How Drama Activates Learning: Contemporary Research and Practice

How Drama Activates Learning: Contemporary Research and Practice draws together leaders in drama education and applied theatre from across the globe, including authors from Europe, North America and Australasia. It explores how learning can be activated when drama pedagogies and philosophies are applied across diverse contexts and for varied purposes. The areas explored include: · history · literacy, oracy and listening · health and human relationships education · science · democracy, social justice and global citizenship education · bullying and conflict management · criticality · digital technologies · additional language learning Drawing on a range of theoretical perspectives, the contributors present case studies of drama and applied theatre work in school and community settings, providing rich descriptions of practice accompanied by detailed analysis underpinned by the theoretical perspectives of key thinkers from both within and beyond the field of drama.

Table of Contents:
Notes on Contributors Preface Foreword, Cecily O'Neill Acknowledgements Part 1: Introduction 1. Drama and Learning: Landscapes of an Aspirational Pedagogy, Michael Anderson (University of Sydney, Australia) and Julie Dunn (Griffith University, Australia) Part 2: Activating Communities 2. Drama, Community and Achievement: Together I'm Someone, Jonothan Neelands (University of Warwick, UK) and Bethany Nelson (Emerson College, USA) 3. Drama, Cultural Leadership and Reflective Practice: Taking the Road to Zamunda, Chris Sinclair (University of Melbourne, Australia) and Dave Kelman (Western Edge Youth Arts, Australia) 4. Drama and Social Justice: Power, Participation and Possibility, Kelly Freebody (University of Sydney, Australia) and Michael Finneran (Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, Ireland) 5. Drama, Conflict and Bullying: Working with Adolescent Refugees, Bruce Burton (Griffith University, Australia) 6. Drama and Global Citizenship Education: Planting Seeds of Social Conscience and Change, Chan Yuk Lan (Phoebe) (Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong) 7. Drama, Listening, Risk and Difference: On the Pedagogical Importance of (not) Knowing the Other, Kathleen Gallagher (University of Toronto, Canada) and Burcu Yaman Ntelioglou (University of Toronto, Canada) Part 3: Activating Learners 8. Drama, Creating and Imagining: Rendering the World Newly Strange, Juliana Saxton (University of Victoria, Canada) and Carole Miller (University of Victoria, Canada) 9. Drama as Critical Pedagogy: Re-imagining Terrorism, Peter O'Connor (University of Auckland, New Zealand) 10. Drama and Beauty: Promise, Pleasure and Pedagogy, Joe Winston (University of Warwick, UK) 11. Drama and the Audience: Transformative Encounters in TheatreSpace, Penny Bundy (Griffith University, Australia), Robyn Ewing (University of Sydney, Australia) and Josephine Fleming (University of Sydney, Australia) 12. Drama, Speaking and Listening: The Treasure of Oracy, John O'Toole (Griffith University, Australia) and Madonna Stinson (Griffith University, Australia) 13. Drama for Health and Human Relationships Education: Aligning Purpose and Design, Helen Cahill (University of Melbourne, Australia) Part 4: Activating Curriculum 14. Drama and History: A Kind of Integrity, Andy Kempe (University of Reading, UK) 15. Drama for Additional Language Learning: Dramatic Contexts and Pedagogical Possibilities, Madonna Stinson (Griffith University, Australia) and Erika Piazzoli (Griffith University, Australia) 16. Drama and Learning Technologies: To Affinity Spaces and Beyond, Michael Anderson (University of Sydney, Australia) and Dave Cameron (University of Newcastle, UK) 17. Drama and Writing: 'Overcoming the Hurdle of the Blank Page', Julie Dunn (Griffith University, Australia), Annette Harden (St Bernard State School, Australia) and Sarah Marino (Griffith University, Australia) 18. Drama and Science: An Unlikely Partnership for Inquiry, Christine Warner (Ohio State University, USA) 19. Drama and Literature: Masks and Love Potions, George Belliveau (University of British Columbia, Canada) and Monica Prendergast (University of Victoria, Canada) Part 5: Conclusion 20. Drama and the Future: Activating New Possibilities, Julie Dunn (Griffith University, Australia) and Michael Anderson (University of Sydney, Australia) Index

About the Author :
Michael Anderson is Associate Professor, Associate Dean and Head of Drama Education at the University of Sydney, Australia. Julie Dunn is Associate Professor of Drama and Applied Theatre at Griffith University, Australia.

Review :
How Drama Activates Learning is a timely addition to the drama and education literature, with much wider relevance beyond this community. Leading international drama education and applied theatre scholars are joined by emerging researchers to create this new compendium of evidence and insights into diverse research and case studies of practice. A dynamic range of practical examples, analysis and theoretical developments are shared in the realms of community development, learning contexts and curriculum areas including history, additional language learning, learning technologies and science. This book highlights convincing reasons for drama to be central to learning processes and interrogates the ways that these processes work. It clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of dramatic practice and research for enabling people to play an active role in imagining and creating future worlds. Susan Davis, Senior Lecturer in Education, CQUniversity Australia This book provides powerful evidence for how drama encourages multiple ways to learn and how it animates learning in many different settings. It boasts an impressive cast of contributors, all of whom show why learning matters to theatre-makers, and why educationalists should take drama seriously. Helen Nicholson, Professor of Theatre and Performance, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK How Drama Activates Learning beautifully interrogates the way in which drama can be set in motion across three key contexts - community engagement, life-long learning and curriculum interventions. This book will speak to both novices and experts in the use of drama in learning and highlights the transformative power drama has for learners in the 21st century. Sandra Gattenhof, Associate Professor and Head of Drama, Queensland University of Technology, Australia