Entry 2 Part 2

Teaching Dramatic tension in Singaporean classroom

As mentioned in the podcast, there are several ways for us to teach the 4 aspects of Dramatic tension in the classroom. However, as I have mentioned in the first week, there needs to be more done than just the learning outcome of their ability to identify and perform a certain kind of tension. We must infuse some personal development in the students as well. So, for instance, in a game like “Grandmother’s footsteps” to teach them about the tension of surprise, I could make variations of it like giving students roles as they approach to “Grandmother” so that they have a sense of role-playing and character development even, through this exercise. I can also give the more timid students or less outspoken students a chance to take centre stage and become the “Grandmother” to get them feeling confident and be immersed in the lesson, hopefully allowing them to gain some confidence in the process.

Possible challenges

                As I go about teaching Dramatic tension in class, I must be vary of the fact that there are many games from which students need to trust each other and, thus, I must be involved in the student’s learning process and guide them carefully through the game to prevent any clashes amongst themselves or cheating. One thing I could do is, as mentioned by Toole, Stinson and Moore (2009) in Drama and Curriculum, making myself a “teacher-in-role” and getting involved in the roles students play (Caroll,1980 ).  Some games like those that require blindfolds may be difficult for some students and some may even struggle to grasp the concepts brought about by these games. Thus, scaffolding carefully is of the upmost importance. I cannot assume students will gain the knowledge based only on the games and if I feel that students cannot get the concepts (especially the NA and NT students), I must add variations and simplify the games. I will not be able to cover all the aspects on Dramatic tension in one lesson as it would be too heavy on the students so I will need to plan this out to ensure that it spans at least 2-3 weeks so that students effectively grasp the differences in the concepts and have a clear understanding.

References:

Toole, J., Stinson, M., & Moore, T. (2009). Drama and Language. Drama and curriculum a

giant at the door (p. 51). Dordrecht: Springer.