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Teaching Ideas and Units - Teaching Units Approaching drama: experiencing language in a social contextAn
account of Dr Jonothan Neelands’ Pre-Conference Institute for the
Leading Literate
Introduction * Context
building action An extended drama exploring the issue of bullying - * Part
one: unfolding the story I was a member of a group of approx 30 teachers who were privileged to work with a master teacher during the Pre-Conference Institute on 12 July 2001. Dr. Jonothan Neelands led us through a stimulating, challenging and tightly structured exploration of a number of issues using drama as the teaching methodology. Since the workshop commenced at 9.00am and continued until 3.30pm we were able to experience sustained explorations of themes using a wide variety of drama teaching strategies. Within the structure we developed dramas together, bringing what we knew and had experienced to the work and moving forward to new felt understandings of human issues. Jonothan led us to these deeper felt understandings through masterly yet delicate and unobtrusive use of teacher interventions. His coaching came from the side, behind, underneath or beyond the issue so that not only did we create and experience imagined contexts but we were also able to shape and reshape our understandings of ourselves and others within the safety of those imagined worlds. There were three distinct sections to the day's drama experiences: i) activities
which gave the group an opportunity to get to know each other; i) Initial activities: getting to know each other Activity A The group were invited to leave their chairs, move to a large clear space, take one personal possession with them and stand in a circle. They were given the following instructions:
After a short time we were asked to again stand in a circle. One person was asked to start the returning-object-to-owner process. They then returned the object they held to its owner until all objects were returned to their owners. We found this activity challenged our ability to listen, concentrate and remember. Not all of us met the challenge successfully! Some of us had lost track of who owned the object! Nevertheless we had a great deal of fun, met a large number of fellow participants and felt relaxed and comfortable with others in the group Activity B
The group expressed their enjoyment in this activity very freely. This inadvertently disturbed another pre-conference institute group who were engaged in quiet work. We moved to another location. (We had to move to another location!!) This reminded us of the distinctive feature of drama which engages the whole person (body, voice, thought and feeling) in the learning enterprise. Real relations can require noise/sound/ bubbling life. Within a school context therefore it may sometimes be necessary to use an appropriate space in which to move, speak and express emotions such as pleasure, anger or fear when engaging in drama as a learning activity. More often, it may be necessary to select a restricted range of activities in order to avoid disturbing other learning groups nearby.
ii) An extended drama exploring themes of teen life and relationships Jonothan provided workshop participants with a detailed plan of both extended dramas. I will use the structure of that plan to give an account of what happened and quote from it where appropriate. Jonothan used a variety of drama structures and strategies. He explains these in his book Structuring Drama Work. Where appropriate I have given short descriptions of the strategies and identified their source as ‘(SDW)’. The following is the source document used by Jonothan to initiate the drama.
The structure is organised under the headings of: Context Building ActionNarrative Action Poetic Action Reflective Action ‘Conventions which either set the scene, or add information to the context of the drama as it unfolds’ (SDW) 1. We looked at the short extract from Francine Pascal's Wild Child and discussed the situation that Larissa finds herself in. Is this a 'typical' situation for a teen to find herself in? How do situations like this develop between parents and their teenaged children? What clues are there about Larissa's character what kind of a person do you think she is? Again, is she 'typical'? In other words is she like many other people of her age? Jonothan asked us to consider and comment on the choice of text. Pascal's texts have many of the features of teen soapies. It was chosen as representative of the popular genre of teen fiction in both novels and TV. Selecting it is an indication that amongst the range of literary genres, those chosen and liked by teenagers are respected and valued by the teacher. It provides an opportunity to 'lure' the class into a more serious and detailed treatment of the themes and characters introduced. 