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Imagination as critical education : introducing theatre/drama into the maltese curriculum Sammut, Carmel
Abstract
This thesis is the result of my personal search to find ways to harness the creative processes of participatory theatre and process drama to create a site for critical thinking. As a teacher in my home country, Malta, I realised the limitations of our educational system that does not cater to teachers who would like to use theatre/drama as learning/teaching mediums. The position of theatre/drama teacher does not exist within the Maltese education system. Therefore, I had to opt to travel to a foreign country to find an opportunity to combine the dynamics of theatre/drama with my teaching background. My experiences in using both process drama and participatory theatre have led me to conclude that there are many commonalties between the two creative processes. In the first chapter of this thesis, I compare the philosophies of process drama and participatory theatre and how the two can be combined to create a holistic and edifying experience for all participants. Moreover, I illustrate how different theatre directors engaged in collective creations have the same beliefs as drama in education practitioners: participants/actors in dramatic processes are to rely on inner resources and confront their own realities to construct a richer fictional world. The aim of the second chapter of this thesis is to show how theatre/drama can benefit the educational sphere. Drama/Theatre combine both consciousness and physicality and thus engage the whole being of the learner both at an interpersonal and intrapersonal level. Educational drama and theatre take into consideration the different learning styles of individuals and so involve the participant through aural, visual and kinaesthetic modes that enhance the possibility of new learning and critical awareness. After looking at the characteristics of the drama/theatre teacher in Chapter three, I then proceed to propose a program aimed at Maltese educators working with 11-16 year olds using both process drama and adapted participatory theatre techniques. I suggest a gamut of activities that focus on factual learning, personal development, awareness of social issues and development of communication and theatre skills. My intention is to include students from the initial phase of the process and then to present the co-created scenarios to other students. I would like to create an "open" performance where the voices of the audience can intermix with those of the actors. Finally, in my concluding chapter I take a closer look at the implications for the Maltese educational system if theatre/drama educators are introduced into individual schools. The advantages of having both a Theatre in Education team and drama/theatre educators are exposed and explored.
Item Metadata
Title |
Imagination as critical education : introducing theatre/drama into the maltese curriculum
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
1997
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Description |
This thesis is the result of my personal search to find ways to harness the
creative processes of participatory theatre and process drama to create a site for
critical thinking. As a teacher in my home country, Malta, I realised the limitations
of our educational system that does not cater to teachers who would like to use
theatre/drama as learning/teaching mediums. The position of theatre/drama
teacher does not exist within the Maltese education system. Therefore, I had to
opt to travel to a foreign country to find an opportunity to combine the dynamics of
theatre/drama with my teaching background.
My experiences in using both process drama and participatory theatre have
led me to conclude that there are many commonalties between the two creative
processes. In the first chapter of this thesis, I compare the philosophies of process
drama and participatory theatre and how the two can be combined to create a
holistic and edifying experience for all participants. Moreover, I illustrate how
different theatre directors engaged in collective creations have the same beliefs as
drama in education practitioners: participants/actors in dramatic processes are to
rely on inner resources and confront their own realities to construct a richer
fictional world.
The aim of the second chapter of this thesis is to show how theatre/drama
can benefit the educational sphere. Drama/Theatre combine both consciousness
and physicality and thus engage the whole being of the learner both at an
interpersonal and intrapersonal level. Educational drama and theatre take into
consideration the different learning styles of individuals and so involve the
participant through aural, visual and kinaesthetic modes that enhance the
possibility of new learning and critical awareness.
After looking at the characteristics of the drama/theatre teacher in Chapter
three, I then proceed to propose a program aimed at Maltese educators working
with 11-16 year olds using both process drama and adapted participatory theatre
techniques. I suggest a gamut of activities that focus on factual learning, personal
development, awareness of social issues and development of communication and
theatre skills. My intention is to include students from the initial phase of the
process and then to present the co-created scenarios to other students. I would
like to create an "open" performance where the voices of the audience can
intermix with those of the actors.
Finally, in my concluding chapter I take a closer look at the implications for
the Maltese educational system if theatre/drama educators are introduced into
individual schools. The advantages of having both a Theatre in Education team
and drama/theatre educators are exposed and explored.
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Extent |
6751819 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-03-24
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0087767
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
1997-11
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.