5th expert talk_‘drama in and across the curriculum. patrice baldwin
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DramaTRANSCRIPT
Drama in and across the Curriculum:
how and why it works as a way of learning
Patrice Baldwin
www.patricebaldwin.com
Chair of National Drama
World President of IDEA [email protected]
Draw on recent research about the brain, to
explain why and how drama and imagined
experience works as a way of learning at any
age and as a way of developing empathetic
and socially attuned citizens.
Consider drama in relation to children’s
holistic development and how it helps
children to make sense of the real world and
their place in it.
Explain a successful project, ‘Drama for
Learning and Creativity (D4LC) in which
teachers from nearly 300 schools use drama
to teach across the curriculum and have
gathered evidence of the outcomes
‘Insights into the human brain will have a
profound impact, not just on us as scientists, but
also on the humanities, and they may even help
us bridge what CP Snow called the two cultures
– science on the one hand and arts, philosophy
and humanities on the other.’
Professor Ramachandran, (2003)
BBC Reith Lectures ‘The Emerging Mind’
‘Recent dramatic advances in our
understanding of the human brain and
cognition ensure that the cognitive
neurosciences will play an increasingly
important role in educational policy and
practice in the 21st century.’
Robert Sylwester, (2005)
Some things teachers need to know
about the brain
• Human brains are unique - no two brains will
ever be the same
• The brain works by growing and connecting
networks of neurons
• Neural connections are built and strengthened
by stimulation, exposure, repetition and practice
Synaptogenesis
‘Use it or lose it !’ – (neural ‘pruning)
Excessive stress and neglect can lead to
synapses elimination
Sensitive periods
There are sensitive periods for learning certain things more easily, e.g. motor skills and language.
What is the neurological impact of too much sitting and listening to teachers?
Learning language benefits from a social context.
Dr. Patricia Kuhl (2003)
Some things teachers need to know
about the brain
• We can discern patterns as to how the brain
learns (and the areas of the brain involved)
• Most brain areas have multiple rather than
unique functions
• The brain changes and adapts to accommodate
most easily, what it experiences most powerfully
or most often
Neuroplasticity
Individual brains are influenced by genetics but
are constantly changing and are changed
structurally and functionally by experiencing,
learning and imagining new things.
Neuroplasticity
‘The human brain is exquisitely sensitive to any
and every event: we cannot take it as an article
of faith that it will remain inviolate and that ways
of learning and thinking will remain constant.’
Susan Greenfield (2006)
Children now have shorter attention spans and
less developed speech and imaginations.
The ‘yuck’ and ‘wow’ factor
Neuro-plasticity
Pascual-Leone et al. (1995)
Group 1: The control group just looked at the piano
Group 2: practiced 5 finger exercises
(rhythmic hand movements)
Group 3: imagined they were playing the piano (rehearsed in their minds)
The brain needs us to imagine
• It keeps neural pathways active and strengthens neural connections
(connectivity)
• It moves us from the ‘here and now’ into the ‘as if’ and ‘what if’
(creativity)
The brain works best when information
and skills are embedded in real, ‘lived’
experiences
The brain seeks connections
Connecting new learning to what is
already known helps the brain learn.
We re-enact and create, based on what
we know already and have experienced.
The brain responds strongly to novelty!
The brain is wired to learn through imitation
and mimicry (the first learning style)
visual
auditory
kinaesthetic
tactile
social
physical
creative
cognitive
cultural spiritual
aesthetic
emotional
linguistic
spatial
musical intra-
personal
bodily-kinaesthetic
inter-personal
logical-mathematical
naturalistic
spiritual
‘One of the hallmarks of our species is what we
call culture. And culture depends crucially on
the imitation of your parents, of your teachers
and the imitation of complex skills may require
the participation of mirror neurons.’
Professor Ramachandran, (BBC Reith Lectures)
Mirror neuron theory
Giacomo
Rizzolati
(1990)
‘ We are exquisitely social creatures. Our
survival depends on understanding the actions,
intentions and emotions of others. Mirror
neurons allow us to grasp the minds of others,
not through conceptual reasoning but through
direct simulation - by feeling, not by thinking.’
Giocomo Rizzolatti, (2006)
‘ Imitation and the neural machinery that
underlies it, begets an understanding of others’
minds and not the other way round…
Purposive action, desires, visual perception and
basic emotions have a relatively close coupling
between the underlying mental states and their
expression in bodily action…central to
perspective taking.’
Andrew N. Meltzoff, (2005)
Simon Baron Cohen
Autistic Spectrum Disorders
Masks as ‘transporters’?
Humans’ brains are wired for survival, to
connect socially and empathetically with
other human beings. Humans want to
belong.
The brain is wired for empathy
Pretending/Drama/Acting make me feel
happy
powerful
clever
in control
excited
enjoyment
independent
grown up
important
safe
successful
special
Emotions
• Gain, direct, focus
and keep our
attention (this helps
memory)
• Direct our social
behaviours towards
others
• Give us feedback
• Help us remember
what is important
Emotions
• Lets us safely try out a variety of attitudes and
actions in role (and get response safely)
• Lets us use and link new experience,
knowledge, ideas and thoughts to memories
and past emotions
Acting
‘Acting is one of the best exemplifications
of what it is to be human…the unnatural
naturality of human beings… actors are
the epitome of this.’
Vittorio Gallese (2007)
Acting
‘
‘When I first started acting it was because of my
desire to connect to everyone, to that thing inside
each of us, that light that I believe exists in all of
us …because acting for me is about believing in
that connection and it’s a connection so strong,
it’s a connection so deep that we feel it, and
through our combined belief we can create a new
reality.’
Force Whittaker (2007)
Imitation/Mimicry
• welcome and give
status to the activity
• facilitate children to
develop their own
ideas
• find, sustain and
develop the learning
The role of the adult
• help structure and scaffold the imagined experience
• be an interactive co-participant offering challenge
• mediate the learning experience (Feurstein, Instruments of Enrichment)
• model language, form, attitudes and behaviours
The role of the adult
What improved?
speaking and listening
attitudes to learning
drama
writing
enjoyment
motivation
What improved?
teacher confidence
teacher competence
attainment
learning
teacher enjoyment
What improved?
empathy
co-operation
self esteem
team work
inclusion
What improved?
curriculum links
behaviour
community cohesion
thinking skills
