Why integrate educational drama into the core curriculum?
Recent neurological research about the adolescent brain has shown the positive effect of dramatic arts on learning. When a situation feels real, the same neurotransmitters are released in the brain as are released in real situations. Emotion drives attention. Attention drives learning. Drama in the classroom places students in an emotionally charged learning environment where they do the thinking, talking, decision-making and problem solving. Students who have experienced the drama process discover multiple perspectives that involve them in making informed decisions and understanding the consequences of their actions. The resident theater artist works closely with the classroom teacher to align theater activities with the teacher’s lesson plan. In the process, classroom teachers learn drama strategies that they can apply across subject areas.