2. We were asked to look closely at the dialogue used by the three characters. Is that what mothers say? What fathers say? In situations like this? We divided into small groups. Each group was given a large piece of butcher's paper and a texta and asked to record under two headings, 'what fathers say' and 'what mothers say'. Much of what we recorded was from our remembered experiences both as mothers and fathers and as children. We were then asked to select and order a number of 'Fathers say' and a number of 'Mothers say' pieces of dialogue and decide how the group might perform these as two verses of a poem. As we were planning as a group and then listening to the other groups presenting their poems I was reminded of the poems of Michael Rosen and Roger McGough and the great appeal these have for students who hear in them their own experiences and recognise events and relationships from their own lives. This was a simple and effective structure for poetry writing in the English classroom and could connect with an exploration of published poems using a similar structure or dealing with related themes. 3. At this point in the workshop Jonothan introduced the possibility of student writing based on the extract. We discussed these possibilities but did not have time in our workshop to do the writing. Suggestions from Jonothan's notes were:
Larissa: Well (she pauses trying to think) um (she panics) I can't remember." (From notes given to workshop participants) Other suggestions from the workshop participants:
4. We looked at the last line of the extract: 'They didn't even know who I was' and considered the questions: What does Larissa mean by this? In what ways can parents not know their own children? We divided into four groups. Each group was asked to take responsibility for one of the following tableaux or still images: Group 1: Larissa as her parents would like her to be Group 2: Larissa as her friends know her to be Group 3: Larissa as her teachers know her to be Group 4: Larissa as older students might see her We shared the work and looked closely at the different ideas and views of Larissa in the 'still images'. We discussed the 'gap' between the image of how her parents would like her to be and the other images and considered how typical this is and what each group had added to the character of Larissa. How had the character of Larissa been developed through the 'still images' and the discussion of them?
Narrative Action ‘Conventions
which tend to emphasise the 'story' or 'what happens next' dimension of
the drama’ 5. Each group was asked to prepare a short scene that would show Larissa under different kinds of pressure. In each scene the objective was to show the strategy that might be used to make Larissa give into the pressure. Jonothan asked us to concentrate on showing how the pressure was applied to Larissa rather than showing what happened.
We spent a considerable time discussing the challenge - showing how the pressure was applied. The challenge focused the groups' thinking and resulted in the action and dialogue of each scene being concentrated sharply on that critical event. When the scenes were presented they had power and impact due to the effective tension created in each on the central character, Larissa. 6. Each group was now asked to take responsibility for watching another group's scene again (1 watch 2 watch 3 watch 4 watch 1), thinking about what tactics Larissa might use in the situation in order to tackle the pressure and the strategy used on her and deciding at what point in the scene Larissa should try to take some control over what's happening. Each group watched another scene and called STOP! at the appropriate moment. One member of the watching group replaced Larissa and played the rest to the scene out trying to show the best way for Larissa to handle the situation. We then discussed the different scenes, strategies and tactics used by Larissa. [This strategy is known as Forum Theatre]
‘Conventions which emphasise or create the symbolic potential of the drama through highly selective use of language and gesture’ (SDW) 7. We were now asked to make another 'still image' but this time we were to try and show physically and visually in one image all the different pressures Larissa is under at this moment. The 'still image' was to have Larissa as the central character surrounded by mother, father, teacher, friend and older student. The 'still images' were all very powerful abstract statements and all very varied. In some the other characters were pulling Larissa in different directions, some standing above her, some below, some holding her down or controlling her as though she were a puppet with no power in her own life.
‘Conventions which emphasise 'soliloquy' or 'inner thinking' in the drama, or allow groups to review the drama from within the dramatic context’ (SDW) 8. This was the final activity of this particular extended drama about Larissa. We were asked to stand in a circle and think about what we would say to Larissa - a word or short phrase - to encourage her, to make her feel good about who she was and how she was dealing with the present situation. When we were ready, one of the participants who had taken the role of Larissa in the group work volunteered to walk around the inside of the circle. As she passed we said what we were thinking about her. This was a useful strategy to bring the drama to a conclusion or stopping place. In his book, Structuring Drama Work , Jonothan Neelands describes this strategy under the heading of 'Conscience Alley'
Jonothan identified the following structure as providing a context for Yr 8/9 students to discuss issues relating to bullying and our social responsibility for those who bully and those who are the victims. He says: "The structure is based on some assumptions about effective teaching and learning in this important and sensitive area.
