Task 4D - Literature 2

The second piece of literature I found was an article published in the Guardian. It dates back in 2012, however I still feel it is relevant to my inquiry.

Some questions that have arisen whilst developing my inquiry have been, “Do performers go into teaching as a last resort or because they have a passion for it?” “What makes a good teacher?” Having discussed this point with a few of my colleagues it has become apparent that passion for your subject or teaching is essential to make your lessons both enjoyable and engaging.

I found this article extremely interesting as I felt it touched on some important issues I wish to explore further in my inquiry. She states, “For me, it's the passion for your subject and interest in the success of your students that matters more than how all the acronyms add up. This is what will make you a good teacher. There's still room for individuals but you have to have the confidence and passion for your subject to make it work.” I completely agree with this statement as I believe that the love for what you are doing will bring the subject to life.

Later in the article, the writer states that many people drop out of teaching after only a few years due to the high workload and demands upon them. The article concludes by providing some words of advice to anyone wishing to pursue a career in teaching.

http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2012/aug/12/why-i-became-a-teacher

Task 4D - Literature 1

Literature 1 – Making sense of Drama, A guide to classroom practice by Jonothan Neelands.

As my idea for my inquiry is the transition from practitioner to teacher I thought I’d look into articles or books that related to this topic. Whilst conducting research in my local library I came across, “Making sense of drama, a guide to classroom practice” by Jonothan Neelands. It was first published in 1984 by Heinemann Educational Books Ltd.

This book is designed to give teachers from all subject areas an insight and confidence to explore the possibilities of drama in the classroom. It helps practitioners to plan and evaluate drama lessons as well as exploring the relationship between classroom drama and performances.

I thought that this book was an interesting find and would be useful when I carry out my inquiry because I want to pursue a career in the education world, whether that be in primary or secondary teaching. As I have mentioned previously, I currently teach a Saturday drama class at a dance school but this book highlights the attitude of a teacher in an educational setting.

A direct quote from the book is, “Drama (in the educational context) is not as concerned with the transmission of theatre-skills as it is with the construction of imagined experience. Imagined experience (controlled by the conventions of game and theatre) is seen as being particularly efficient context for children to try out and experiment with new ideas, concepts, values, roles and language in action (i.e. in the situational context in which they would naturally occur). Drama is to do with the child experiencing rather than with the child performing.” This also relates to my inquiry as I wanted to explore if a performer had any skills that could be transferred to a teacher role. It states that though the skills are important it isn’t as important as imagination.