Teaching literacy through the arts
Our Arts Online team of community facilitators in Dance, Drama, Music - Sound Arts, Visual Arts and Art History are keen to hear from the wider teaching profession about the role you see arts playing in the teaching of literacy. Do you use the arts as contexts for developing literacy? What approaches are you using?
Replies
SG84 (View all users posts) 01 Nov 2011 2:05pm ()While I was university I had a superb drama teacher, she showed us a variety of drama conventions and helped us see how drama could be linked in everyday class situations like literacy to empower students and assist in inquiry learning. I really liked using drama in the classroom it enabled the students to express ideas, explore a topic and let students be the expert sometimes. As much as I enjoy drama in the class it takes preparation to incorporate it along with time and confidence in ones self. Throughout my time observing other teachers I have not seen drama being incorporated into other subject areas rather it is a stand alone topic to be taught during production. Even during literacy when students are reading plays they are not encouraged to act out their part rather they are repremanded for this and told to only read their part. I believe that their needs to be PD for all primary school teachers to help them become motivated, upskilled and to open their eyes to the possibilities of utilising the arts.
- Eddie Reisch (View all users posts) 01 Nov 2011 2:21pm ()
Have a look at http://upstage.org.nz/blog/ and talk to Vicki Smith vickismith@paradise.net.nz if you are interested
regards Eddie
- Eddie Reisch (View all users posts) 01 Nov 2011 2:21pm ()
Have a look at http://upstage.org.nz/blog/ and talk to Vicki Smith vickismith@paradise.net.nz if you are interested
regards Eddie
- Merryn Dunmill (View all users posts) 01 Nov 2011 3:08pm ()
Thanks for the sharing of ideas here! On Arts Online we have lots of professional readings too that might be of interest eg in Drama at
http://artsonline2.tki.org.nz/TeacherLearning/professional/Drama/. Drama and Literacy and Drama and Citizenship are a couple of good examples along with Mantle of the Expert process drama teaching methods.
You're so right Sharnelle regarding the need for PD for teachers to utilise the arts across the curriculum and yet it is so critical to effective teaching and sound pedagogical approaches....for the students who are the ones who readily and eagerly respond to arts contexts to enhance their engagement and understanding, and to develop multi literacies for a multi literate world. Teacher fear should not hold back good teaching. It wouldn't be acceptable to say we can't teach Math because we don't have the confidence or competence. What happens from that enjoyment and capability as children to adulthood? As Ken Robinson says, schools kill creativity....at our peril.
http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html
I'd love to see this PD develop in the very near future, in face-to-face and online environments.
Cheers
Merryn
