The Importance of Drama in Primary Education

Educational drama is a highly important component of the primary classroom curriculum. It

provides the opportunity for students to express themselves as well as to explore and find
themselves. Within the classroom I would use education drama in the following ways;
improvising, role playing, play building, puppetering and story making, telling & dramatising.

a) improvising
Improvisation involves the spontaneous interaction with an imagined situation.
- develops student confidence
- develops creativity
- is the child’s own work
- allows children to have a bit of fun, relax, express themselves
- could be used with music- in movement, to improvising a dance of the sea
(COGS)
- Debating, public speaking skills, english- used as an activity to see what
you know. Random subject make up a speak on the spot (Ricky ponting
sacked as captain)- news activity

b) role playing
is improvisation in which children respond as if they are someone else in the ‘as if’ drama world.
- As said before develops student confidence
- Also used for empathy- understanding someone else’s point of view- sense
of others
- used with bullying seminars- coping with conflict
- Work on goldrush (live of the miners vs police) Eureka
- Any creative assignment english- news reporter, HSIE- Chernobyl victims
- By finding out what students believe the roles are of different people-
teachers can address this and break down stereotypes

c) Play building
a process that uses improvisation and role play to develop a dramatization that is often presented
for an audience
- Assemblies- class item, mainly
- Student team work
- Sense of belonging
 - Negotiating- understanding what a consensus means
- In class presentations- also can be used for lesson on …..

d) Story making, telling and dramatising

is the art of making a story, telling a story and/or acting out a story.
- uses students creativity
- develops students literacy skills in all areas
- used with english activities- story writing
- used with news/public speaking activities- with story reviews or re-telling
their own stories
- used with KLA of PDHPE and Creative arts to produce readers theatre of
presenting mini drama’s just for fun but able to be assessed over various
KLA’s
- Used for comprehension- further understand a story

e) the role of puppetry.

- exploring artistic abilities
- develop a sense of ownership- the student’s own puppet
- develops sense of self esteem and confidence- breaking down barrier of
nerve students can hide behind the puppet- development of public speaking
skills
- Whole class ‘big book’ reading exercise
- Particular lessons i.e Health- healthy Harold the giraffe and Anti bulling
with Cyndi the Swan.
- Creative arts and design and creating
- used in assemblies
- Another creative means of student presentation- engaging the audience i.e
sesame street.

Conclusion:
Evidently from the following examples above educational drama is a highly important
component of the primary classroom curriculum. It allows students to express themselves, engage
with the learning content. As well as providing new and interesting ways to assess students and
present work to fellow class members.