Teaching with drama

Teaching concepts or topics without drama

Stages

All students participating in the study take tests related to chemical reactions, and complete a questionnaire that assesses the classroom learning environment.

All students participating in the study take tests related to chemical reactions, and complete a questionnaire that assesses the classroom learning environment.

Preliminary preparation

Preparation of performances on various issues related to chemical reactions. The teacher prepares a written text as a screenwriter in collaboration with a drama specialist. The presentations will deal with lessons in the field of chemical reactions. The players will be the pupils who learn these lessons.

The teacher prepares a conventional chemical reaction teaching unit as it appears in the curriculum; the unit will include four lessons of 45 minutes each. The chemistry unit will include the different chemical reactions types.

Preparation of the teaching phase

Selection of groups of students who will participate as actors in the drama. The teacher must ensure that all students will participate either as players or as members of the chorus.

Assignment of roles to students. The teacher will explain the functions of each student by consulting with them.

For example, the characters in chemistry will be two students who represent oxygen atoms and a third student who represents a carbon atom to symbolize carbon dioxide (CO₂).

Teacher’s introduction, between 5 and 10 minutes, linking the lesson to the previous session. The teacher then introduces the main subject, chemical reactions types, in the form of a lecture to the student audience.

Instructional design

A complete dramatic presentation by the students on chemical reactions in the classroom. The school principal suggested doing one of the performances in the schoolyard in front of all students of all grades to highlight the importance of drama as a teaching method.

The lesson will take place in the lab; the teacher will explain what a chemical reaction is and demonstrate a number of experiments in which chemical reactions take place, such as the creation of gas, change in color and so on.

The rest of the unit will be conducted in the classroom. In a frontal lesson, the teacher will explain the types of chemical reactions, how they are created, and what the differences between them are.

Implementation of the instruction method

The teacher will hold a joint discussion with students. In this phase, the teacher asks questions to make sure that students understand the scientific principle behind the play on chemical reactions. In addition, the teacher assigns homework.

The teacher gives the students a worksheet; students try to solve the problems while the teacher walks around among the students. The summary will be on what have we learned today. In addition, the teacher will assign homework.

After the teaching phase

Repeat the same tests on chemical reactions and a questionnaire that assesses the motivation for all students participating in the study.

Repeat the same tests on chemical reactions and a questionnaire that assesses the motivation for all students participating in the study.

Review and assessment