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Drama Tree
Philosophy
The skills acquired in Drama empower children with crucial tools to succeed as 21st century learners.
21st Century learning explores what skills children need in order to be successful in a rapidly changing 21st century world. How can we prepare students who will enter a workforce in which over half the jobs don't actually exist yet?
With a focus on the 4 C’s, students can learn to adapt, change, be flexible, problem-solve, work effectively in teams and think outside the box.
This is where drama comes in. Arguably no other subject at school has the capacity to enliven and develop the 4 C’s.
The 4 C’s underpin Drama Tree’s philosophy and teaching experiences in every task and every session.
Communication
Is your child open and talkative at home but shy or withdrawn in public? Perhaps they chatter away but are still learning the art of listening and reading the energy of the room? Does your child speak so softly they are difficult to understand, or mumble, or find it difficult to articulate ideas or emotions?
Drama Tree explores the art of effective communication - how can we speak so our words are powerful? How do we assert our voice in a group to be heard and understood? How can we be active listeners to make connections with others? What do we want our audience to feel, know and understand and how can we communicate ideas effectively?
We explore non-verbal communication through physical theatre, movement & mime, facial expressions and gestures.
We also explore the technical aspects of vocal skills: articulation, tone, projection, modulation, expression, pausing and pace. As they say: it’s all in the delivery!
Creativity
People often think of creativity as being a whizz with a paintbrush or improvising jazz on the saxophone. In fact…creativity means thinking outside the box, looking at a problem from different perspectives, innovative thinking and imaginative thought. Creativity is crucial to success as adults. Companies and organisations are always trying to find innovative ways of doing things, and employers look for people with fresh ideas and creative solutions to problems.
All children are naturally creative and curious learners. Drama Tree fosters creativity by giving children autonomy to explore ideas and concepts in different ways - through words, the body and face, props, sounds and music.
Collaboration
Unless your child grows up as a hermit living off the grid, they will need to work with other people for the rest of their lives (even via Zoom!). Collaboration is the practice of working together to achieve a common goal, and Drama & Collaboration go hand in hand.
Drama Tree uses pair, group and ensemble work in every lesson. Students learn different roles and responsibilities: how to be a leader, how to be a listener, how to play a supportive role, and how to be part of an ensemble. They are given constant opportunities to:
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Plan and make group decisions
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Use conflict-resolution skills to negotiate group decisions
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Contribute resources, ideas, and support group members
These are crucial life skills for success at school, university, in the workplace and within the wider community.
Critical Thinking
Drama Tree develops critical thinking by asking how and why. In what ways do these perspectives differ from others? How could we solve these real-life problems? Solving real-world problems through play = authentic learning. There are no right or wrong answers as we explore a myriad of ways to approach concepts, issues, problems and ideas.
In drama, we role-play. When children pretend to be a someone other than themselves, they develop empathic identification: ‘stepping into someone else’s shoes’. This approach provides a deeper understanding of human nature, motivations and of themselves. Empathic identification leads to considering multiple perspectives, even those we disagree with.
Drama Tree gives children autonomy and independence to come up with interesting and creative solutions to problems. We facilitate children’s learning process, not control it.