Abstract

How might dramatic techniques, such as ‘process drama’ be used in the classroom to help students analyse and understand complex ideas? Process drama was initially pioneered in the 1990s as a participatory form of theatre tailored to the task of teaching and learning. A factual pretext, such as an individual’s war experience, is used to imagine real events and stimulate empathy and, thus, encourage discussion and critique. In process drama, participants assume different roles and undertake aesthetic and creative opportunities through highly structured dramatic activities. The key to this model of ‘walking in someone else’s shoes’ is the active construction of meaning by teachers and students and its transformation into relevant and consequential knowledge.

This seminar is participatory to provide a first-hand experience of process drama in action to demonstrate how the act of imagining can be a powerful pedagogical tool. The process drama will be followed by in-depth Q & A discussion.

Dr Julia Horne is Associate Professor and Principal Fellow in the Department of History at the University of Sydney, and co-director of http://beyond1914.sydney.edu.au an interactive web resource about people’s lives before, during and after the First World War. She writes widely on social and cultural history.

Dr Alison O’Grady is Program Director of the Combined Degree in Education, and Lecturer at the University of Sydney, Sydney School of Education and Social Work. Alison researches the role of drama in empathetic and critical thinking about human rights in the 21st century university curriculum.

Catherine Smyth is Lecturer in Primary History Curriculum, Pedagogy and Practice in the Sydney School of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney. Catherine’s research examines historical sense making and epistemic fluency within interdisciplinary spaces.

Elizabeth Gillroy is Project Officer for Beyond 1914 at the University of Sydney and Expert Nation at the UTS . She has wide curatorial and museum experience working with regional museums and local governments in the research and development of exhibition and collections-based education.