Defining drama literacy - beginning the conversation
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Author(s)
Stinson, Madonna
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2018
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For some time, I have been thinking about the concept of drama literacy and what it might mean to be drama literate. I have to admit to some discomfort about the term. Perhaps, that is because ‘literacy’ in the traditional English teaching sense is often reduced to the discrete teaching of the component parts of the field in isolation, e.g., phonics or grammar. In drama, this might equate to teaching the elements of drama in isolation, or the ‘paint-by-numbers’ approach often applied to the use of dramatic conventions within process drama. So, the term ‘drama literacy’ causes some ambiva-lence and discomfort.
However, it is ...
View more >For some time, I have been thinking about the concept of drama literacy and what it might mean to be drama literate. I have to admit to some discomfort about the term. Perhaps, that is because ‘literacy’ in the traditional English teaching sense is often reduced to the discrete teaching of the component parts of the field in isolation, e.g., phonics or grammar. In drama, this might equate to teaching the elements of drama in isolation, or the ‘paint-by-numbers’ approach often applied to the use of dramatic conventions within process drama. So, the term ‘drama literacy’ causes some ambiva-lence and discomfort. However, it is frequently the case that what makes us feel uncomfortable or uncertain is the same thing that is most worth exploring. Hence, drawing on the expert knowledge in and of our field, this article begins a conversation about what drama literacy might mean.
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View more >For some time, I have been thinking about the concept of drama literacy and what it might mean to be drama literate. I have to admit to some discomfort about the term. Perhaps, that is because ‘literacy’ in the traditional English teaching sense is often reduced to the discrete teaching of the component parts of the field in isolation, e.g., phonics or grammar. In drama, this might equate to teaching the elements of drama in isolation, or the ‘paint-by-numbers’ approach often applied to the use of dramatic conventions within process drama. So, the term ‘drama literacy’ causes some ambiva-lence and discomfort. However, it is frequently the case that what makes us feel uncomfortable or uncertain is the same thing that is most worth exploring. Hence, drawing on the expert knowledge in and of our field, this article begins a conversation about what drama literacy might mean.
View less >
Journal Title
N J - Drama Australia Journal
Volume
42
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2018 Drama Australia. This is the author-manuscript version of this paper. Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. Please refer to the journal website for access to the definitive, published version.
Subject
Curriculum and pedagogy
Specialist studies in education
Creative and professional writing