The source of the drama is an actual letter, written by a girl aged 14 called Janet, to a tabloid newspaper. In this letter she describes how a gang of girls, led by Clare, is tormenting her. It turns out that Clare's mother works in the same factory as Janet's mother. Janet's mother is a production line supervisor and she caught Clare's mother stealing which led to her dismissal. This incident occurred just before Christmas and part of Clare's rage is to do with her mother being out of work and there being no money for Christmas. Janet has become the object of Clare's frustration and anger. What appeals about this source is its complexity - it is not a simple and straightforward representation of bully and victim. It provides the opportunity to build sympathy, and therefore complexity, into the bully's situation as well as the victim's. The situation also encourages consideration of how events that take place out of school may influence events in school. ‘ [From notes given to the workshop participants] Part One - Unfolding the Story We were not given any prior knowledge of the situation or the issue. We were told only that the drama would be about a fourteen year old girl who finds herself in a difficult and painful space. Jonothan recommends this approach with a class. 1. We played the game 'Grandmother's Footsteps':
3. At this point in the structure we discussed whether we felt comfortable with where the game was going, how it was changing and what it was turning into. Jonothan now took the role of the daughter and played the game again starting with the following narration. The narration set the scene and revealed what was in the 'daughter's' mind.i. The scarf was placed on a chair between 'Grandma' and the participants. This time the object was to take the scarf and conceal it before 'Grandma' turns so that she cannot tell who has taken it. "My name is Janet. I am fourteen. This is my mother. She is in the kitchen washing the dishes. In the front room I can see her bag lying open on a chair. This is my only chance of being saved. My little brother and father are upstairs. The room is empty. I hate what I must do. I love my mother but I have no choice. I must have that money." [From the notes] Improvised dialogue followed as the 'daughter' moved closer to the bag and took the money. When the money was taken Jonothan again narrated as the 'daughter'. "I can't believe I've done it. I hate myself for what I've done. Perhaps I can put it back before she notices..no, too late I can hear my father coming downstairs. That's it. No turning back. I've done it now. At least I'll be safe".[From the notes] 4. Out-of-role Jonothan discussed with us why a daughter might steal from her own mother. By this stage in the drama the participants were interested and motivated to know more and to explore the question of 'why', to find explanations for an incident which had by now gone far beyond a game. We wanted to find the reasons for Janet's behaviour. The narration of the story had given us an intimation of 'Janet's' relationship with her mother, an indication of her own internal conflict and an implied personal problem. We were all eager to predict what might have happened to Janet and to come up with reasons why she must have the money. Our thinking was sharply focused on finding out the cause of Janet's action. Jonothan now invited us to find out more by questioning Janet. He sat in front of the group with the $100 bill in his hand, in role as Janet, and we questioned him. In response to our questions 'Janet' provided us with all the information in the original story:- She was being bullied by Clare and her gang; we heard about the incident in the factory and Clare was now demanding that Janet provide the money for Christmas presents. She expressed her fear of what Clare and her gang will do to her if she doesn't bring the money. We heard also something of her understanding of Clare's anger, her love for her mother and her feeling of guilt. The use of 'teacher in role' here was used to great effect to tell the story and explain Janet's action. It also introduced the theme of 'bullying' from the victim's point of view and within the complex set of circumstances that gave rise to both the bullying and the stealing. The participants were free to ask whatever questions they wished to ask and had therefore an active part in the unfolding of the story. I think 'teacher in role' is one of the most valuable strategies for a teacher to have in her repertoire. The teacher is able from within the imagined context to give additional information, put an alternative point of view, participate with the class in the examination of human motivation and relationships as someone other than the teacher. By the action of 'stepping into someone else's shoes' the teacher models role taking, and gives this approach to learning, validity, importance and value.
