5th Expert Talk_‘Drama in and Across the Curriculum. Patrice Baldwin

Drama in and across the Curriculum:

how and why it works as a way of learning

Patrice Baldwin

www.patricebaldwin.com

Chair of National Drama

World President of IDEA patrice@dramaforlearning.eu

Draw on recent research about the brain, to

explain why and how drama and imagined

experience works as a way of learning at any

age and as a way of developing empathetic

and socially attuned citizens.

Consider drama in relation to children’s

holistic development and how it helps

children to make sense of the real world and

their place in it.

Explain a successful project, ‘Drama for

Learning and Creativity (D4LC) in which

teachers from nearly 300 schools use drama

to teach across the curriculum and have

gathered evidence of the outcomes

‘Insights into the human brain will have a

profound impact, not just on us as scientists, but

also on the humanities, and they may even help

us bridge what CP Snow called the two cultures

– science on the one hand and arts, philosophy

and humanities on the other.’

Professor Ramachandran, (2003)

BBC Reith Lectures ‘The Emerging Mind’

‘Recent dramatic advances in our

understanding of the human brain and

cognition ensure that the cognitive

neurosciences will play an increasingly

important role in educational policy and

practice in the 21st century.’

Robert Sylwester, (2005)

Some things teachers need to know

about the brain

• Human brains are unique - no two brains will

ever be the same

• The brain works by growing and connecting

networks of neurons

• Neural connections are built and strengthened

by stimulation, exposure, repetition and practice

Synaptogenesis

‘Use it or lose it !’ – (neural ‘pruning)

Excessive stress and neglect can lead to

synapses elimination

Sensitive periods

There are sensitive periods for learning certain things more easily, e.g. motor skills and language.

What is the neurological impact of too much sitting and listening to teachers?

Learning language benefits from a social context.

Dr. Patricia Kuhl (2003)

Some things teachers need to know

about the brain

• We can discern patterns as to how the brain

learns (and the areas of the brain involved)

• Most brain areas have multiple rather than

unique functions

• The brain changes and adapts to accommodate

most easily, what it experiences most powerfully

or most often

Neuroplasticity

Individual brains are influenced by genetics but

are constantly changing and are changed

structurally and functionally by experiencing,

learning and imagining new things.

Neuroplasticity

‘The human brain is exquisitely sensitive to any

and every event: we cannot take it as an article

of faith that it will remain inviolate and that ways

of learning and thinking will remain constant.’

Susan Greenfield (2006)

Children now have shorter attention spans and

less developed speech and imaginations.

The ‘yuck’ and ‘wow’ factor

Neuro-plasticity

Pascual-Leone et al. (1995)

Group 1: The control group just looked at the piano

Group 2: practiced 5 finger exercises

(rhythmic hand movements)

Group 3: imagined they were playing the piano (rehearsed in their minds)

The brain needs us to imagine

• It keeps neural pathways active and strengthens neural connections

(connectivity)

• It moves us from the ‘here and now’ into the ‘as if’ and ‘what if’

(creativity)

The brain works best when information

and skills are embedded in real, ‘lived’

experiences

The brain seeks connections

Connecting new learning to what is

already known helps the brain learn.

We re-enact and create, based on what

we know already and have experienced.

The brain responds strongly to novelty!

The brain is wired to learn through imitation

and mimicry (the first learning style)

visual

auditory

kinaesthetic

tactile

social

physical

creative

cognitive

cultural spiritual

aesthetic

emotional

linguistic

spatial

musical intra-

personal

bodily-kinaesthetic

inter-personal

logical-mathematical

naturalistic

spiritual

‘One of the hallmarks of our species is what we

call culture. And culture depends crucially on

the imitation of your parents, of your teachers

and the imitation of complex skills may require

the participation of mirror neurons.’

Professor Ramachandran, (BBC Reith Lectures)

Mirror neuron theory

Giacomo

Rizzolati

(1990)

‘ We are exquisitely social creatures. Our

survival depends on understanding the actions,

intentions and emotions of others. Mirror

neurons allow us to grasp the minds of others,

not through conceptual reasoning but through

direct simulation - by feeling, not by thinking.’

Giocomo Rizzolatti, (2006)

‘ Imitation and the neural machinery that

underlies it, begets an understanding of others’

minds and not the other way round…

Purposive action, desires, visual perception and

basic emotions have a relatively close coupling

between the underlying mental states and their

expression in bodily action…central to

perspective taking.’

Andrew N. Meltzoff, (2005)

Simon Baron Cohen

Autistic Spectrum Disorders

Masks as ‘transporters’?

Humans’ brains are wired for survival, to

connect socially and empathetically with

other human beings. Humans want to

belong.

The brain is wired for empathy

Pretending/Drama/Acting make me feel

happy

powerful

clever

in control

excited

enjoyment

independent

grown up

important

safe

successful

special

Emotions

• Gain, direct, focus

and keep our

attention (this helps

memory)

• Direct our social

behaviours towards

others

• Give us feedback

• Help us remember

what is important

Emotions

• Lets us safely try out a variety of attitudes and

actions in role (and get response safely)

• Lets us use and link new experience,

knowledge, ideas and thoughts to memories

and past emotions

Acting

‘Acting is one of the best exemplifications

of what it is to be human…the unnatural

naturality of human beings… actors are

the epitome of this.’

Vittorio Gallese (2007)

Acting

‘

‘When I first started acting it was because of my

desire to connect to everyone, to that thing inside

each of us, that light that I believe exists in all of

us …because acting for me is about believing in

that connection and it’s a connection so strong,

it’s a connection so deep that we feel it, and

through our combined belief we can create a new

reality.’

Force Whittaker (2007)

Imitation/Mimicry

• welcome and give

status to the activity

• facilitate children to

develop their own

ideas

• find, sustain and

develop the learning

The role of the adult

• help structure and scaffold the imagined experience

• be an interactive co-participant offering challenge

• mediate the learning experience (Feurstein, Instruments of Enrichment)

• model language, form, attitudes and behaviours

The role of the adult

What improved?

speaking and listening

attitudes to learning

drama

writing

enjoyment

motivation

What improved?

teacher confidence

teacher competence

attainment

learning

teacher enjoyment

What improved?

empathy

co-operation

self esteem

team work

inclusion

What improved?

curriculum links

behaviour

community cohesion

thinking skills

Website: www.patricebaldwin.com

Email: patrice@dramaforlearning.eu