Theories of Drama

Learner's Theory (Dwyer 1996):

According to group two's handout, they mention, "This theory breaks down how information is absorbed, processed or retained. This is vital information to understand as educators of young minds. The image of a teacher is traditionally someone who stands in front of a class and lectures while writing on the chalkboard. However, this image is in fact quite different when observing strong, successful teachers who understand the Learner's Theory. Learning will not come from simply listening and watching the teacher, we must encourage discovering and discussion and allow them to teach one another."

According to this theory, students only remember:

• 20% of what they hear;
• 30% of what they see;
• 50% of what they write/draw;
• 70% of what they discuss;
• 80% of what they do/experience;
• 90% of what they TEACH.

According to group two's handout, we demonstrated this theory, "through these activities, students will be accessing the higher levels of learning in Dwyer's learning theory. As students prepare scenes and games, they will discuss the knowledge. As they present they will be doing/experiencing the scientific processes. The activities can also be presented to other groups as a way of sharing knowledge, or teaching each other."

This is an image of the powerpoint slide that groups had to enact. Please refer to "Dance Strategies" tab for more information on the strategies used in these activities.

Reflection:
I think this theory is really important, not just for drama but for all subjects. This theory basically tells you that you need to create interactive lessons for your students, as students will learn by doing and teaching others. Give them instructions, sure. But leave the floor open for discussion and allow students the chance to teach their peers something. Whether this is by having them act out drama scenes, acting out science diagrams, or answering rich-questions in math, students will register and later recall the information with much higher success, if they had the chance to be involved in the lesson.