To this day, Education and Dramatic Art remains the only fully worked critique of drama education in schools. Provocative and iconoclastic, this new edition brings the argument up-to-date and locates the author's proposals for a curriculum based on the making, performing and appraisal of dramas securely in the evolving culture of schools. The first section of the book traces the origins and fortunes of drama in schools in the context of changing political times and argues that by neglecting the customs and practices of the theatre, drama-in-education has often kept from the students it professes to empower, the very knowledge and understanding necessary for them to take command of their subject. Part two examines the developmental and pedagogic claims of drama-in-education. Theories of knowledge and meaning and assumptions about schools drama's power to establish a moral and social agenda, are all called to account. Finally, Education and Dramatic Art proposes a multiculturally-based, theoretical structure for the teaching of drama which pulls the theatre and the classroom together and offers teachers the foundation for a broad and balanced drama curriculum with its own distinctive body of knowledge and skills.

Hornbrook, referring to current legislation, argues the case for an organized curricular framework for drama in the 1990s which develops in children the activities of designing, directing, acting, writing and evaluating - all within the range of the historic context of dramatic work. He asserts that recent drama teaching in Britain has been child-centred and psychological, and viewed as a learning medium rather than as an aesthetic study in itself. This, he believes, has had the effect of cutting children off from the variegated world of the theatre and, in the broader sense, from any collective aesthetic or historical dimension. This book is intended mainly for the use of primary and secondary school teachers.

Although much has been written on how the drama elements of the English curriculum might be taught in schools, there is less guidance available for teachers who regard drama not as an adjunct of English but as an arts subject in its own right. In this volume, David Hornbrook and a team of experienced drama specialists show how the subject of drama may be defined and taught. Drawing on literature, visual art, music and dance as well as the rich and varied traditions of drama itself, they map out an eclectic subject curriculum for students of all ages. Opening up the field in new and exciting ways, the book embraces the widest possible range of dramatic knowledge and skills, from the Natyashastra of ancient India to contemporary classroom improvisation. The book is divided into three sections: The teaching and learning of drama: ideas about interculturalism, creativity and craft - key concepts informing the drama curriculum - are interrogated and re-theorised for the classroom. Making and performing drama in school: the fundamental processes of reading and writing plays for performance are explored, along with the potential of dance to enhance and extend students' experience of dramatic performance. Watching and understanding drama: ensuring the curriculum is appropriately balanced between the production and reception of drama, this last section emphasises the role of students as audience - for both live and electronic performances - and the development of a dramatic vocabulary.

Art or Instrument? studies theatre's educational role during the 20th and 21st centuries. It examines the ways theatre's educational potential has been harnessed, the claims made for its value, and the tension between theatre as education and theatre as "art." Following key theoretical approaches to aesthetics, the study is organized into two chronological periods: early developments in European and American theatre up to the end of world war two and participatory theatre and education since world war two. Topics covered include an early use of theatre to campaign for prison reform; workers' theatre, agit-pop, and American living newspapers in the 1930s; theatre's response to the dropping of the atom bomb; post-war theatre in education; theatre in prisons; and the use of performance in historic sites.

Key Concepts in Theatre Drama Education provides the first comprehensive survey of contemporary research trends in theatre/drama education. It is an intriguing rainbow of thought, celebrating a journey across three fields of scholarship: theatre, education and modes of knowing. Hitherto no other collection of key concepts has been published in theatre /drama education. Fifty seven entries, written by sixty scholars from across the world aim to convey the zeitgeist of the field. The book’s key innovation lies in its method of writing, through collaborative networking, an open peer-review process, and meaning-making involving all contributors. Within the framework of key-concept entries, readers will find valuable judgments and the viewpoints of researchers from North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, New Zealand and Australia. The volume clearly shows that drama/theatre educators and researchers have created a language, with its own grammar and lucid syntax. The concepts outlined convey the current knowledge of scholars, highlighting what they consider significant. Entries cover interdependent topics on teaching and learning, aesthetics and ethics, curricula and history, culture and community, various populations and their needs, theatre for young people, digital technology, narrative and pedagogy, research methods, Shakespeare and Brecht, other various modes of theatre and the education of theatre teachers. It aims to serve as the standard reference book for theatre/drama education researchers, policymakers, practitioners and students around the world. A basic companion for researchers, students, and teachers, this sourcebook outlines the key concepts that make the field prominent in the sphere of Arts Education.

Monograph which explores the drama curriculum in Canada. Examines the diversity of current educational practices; attempts to resolve the difference in traditional and current theories about dramatic art; outlines a proposed curriculum in dramatic art which reflects an understanding of the art of drama in the context of established educational practice. Includes a bibliography. The book is part of the study material for ELE 468/668 'Directions in Arts Education' - one of the units offered by the faculty of education in Deakin University's open campus program. Enrolled students also receive a unit guide, an audio tape and a videotape. The author is professor of drama at the faculty of education, Queen's University, Ontario, Canada.