Current writings on the functions of the left and right hemispheres of the brain are examined, focusing upon possible implications for improving present educational techniques. It has been generally accepted by researchers that the organizational and verbalizing processes are functions of the left cerebral hemisphere, while creative and intuitive…

The use of puppetry activities to project children into many different learning situations and environments is the topic of this guide which offers suggestions for making, costuming, and manipulating puppets; creating puppet plays with appropriate settings and dialogue; and producing these dramatizations in finished performances. For grades 2-6,…

Describes and provides examples of how storytelling can help develop children's language ability. Argues that the goal is not to teach children language but to create an environment that will allow language learning to occur naturally. (SRT)

The University of California at Santa Barbara Reader's Theater program educates students about the prevention of alcohol abuse, sexual assault, and HIV through a live, dramatic script reading. Peer educators serve as both actors and follow-up workshop discussion facilitators. (SM)

We evaluated an intervention package for teaching generative sociodramatic play activities to a young boy with an autism spectrum disorder. In Phase 1, the boy learned computer activity schedules that featured embedded video models of what to say and do. A 3 x 3 instructional matrix defined 9 activities to be performed involving combinations of 3…

The development of educational and social relationships among students of different ethnic groups and social backgrounds is examined in these explorations of the reduction of prejudice among school children. Qualitative methods are used, and emphasis is placed on the role of collaborative learning and on the strategies and techniques teachers can…

Interactive drama, a simplified form of drama, is a vehicle through which children can become involved with literature. When preservice teachers are presented with interactive drama in a college setting, it serves as an introduction to the simple, effective learning experiences available through informal drama activities. In an interactive drama,…

Recounts a week-long environmental program that revolved around staff dressing up as Alpha Centaurions to point out pollution on Earth. Activities were chosen to teach students about ways in which our environment is being ruined and students were encouraged to look for solutions. Activities included zoo visits, ecological study of Brockhill Valley…

Describes how one instructor incorporates daily poetry "breaks" in middle school. Explains that students begin by listening to Eve Merriam's "How to Eat a Poem," then imitate poems first in pantomime, then with sound and action. Notes that students later write and trade poems, and end the term with a poetry festival. (SG)

This dramatic reading was created from the questions generated by a class of drama education majors at the University of Alberta (Canada) and is used to describe a case study assignment approach to teacher education in drama. Education in a democratic society is underpinned with the willingness to listen. The mythology which claims that the gulf…

Part 2 of this five part project asks students of the Tasmanian region of Australia to explore the history of Port Arthur, a 19th century penal colony located in Tasmania. The project is based on three ideas: (1) studying history can be educational and enjoyable; (2) imagination is an essential part of studying history; and (3) history is most of…

Details four developmentally appropriate dramatic play experiences for integration into the classroom curriculum to extend dramatic play into a classroom play experience. Provides guidance in turning dramatic play into a project, launching the play process, readying the performance, problem solving, playing the play, and enjoying the outcome.…

The arts are central to quality early childhood programs. Experiences in the arts commonly attract and sustain children's involvement and provide opportunities for individualized creative responses. This research project investigated the implementation of arts games (structured play experiences based on drama, music, dance, and movement) into the…

This monograph examines the nature of active learning at the higher education level, the empirical research on its use, the common obstacles and barriers that give rise to faculty resistance, and how faculty and staff can implement active learning techniques. A preliminary section defines active learning and looks at the current climate…

The report assesses the impact of career awareness-oriented dramatic play procedures in elementary school children. A sample of 90 second graders from North Carolina (66 from open classrooms and 24 from self-contained classrooms), who participated in a dramatic play program in which they constructed a model community in the classroom, was compared…