm
• Amie Moffat shared the news that RED LEAP Theatre are touring the 2015 work, Dust Pilgrim to Hamilton, New Plymouth ad Wellington, details here. [Side note: I highly recommend this piece for teachers and students, and gained some really pleasing external assessment results for my own students who studied the work for their live performance examinations at all three levels in 2015. Exploring themes of oppression and being trapped, the richly visual and physical RED LEAP style also makes for an excellent influential model to follow for students’ devised works.]
• Marama Tracey Lloydd from the Auckland Arts Festival shared details for The James Plays and other theatre opportunities for schools, students and teachers.
• Bhavisha Singh from Indian Ink shared details for their tour of recent-work The Elephant Thief – check here for a performance near you.
• Helen Sheehan advertised the details for the highly popular The Book of Everything tour, coming to a north island town near you.
• EnsembleImpact present the Eglantyne tour with dance for schools still available to book!
• Yana from Tim Bray productions advertised their 2016 lineup.
• Taylor Griffin reminded teachers to book for the BARE SCHOOLS TOUR coming Auckland, Waikato and Manawatu areas.
• Basement Theatre in Auckland also announced its partner schools for 2016.
• Flaxworks Theatre Company in Auckland present their new work Miss Jean Batten at the Basement Theatre from 29^th March – 9^th April and have a special offer for schools.

Events and Workshops for learners:

• Emma Bishop shared some exciting news: The Amici Trusts’ Junior Theatre New Zealand present “Train the Trainers” on 12^th March in Auckland for ages Year 5 and up + teachers and practitioners with an interest in musical theatre. Robert Dil followed-up with this reminder as well.
• Hawkins Theatre, Papakura in Auckland are showing Branagh Theatre Live: A Winter’s Tale and NT Live: Hamlet on the 15^th and 22^nd February respectively. Details here.
• Public Works Performing Arts Collective in Association with Drama New Zealand present Steve Jarand (Canada) in Auckland for four workshops including a student workshop on Improvisation; teachers workshop focusing on using improvisation as a means of devising and character development and two public workshops with one on Mask and another on Improvisation.

Professional Learning and Development Opportunities:

• Registrations are open for the Drama New Zealand national conference “Tutakina mai ahau ki te Awa – Meet me at the River” being held in Wellington in April. Details here. All queries to dnzconference2016@gmail.com
• Drama New Zealand Auckland Branch offer both primary and secondary options in their first PLD workshops for the year: UPSKILL, happening on Wednesday 24^th February at St. Kentigern College, 2.30-7.00pm (secondary) and 4.30-7.00pm (primary – no relief required!). Register NOW!
• Louise Tourelle is facilitating a workshop in Wellington on Saturday 12^th March at Toi Whakaari focussing on teaching strategies for working with Stanislavski, Brecht and Artaud concepts and practices.

Professional Reading & Viewing:

• Re-share: items from Sir Ken Robinson on the importance of creativity in teaching are always worth a read!
• Megan Herd shared a great PDF resource explaining and exploring the devised work and processes of UK company, Complicite

Teacher Resource Exchange – from the community; for the community:

Two new resources were published on the TRE this week:

• The Drama Elements, Conventions and Techniques posters developed and shared by Ben Moore at Avondale College, which have been very well-received and hugely popular as people dress their classrooms for the year.
• This level two PAT lighting workbook to support standard 27700 was published by Stacey Harrison, HOD Dance and Drama at Rosehill College, who has led dedicated NCEA courses in PAT there for many years.

Our thanks again for these contributions! 

This summary will be uploaded to the Dramanet VLN group and our Twitter feed @ArtsOnline1. To access any of the threads on the Arts Online website archive simply type the username “artsonline” and the password “mailinglist” to do this.

Kia pai tō rā,

Ryan Benjamin

Arts Online Community Facilitator – Dramanet

@artsonline1

http://artsonline.tki.org.nz/