Learning Area Drama 1

This subject is not offered in 2014.

125 hours.

Attendance at all classes (tutorial/seminars/practical classes/lectures/labs) is obligatory. Failure to attend 80% of classes will normally result in failure in the subject.

Teacher Candidates must meet the minimum academic study requirements for teaching in specialist areas, in accordance with the Victorian Institute of Teaching's Specialist Area Guidelines, for entry into this subject.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This subject is an introduction to the field of drama education and its application to secondary schools. Teacher candidates will study the drama curriculum within Australian and Victorian educational contexts with a particular focus on planning for teaching and learning drama in the secondary school. Teacher candidates will engage in theoretical studies and practical drama workshops to inform their understanding of drama as an arts discipline, a co-curricular activity and a pedagogy in the junior, middle and senior secondary curriculum. Topics will include teaching strategies and structures to promote learning in the drama classroom, assessment and evaluation, resources for drama and theatre studies teaching, and designing and teaching drama programs appropriate for a range of diverse educational contexts. Literacy and Numeracy learning through drama pedagogy is explored including the investigation of multi-modal texts and the manipulation of space, time and form.

Teacher candidates will develop skills in interpreting and applying the ACARA and VCE curriculum frameworks.

On completion of this subject, teacher candidates will be able to:

• Understand the role of drama as an arts discipline and a pedagogy in secondary school education;
• Plan curriculum for the secondary drama classroom;
• Develop appropriate teaching methodologies for drama learning in relation to middle school and VCE Drama and Theatre Studies;
• Apply appropriate assessment strategies for drama practice.

The subject covers a range of the National Professional Standards for Teachers (for Graduate Teachers). In particular, the subject will contribute to students attaining the following standards:

1.2 Understanding how students learn
2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area
2.2 Content selection and organisation
3.1 Establish challenging learning goals
3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs
3.3 Use teaching strategies
3.4 Select and use resources
3.5 Use effective classroom communication
4.1 Support student participation
4.2 Manage classroom activities
4.3 Manage challenging behaviour
4.4 Maintain student safety
5.1 Assess student learning

There are 2 assessment tasks, both components must be passed:

• Written years 7-9 curriculum unit (2,000 words) due mid-semester, 50%
• Written VCE curriculum unit (2,000 words) due end of semester, 50%

There is one hurdle requirement:

• Students are required to work in pairs to create and implement a practical drama warm-up activity. Each pair will deliver their warm-up activity at the beginning of the workshop session on a specific week. The activity is to be no more than 10 minutes duration and the activity must be based on a particular theme/topic appropriate to the week assigned to the pair. The activity should be a practical exploration of the weekly topic and associated weekly readings. Each pair is required to prepare a handout outlining the warm-up activity so that another teacher could teach the activity. These handouts must then be posted on the LMS site discussion board so it is available to other candidates enrolled in this subject.

• VCE Drama and Theatre Studies study designs
• Collection of Readings

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On the completion of this course graduates will have the knowledge, skills and understanding to enable them to:

• Understand Secondary education as part of a spectrum of learning and development, linked to primary schooling and to post-schooling outcomes of further study and/or employment.
• Develop in-depth knowledge of the complexity and diversity of primary students’ learning and development
• Be expert in the disciplines they teach and committed to continual updating of their discipline knowledge;
• Be able to intelligently and creatively plan, implement and critique mandated curriculum.
• Be able to use data to identify and address the learning needs and capacities of individual students
• Be able to intentionally draw on a range of teaching practices to extend individual student’s learning and development
• Shape and deliver responsive and inclusive curricula.
• Be a self-reflective teacher who can work constructively and innovatively through relationships with parents, colleagues and the community across a range of contexts.