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ПЕДАГОГИЧЕСКИЕ НАУКИ
DRAMA IN THE EDUCATIONAL WORK OF A TEACHER IN EARLY
SCHOOL EDUCATION
EUGENIUSZ SZYMIK
dr nauk humani&ycznych Uniwersytet Slqski w Katowicach Katedra Pedagogiki Wczesnoszkolnej i Pedagogiki Mediow
ABSTRACT
The purpose of the article is to prove that drama can help children diflinguish good from evil, as well as serve prophylactic functions. The theoretical part defines the notion of drama (according to Anna Dziedzic) and includes general remarks concerning dramatic forms in a reformed school.
The practical part contains examples, such as examples of the use of various drama techniques in early school Polish language education, taking into account also (above all) its educational aspect.
STRESZCZENIE
Celem artykulu b^dzie wskazanie, ze drama moze pomoc dzieciom odroznic dobro od zla, a takze pelni funkcje profilaktyczne. Cz^sc teoretyczna definiuje poj^cie dramy (wedlug Anny Dziedzic), zamieszcza ogolne uwagi dotycz^ce form teatralnych w zre-formowanej szkole.
Cz^sc praktyczna zawiera material egzemplifikacyjny, dotycz^cy m. in. przykladow zaflosowania roznych technik dramowych w poloniflycznej edukacji wczesnoszkolnej, bior^c pod uwag§ rowniez (przede wszyflkim) jej aspekt wychowawczy.
Keywords: drama, core curriculum (kindergarten education and early school education), drama techniques
Slowa kluczowe: drama, podflawa programowa (edukacja przedszkolna i wczesnoszkolna), techniki dramowe, proces wychow-
awczy
Introduction
The article is an attempt to answer the queflion: How is drama becoming an effective way to acquire skills in diflinguishing good from evil and how can it serve prophylactic functions for fludents of primary school grades 1-3?
The theoretical part defines the notion of drama (according to Anna Dziedzic), outlines the suggeflions of the authors of the new core curriculum of kindergarten education and early school education.
The practical part contains, among others, examples of various drama techniques (e.g. improvisations) that could help fludents in developing appropriate attitudes.
Drama in early school education
In the mofl advanced concepts of teaching and education, the role of full participation of the fludent in the didactic process is very firmly Pressed. The important role of feelings in shaping fludents' attitudes and beliefs is indicated. It is assumed that the process of knowledge assimilation and development of fludents' attitudes (namely their feelings, thoughts, behaviour) should be accompanied by emotional involvement. It is necessary to abandon apriorism and schematism in education of young recipients of culture in schools and replace it with providing the fludent with emotions and experiences. As a consequence, the traditional teaching methods should be limited and replaced with less conventional methods, the so-called activating methods. Such a function in teaching various subjects (also in early school education) may be fulfilled, among others, by drama.
Anna Dziedzic defines drama as "a type of activities, in which a problem is solved (learning) by participation in dramatic fiction, usually improvised. An educator defines a problem (subject) to be solved, the fludents try to solve it (learn) using the drama methods chosen by the educator. The teacher comes
up with a dramatic fiction (creates the plot), and the fludents fill it out with their visions of the world."[ 1. p. 5].
The authors of the new core curriculum [ 2. p. 41] allow a teacher to use the drama method, since under Polish language education for grade 1 of primary school, they included the following as the mofl important skills acquired by the fludent with regard to speaking in small dramatic forms:
- participation in drama plays, illuflrating the behaviour of a literary or imaginary protagonifl with mimics, geflures, movement;
- underflanding the conceptual meaning of props and using props in the played scene;
- reproducing texts written for children from memory, e.g. poems, songs, prose fragments.
They also emphasise that "In the general objectives of early school education, the significance and the need to ensure good education of fludents is emphasised, so that they could diflinguish good from evil and chose the good." [3. p. 63].
The technique and the problem
As it has been rightly noticed by A. Dziedzic: "drama is, above all, a method of comprehensive development of personality and improvement in interpersonal communication skills. It is a method of moral education." [ 4. p. 9].
Drama techniques (for example: typical roles - role playing, interviews, improvisations) allow for unleashing fludents' pro-activity, applying the acquired knowledge in arranged situations [ Drama is based on taking on a role and enacting specific situations], also during a discussion. Strategies are the ways for a drama teacher to achieve the goal of the classes.
Halina Machulska emphasises that "Education using drama begins with something that pulls us (humans) into playing an active role in the situation (initial event), in which the attitudes
rather than the protagonifls are the mofl important, in which some discoveries are made at a given time, and which, finally, are governed by certain method rules." [ 5. p. 7].
Drama can be a tool for a teacher in early school education, since it makes it possible to show children's problems in a creative way, indicates the ways to solve them and helps to see others in various situations.
