Learning and Yearning - probably the article that got me thinking about how important what I do is to students and their future. Not so much "research" but inspirational support. Lends credence to the idea that the future is no longer about just teaching the basics - that if you go to school and get good grades you will succeed. The future needs creative problem solvers, because we don't yet know what problems lie ahead.
What Theater Majors Learn - An online article written by playwright and professor Louis E. Catron (William and Mary) that highlights how drama and theater provide lifelong skills that extend beyond the classroom and the stage. I have used this repeatedly to justify why my drama curriculum is more than just a "nice, fun hobby" - kids leave with real world skills that can apply to any field they choose. What Theater Majors Learn
Lifelong Impact: Adult Perceptions of Their High School Speech and/or Theatre Participation -I like this report for the following reasons: not everyone surveyed choose a theater or drama curricular path in HS, not everyone surveyed went on to pursue an arts career, the exposure to theater and drama in school was varied - sometimes as little as participating in an extra curricular play or musical. I believe this supports the idea that even a limited exposure to theater and drama can have positive consequences.
The "Imagine Nation" in America- This was a survey conducted around an election cycle to guage the publics attitude towards public education and the arts. I am always skeptical of anything connected to politics and clearly there is an agenda here, but the questions asked and the responses support the idea that individuals generally understand that imagination and creativity is important - 79% of voters strongly believe that imagination is key to innovation. Where do they get this? Yup, from an arts based education that doesn't always strive to reach a "right answer".
The Benefits of Theater Education for Kids - An online article. A lot of common sense support here, but again it reinforces the idea that the Creative Spark is important, builds self confidence and enriches the whole child. By the way I have seen a lot of teachers assume that requiring their kids to do more "presentations" makes them believe that they are incorporating more drama into their class. Not so - in many cases it just makes the student more self conscious and less enthused about "presenting". Teach them drama and the presentations will be much better and will have a greater impact on their presentation skills. The Benefits of Theater Education
The Positive effects of Theatre Education - some statistics gathered by the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Minnesota, USA - A public school that is funded by the state government. Besides being an arts High School for year 11 and 12 students, the school conducts research and teacher training. This leflet was provided to me as an arts educator. Fantastic stats and research.
The Power and the Promise of Theater Education - I love this very short paper on drama in education for this very simple phrase: "All students, not just the designated 'gifted-and-talented,' have the ability and should have the opportunity to engage in theatre." I have had many teachers tell me "my students just can't handle teaching any sort of unstructured drama". My response: If it isn't working then you aren't doing it right.
California Educational Theater Association (CETA) Position Paper on Theater Education Curriculum - This is a fantastic (if not very dry) read on how theater education should align with the various stakeholders in education. Need to justify a theater education to someone who is all about "Business" and the "Bottom line"? How about this little factoid: "In 2002, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices stated arts education is one of the best methods to improve the workforce and reduce incidents of crime. In addition, the governors determined that investment in arts education has a positive influence on the workforce because of the skills developed by arts education." There will always be someone who says they can't see a value in arts education because it is just a hobby for the idle - they can't see how it affects their precious economy.
The Utilization of Theater-in-Education for Social Development Changes Experiences and Future Tends, International and Regional Experiences with the Implementation of Children’s Strategies and Programs, and the Role of Local Governments and NGOs -By this point you probably don't need any more convincing that there are positive effects of injecting theater and drama into your classrooms, but I provide one more paper. This one is from an international setting (Jordan). They refer to the the teacher/educators as "Actor Teacher" whereas I call myself a "Teaching Artist" - just a matter of preference.
What Theater Majors Learn - An online article written by playwright and professor Louis E. Catron (William and Mary) that highlights how drama and theater provide lifelong skills that extend beyond the classroom and the stage. I have used this repeatedly to justify why my drama curriculum is more than just a "nice, fun hobby" - kids leave with real world skills that can apply to any field they choose.
What Theater Majors Learn
Lifelong Impact: Adult Perceptions of Their High School Speech and/or Theatre Participation - I like this report for the following reasons:
not everyone surveyed choose a theater or drama curricular path in HS, not everyone surveyed went on to pursue an arts career, the exposure to theater and drama in school was varied - sometimes as little as participating in an extra curricular play or musical. I believe this supports the idea that even a limited exposure to theater and drama can have positive consequences.
The "Imagine Nation" in America- This was a survey conducted around an election cycle to guage the publics attitude towards public education and the arts. I am always skeptical of anything connected to politics and clearly there is an agenda here, but the questions asked and the responses support the idea that individuals generally understand that imagination and creativity is important - 79% of voters strongly believe that imagination is key to innovation. Where do they get this? Yup, from an arts based education that doesn't always strive to reach a "right answer".
The Benefits of Theater Education for Kids - An online article. A lot of common sense support here, but again it reinforces the idea that the Creative Spark is important, builds self confidence and enriches the whole child. By the way I have seen a lot of teachers assume that requiring their kids to do more "presentations" makes them believe that they are incorporating more drama into their class. Not so - in many cases it just makes the student more self conscious and less enthused about "presenting". Teach them drama and the presentations will be much better and will have a greater impact on their presentation skills.
The Benefits of Theater Education
The Positive effects of Theatre Education - some statistics gathered by the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Minnesota, USA - A public school that is funded by the state government. Besides being an arts High School for year 11 and 12 students, the school conducts research and teacher training. This leflet was provided to me as an arts educator. Fantastic stats and research.
The Power and the Promise of Theater Education - I love this very short paper on drama in education for this very simple phrase:
"All students, not just the designated 'gifted-and-talented,' have the ability and should have the opportunity to engage in theatre." I have had many teachers tell me "my students just can't handle teaching any sort of unstructured drama". My response: If it isn't working then you aren't doing it right.
California Educational Theater Association (CETA) Position Paper on Theater Education Curriculum - This is a fantastic (if not very dry) read on how theater education should align with the various stakeholders in education. Need to justify a theater education to someone who is all about "Business" and the "Bottom line"? How about this little factoid: "In 2002, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices stated arts education is one of the best methods to improve the workforce and reduce incidents of crime. In addition, the governors determined that investment in arts education has a positive influence on the workforce because of the skills developed by arts education." There will always be someone who says they can't see a value in arts education because it is just a hobby for the idle - they can't see how it affects their precious economy.
The Utilization of Theater-in-Education for Social Development Changes Experiences and Future Tends, International and Regional Experiences with the Implementation of Children’s Strategies and Programs, and the Role of Local Governments and NGOs - By this point you probably don't need any more convincing that there are positive effects of injecting theater and drama into your classrooms, but I provide one more paper. This one is from an international setting (Jordan). They refer to the the teacher/educators as "Actor Teacher" whereas I call myself a "Teaching Artist" - just a matter of preference.