Creative dramatics (the spontaneous expression of feelings and ideas in an imaginative manner) brightens the reading program and provides teachers and students with both enjoyable and academically profitable experiences. Any reading teacher can comfortably integrate creative dramatics into the basal reading program. Activities such as creating…

A study compared the effects of dramatic enactment as a class activity with more traditional teaching methods on students' acquisition and retention of the concepts taught in the lesson. Subjects were 102 secondary school students from various content classes, randomly assigned to a half-class. Each half-class was taught two lesson topics, half…

Often the way one communicates ethical choices is conditioned by the dynamics of the communication process more than by a well-developed "ethical system." Sociodrama is an excellent method of teaching both ethics and communication skills. The technique can be used for playing out any real-life situation, but unlike much actual life experience, it…

Guidelines and examples for using dramatization to teach elementary German are presented. Dramatization can be used productively as an aid to learning even at the very beginning of a course or in an academic environment that is hostile to innovation. In order to learn an utterance in a foreign language, the students must be able to project their…

Argues that medieval drama in performance suggests a number of important issues about the nature of literature, particularly about the way narrative and dramatic art can express the life of a community. Presents a series of exercises that start with familiar, nonthreatening situations in order to approach the richness of medieval plays and the…

Techniques for warming up, establishing group rapport, and setting in motion a role-playing activity are outlined. These involve physical games, communication exercises, oral skill development, and creative thinking. (MSE)

In lieu of language lab attendance, second-year language students had the option of attending a drama lab. This program has met with great success. The objective of the lab is to improve skills in pronunciation, intonation, and stress patterns. Also, an environment is created in which the student feels at home with the target language. (PJM)

Discusses how prop boxes enhance learning and are resources in multicultural and nonsexist primary education, focusing on play, experimentation, and cooperation. Examines integration of prop boxes into the curricula and activities, and presents examples of generic and specific multicultural prop boxes that incorporate art, music, foods,…

Discusses "socio-play," an innovative Soviet educational philosophy geared to developing individual and group creativity using theatrical techniques in the classroom. Describes how to use several theatrical games and acting techniques in the classroom, and discusses results. (SR)

States that the need for developing creative thinking is currently seen as one of the most pressing needs in the Soviet Union. Describes an innovative aesthetic elementary education program in which students, teachers, and parents work together. (SR)

Two experiments with eight language handicapped and four nonhandicapped preschool children examined the process of training preschool children to act out themes and exchange roles according to sociodramatic play scripts. Results suggested that such a program may benefit both handicapped and nonhandicapped children by enhancing interaction and…

Describes a collaborative compensatory program for at-risk kindergarten, first-, and second-grade students, in which literature, drama, music, and movement are woven together into miniperformances that develop and support literacy learning. Discusses the process of developing a miniperformance, and lists suggested books with stories for…

Changing the dramatic play area in a child care setting promotes creativity and gives children the chance to experience a place they may never experience in real life. Whenever possible, the children should be involved in the process of changing the area, by moving furniture and exchanging props, as well as brainstorming ideas for changes. The…

A study addressed the general issue of whether or not a touring college drama production would somehow stimulate greater interest, on the part of elementary teachers and students, in the use of drama as a classroom learning medium. Specifically addressed were whether (1) educational gains would be realized; (2) data would show measurable gains in…

Improvisational gaming is a technique involving the use of theater and drama in the teaching of other subjects. The student uses intuition, sense-memory, and imagination in a holistic approach to learning which teaches social skills while it teaches subject matter. Everyone can act and improvise; getting everyone involved is seldom a problem as…