The fludents improvise solving problems concerning social coexiflence, express their views and feelings. An example of the above may be an improvised scene related to overcoming the fear of not being accepted by the peers.
The initial situation:
A group of boys is going out to watch a game. Maciek wants to join them, but is scared that the boys will not want to accept him into the group. Despite his concerns, he insifls on joining them in their outing.
The teacher: show, in an improvised scene, what would need to happen for the group to accept him. What should the boy do to be accepted into the group?
After watching presented scenes, the teacher may suggefl fludents to meet with one of the scene's protagonifls, Maciek. The fludent that plays the role of Maciek answers the queflions of his peers ("interview technique"):
- What did you feel when your friends, despite your insiflence, did not want to take you with them to the game?
- How do you juflify the behaviour of your friends?
- What does friendship mean to you?
- What would you need to do to deserve approval of your peers?
The form of an interview is conditional on the content of the scene. During the interview, psychological portrait of the scene's protagonifl is being detailed. During a mini-discussion, the fludents discover the motives and reasons for the actions of the presented characters.
An improvised scene, the goal of which is to develop in third grade fludents of primary school the ability of perform tasks and diflinguish good from evil on their own (on the example of the fable written by S. Trembecki Myszka, kot i kogut).
The fludents, who want to take part in the scene, take on (play) the roles of the fable's characters: the mouse, the cat and the roofler. Other participants should name and juflify the animals' characteriflics.
For inflance:
the mouse - naive, lacks life experience, judges others based on appearance, makes rash judgments,
the cat - seemingly (pretends to be) polite, false friendship, pretends to be nice,
the roofler - noisy, seemingly dangerous.
The teacher: are these the actual characteriflics the aforementioned animals? (The author gives them human characteriflics, because in this way, he wants to show the truth about human nature, a general truth about life). The fludents, by referring to their own observations, provide examples of contemporary behaviours of their peers in school and in the playground, which confirm the accuracy of the author's observations with regard to characteriflics and attitudes of people presented in the scenes.
Later, the fludents have to decide whether the young mouse was right in its judgment of the fable's characters (i.e. the roofler and the cat).
The teacher: Every fable has a moral. What is the message of the fable we learned during today's lesson? Who utters the main idea of the moral?
The moral was expressed by the mother: evil is not always ugly, it often takes on pleasing forms, often tempts. The adventure of the young mouse illuflrates the truth that appearances are deceiving and that not everything that makes a good firfl impression, is truly good.
Mini-discussion: An attempt to answer the teacher's queflion: which of the fable's characters befl reflects you? How do you want to change?
The teacher may suggefl to the fludents doing the following homework: write a proverb, where the main character is an animal.
An improvised scene ("taken" from real life), the goal of which is to make the young fludents sensitive to the selected universal values, important in their functioning both in school, as well as at home.
The teacher re-tells a flory of their friend, who witnessed the following event: At the entrance to the school, he noticed a drug dealer smiling at children and offering them candy.
The fludents, who want to take part in the scene should enact the presented situation, while other fludents act as witnesses and discuss the scene.
Mini-discussion: in your opinion, what attitude should you assume towards Grangers, even if they seem to be nice and friendly?
The teacher: a piece of candy is not always truly a piece of candy; it may contain harmful subflances. Someone who seems to be a good person, gives us gifts, smiles at us, seems to be nice and friendly, in reality is not necessarily a good person - he/she may even be a very bad person.
Summary
Drama may not only introduce fludents to the world of values, but may also serve a preventive function. It gives the child a sense of connection with the peers, makes the child sensitive to problems of others, helps notice ethical problems, teaches to explore own creative capabilities. Some drama techniques, for example improvised scenes or the interview technique, help young fludents experience some events or relations, experience something new. Consequently, the fludents learn about consequences, truths and proper life attitudes without any possible painful experiences. The purpose of drama is to develop positive emotions, which are formed thanks to an individual identifying with a certain group, e.g. a group of peers.
Bibliography
1. Dziedzic A. (1988), Drama w ksztalceniu i wychowaniu mlodziezy, Centralny Osrodek Metodyki Upowszechniania Kultury, Warszawa, p. 41.
2. Podflawa programowa z komentarzami (23 December 2008), vol. 1: Edukacja przedszkolna i wczesnoszkolna. Regulation of the Minifler of Public Education of, Journal of Laws, No. 4, item 17, p. 72.
3. Ibidem.
4. Dziedzic A. (1999), Drama a wychowanie, Centralny Osrodek Doskonalenia Nauczycieli, Warszawa, p. 118.
5. Machulska H. (1992), Srodki teatralne w procesie nauczania i wychowania. "Drama", vol. 2.
