Page Content Category:
Drama activities: Drama provides active learning situations that explore human relationships, behaviour and events. Through drama, children can express their present feelings, understanding and knowledge and are led to new feelings, new understanding and new knowledge. Using drama as a methodology in SPHE can help to heighten self-esteem and self-confidence by providing opportunities for children to take risks and to experiment with their own ideas. Through the activities children are given a sense of control over their own lives as they learn how to make decisions, solve problems and devise solutions in a safe, non-threatening situation. Through drama, children are also helped to make sense of the world around them and to begin to understand themselves and their own behaviour in relation to the behaviour of others.
The following are examples of dramatic activity that can take place in pairs, and in small or large groups
|
Pair activities |
Group activities |
Whole-class activities |
|
Making a complaint |
Exploring responses to different situations |
A court of inquiry |
|
Resolving a conflict |
A family situation, for example eating together |
A class meeting |
|
Conducting an interview |
Listener-speaker-observer activities |
A press conference |
|
Giving an explanation |
Developing questioning skills |
A trial |
|
Conducting a phone conversation |
|
|
The approaches and methodologies for SPHE, outlined in the SPHE teacher guidelines on pp 54-99 are an excellent reference for teachers to support them in the implementation of active learning methodologies in SPHE lessons
The following exemplars illustrate how various aspects of the SPHE content can be explored using a variety of drama strategies:
Drama activities for Infant classes outlined on p60
Drama activities for first and second classes outlined on p61
Drama activities for third and fourth classes outlined on p62
Drama activities for fifth and sixth classes outlined on p63 and p64
