An integrated approach to teaching and learning through drama in the early years

Abstract

Various studies show that children, especially the younger ones, learn more through hands on activities based on play. A number of theories state that drama helps pupils understand curricular concepts better. Both drama and play are mainly based on group work and support personal as well as social development. This dissertation aims at putting some of these theories into practice through a series of activities, which were delivered in a particular school over three days. The school chosen for this project is a relevantly small school in the South East of Malta with mixed ability classes. This helped me reach children with different learning abilities. I worked with a class of 23 children aged between 6 and 7 years. This class I followed at intervals from Year 2 up to Year 3 through observation sessions, so as to best monitor the results for the scope of this dissertation. The practical side of the programme took place during January 2003. The children taking part in this programme were chosen for their transition between Piaget's Pre-Operational and the Concrete-Operational stages, where language and make-believe play are refined as logical reasoning is developed. The data gathered during this research shows that drama and play are useful in making the teaching and learning experiences more meaningful and more pleasant for all those involved. Through the integration of drama and play within the curriculum, education becomes more holistic and more complete for all learners, regardless of their learning abilities and learning styles.