Drama strategies and student collaboration.

A couple of drama education strategies that I have recently learned are rhythmic reading, alter ego and tableaux.
Rhythmic reading is a strategy in which music/rhythm is added to a read-aloud piece. I had learned this using boomwhackers.

The following video illustrates how rhythmic reading can be brought into the classroom to aid students in attention as well as reading fluency.

I see tremendous benefits in using this strategy with older students. Younger students may get bogged down and distracted by the music, particularly if they are building up their working memory and are concentrating on phonology.

Alter ego/voices in the head is a dramatic strategy whereby students act out both the voices in the head of a character. What an awesome chance to explore perspective taking!!

Tableaux is one of the most versatile drama strategies that I have experienced! The planning, role taking and freeze framing of an important point in a drama sequence allows students to collaborate and illustrate a specific act that they believe is important. What I like most about this strategy is that it allows students to select a scene that they believe is important to freeze and focus on, and allows all member to have a part that they can plan and collaborate in deciding on. This way, students who are shy are not put on the spot, and have an idea of what to anticipate come time to share their tableaux with peers.

Here are some examples of tableaux from our teacher education Arts class:

 

When combined, the possibilities of these strategies are endless!