5. We were told that now we would explore how Clare's mother was caught and what the consequences were. She was caught in the factory. We were asked to think about the product that the factory produced. Maybe they were very attractive, especially at Christmas, but perhaps too expensive for some workers to afford. We divided into small groups of four or five and worked on a short sequence showing how the thief was caught. We were asked to consider whether Janet's mum actually saw the incident or was it on closed circuit TV, or did someone tell. These short sequences were shown to the whole group. We discussed the sequences commenting on the different pressures and/or temptations operating on Clare's mother that were shown and noting the variety of responses from Janet's mother that had emerged in the scenes. We were seriously running out of time and therefore Jonothan described an additional strategy that might be used to advantage at this point in the total structure. This strategy would focus on looking more closely from the point of view of Clare's mother, Janet's mother, and Clare. 6. The sequences could be mimed with one of the group narrating in one of these different voices:
[From the notes given to participants]
Group A: The factory bosses and Janet's mother see Clare's mother to tell her that she is being fired for stealing [Jonothan in role as Clare's mother pleads that it is nearly Christmas, she will have no money or job. She says she is sorry, but the bosses don't let her keep her job] Group B: The other workers at the end of the day discussing the incident in a locker room [Jonothan in role as Clare's mother returns from seeing the bosses to clear her locker. She tries to find out the attitudes of the other workers whilst seeking their sympathy for her and her family now that she is without work. She leaves with her belongings] Group C: Clare and her family waiting at home for mother's return. The family include brothers and sisters and an unemployed father. Clare has heard that something has happened at the factory to her mother but doesn't know what. [Jonothan in role as Clare's mother returns home tired. She explains to the kids that they may not get what they were hoping for Christmas, but doesn't reveal why until she is forced to by the pressure of their questioning.] Group D: The teachers at the school. What subjects do they teach? How well do they know the two girls? What might teachers have noticed about the relationship between Clare and Janet? The group are asked to imagine that they are in a staff meeting in which the teacher will be in role as the principal. [Jonothan in role as principal thanks the staff for a good meeting and then raises one final agenda item. She is concerned about Janet who doesn't seem her usual cheerful self - have the teachers noticed anything? After discussion she asks who should speak to Clare and Janet to find out what is going on. The group decides on an appropriate teacher for each of the girls] 8. These two selected 'teachers' now sit on chairs, back to back; two volunteers are asked to represent Janet and Clare and they sit opposite the appropriate teacher. They are asked not to reveal the truth, or at least not the whole truth. The remainder of the group of participants watch while Jonothan controls the improvised meetings between teacher and student as a 'split scene' giving a hand clap signal to switch from one meeting to the other.
The scenes between teachers and students were not prepared as suggested above but improvised and switches from one to the other controlled by Jonothan. The scenes revealed something of the feelings of the two girls and their attitude to the teachers attempting to intervene. It was an interesting example for us of the challenges facing teachers when they are placed in a counselling or intermediary role within a school context. 9. Jonothan placed four chairs in a circle formation and at a distance from each other. The two participants who had taken the roles of Janet and Clare in the previous activity were asked to sit on two chairs and two volunteers were asked to represent the girls' mothers and sit on the other chairs. We were asked to decide which of the four characters we felt most sympathy for at this moment and then to go and stand behind that character's chair. We were then asked to say why we had chosen to stand there and in turn speak our thoughts aloud. I found this a very moving experience for we had all engaged with the human dilemmas of the four characters and the thoughts spoken were authentically sympathetic demonstrating a felt understanding of the painful situation in which each character found themselves. Jonothan chose to finish the extended drama at this point in the structure since it was now well past 3.30pm. It was a strong point on which to end. In the notes that Jonothan gave to the participants the subsequent activities would have examined our sympathies in more depth and we would have been led to a more deeply felt understanding of the key characters in the drama. Notes outlining the conclusion of the drama exploring the issue of bullying (Jonothan Neelands) 10. Each character group is asked to Plan (not make!) a tableau which will visually explain why they feel sympathy for their chosen character. The tableau must include all four characters - the two girls and their mothers. The purpose is to show the inter-relationships between all these characters in such a way that others can empathise with whichever character the group feels the most sympathy for. 11. When the groups are ready they take it in turns to pick a student from each of the character groups including their own and use these students to make the tableau they have planned. So as to avoid confusion the students who are invited to make the tableau should hold an object that symbolises the character they represent:
12. The tableau, then, is made up of four students, one from each group. When the work is finished and discussed the class are given the chance to change their minds about who they now feel sympathy for.
