In our Drama classes, we encourage children to work “In Role” to freely explore their own ideas and make judgements based on their observations. It’s important, that they do this without having to consider what adults around them are expecting of them.
Very young children don’t seek approval as their play is about making sense of their world – anything can happen and their play is usually random.
By the time children are in Year 3, they look for reassurance that they are doing what the teacher wants them to do. They are already working out how not to fail rather than explore their own ideas.
Improvised Drama should be about asking, “What would happen if …?”
Fear of failing hampers this free exploration. A good Drama teacher can reassure children that whatever they do in Drama is right. They can’t fail because the story is theirs. They give their students permission to ignore what the teacher may want and start to think for themselves. This is the start of critical thinking. However, the strategies they have developed to prevent failure are difficult to let go of as children grow older.
Trust is the key.
Time is an issue here because trust is not easily won. A good Drama teacher will have the patience to allow children to discover the power and control they can have “In Role.”
Most teachers find this idea uncomfortable – they must maintain control of the class! So you strike a deal with the children: they have control of their roleplay, while in role.
But the teacher has control of the lesson.
I never ask Drama students to pretend to be somebody else. I do insist that they are themselves in a situation – “If this was actually happening and you were really there, what would you be thinking? What would you do?”
So, after a drama class, if your child says they rescued their friend from a terrible fire. Don’t just say, “Oh that’s nice.”
Ask them, “What happened?” “How they did it?” “How did they feel?” And don’t forget to add, “That was very brave.”