Part Three - Disarming the Bully 13. Class discuss where and when Clare and her gang might choose to confront Janet and demand the $100 from her. In groups they prepare a 30 second scene that shows the moment of first encounter between the gang and Janet. The scene must end at the point that Clare or one of her gang begins to make an aggressive gesture/verbal threat. This might need some careful negotiating before groups begin in order for the work to be disciplined and stop short of actual aggression! Groups should be encouraged to work on creating the atmosphere of menace that the gang creates for Janet on her own - how do gangs do that? 14. When the groups are ready the scenes are shown one after the other in rapid succession so that the four or five different contributions are woven into one presentation. When the work is done the students who represented Janet are asked to take up their positions at the moment that Janet was under greatest threat. The rest of the class analyse the similarities and differences between these figures - what does each figure show about Janet's response to the threat? Which is possible/ not possible? 15. Teacher chooses one of the groups to focus on. It would be whichever group gave the clearest sense of their being a gang against Janet. The group is asked to make a tableau based on the greatest moment of threat in their piece. The teacher asks what makes this a gang? By looking at them how do we know that they are a gang? The class offer suggestions which might include body language, focus, shared purpose etc. Teacher asks whether because they are in the same gang they all feel and think the same - do they all hate Janet or do some have other reasons for being in the gang? Teacher tells the group that they are going to show their scene again but this time she is going to 'thought-track' each gang member to see what they might really be thinking at that moment.
Scene shown and thought-tracking. It is likely that in the thought-tracking there will be some differences, which usually include 'I'm glad it's not me' or 'I'm too scared to say no'. If so, work on this idea that some of the gang may be too scared of Clare to stop bullying or just join in so that no-one picks on them. If not, the teacher might want to find a way of introducing this idea for discussion. Essentially the teacher wants the class to consider what makes someone a gang member and is it a strong or weak thing to do. Then, the teacher invites members of the class to come and rank all the people in the tableau in order from the 'strongest character' to the 'weakest character' - does Janet come out the weakest or do some of the gang members come out as the weakest? Finally the teacher invites volunteers to move any or all of the figures in the tableau so that it now represents Clare's worst fear or nightmare. After several attempts the class are likely to leave Clare feeling/looking more and more isolated. This movement from being the centre of a group to facing the group on your own may have an effect on which ever student plays Clare and would be worth discussing and debriefing out-of-role. 16. In this last exercise the class will use Forum Theatre to try and identify possible ways in which Janet might defuse the situation and protect herself. Clare and the gang members are warned not to react physically to what Janet says or does. If they feel that they would physically attack Janet they must stop and raise a hand instead. The student playing Clare is also briefed that she mustn't change her behaviour or attitude unless she really feels that her character Clare would - it can't be too easy! The class then have the opportunity to stop and start the action and take Janet's role to try and identify what would be a good strategy or tactic for her to use. It's not important for the class to resolve this situation. What is important is that they should begin to discuss the issues as a community - listening to each other, empathising with those who are victims, discussing their own social responsibility for what happens in and out of school etc. At the end of such a drama I think it would be necessary to debrief and de-role all of the participants by having a discussion outside the drama about how they felt inside the drama when they were working in-role and engaged in the various drama activities. Such a drama needs to have an extended time allocated for its development and for 'cool down' time; time during which the students can speak about the emotional impact of being in-role. I have had the opportunity to speak to some of the workshop participants since the Conference and know that many would have liked the opportunity to discuss the drama experiences, structures and strategies and the implications for implementing these in their own classrooms. Perhaps those who attended the workshop and have put these extended drama structures into action in the classroom or who have used some of the specific strategies in other contexts might like to share their classroom experiences with other teachers on the web. Jonothan Neelands’ and Tony Goode’s book, Structuring Drama Work, (new edition, 2000) is published by Cambridge University Press. It is a manual of fifty or more of the most used and useful drama conventions that can be used by teachers. It is available from booksellers or can be ordered from Drama Victoria. ‘Remember We are Human’ Jonothan Neelands’ plenary address to the Leading Literate Lives conference, speaks powerfully to educators at all levels.
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