Session Three
Curriculum
Session: 3.1
Title: Being strategic: What has national education policy got to do with me?
Presenter: Josephine Wise, Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership
Suitability: All
Form: Interactive presentation
Description:
National Curriculum, National Cultural Policy for Australia National Professional Standards for Teachers and Principals, nationally consistent accreditation of tertiary education programs, and national professional learning - there is a lot going on. Do you know how it all works and why any of it matters to you?
This interactive presentation will give you an:
overview of the big education agenda items with time for questions
opportunity to think strategically about the ways the national policy agenda can (and will) shape your career over the next five years.
Classroom teachers from every phase of schooling, school leaders and career academics with an interest in a ‘big’ picture will find this session informative and provocative. Participants should bring with them a vision of themselves, their school or their hopes for education in five years time.
Biography:
Josephine Wise, a previous Drama Queensland President and Drama Australia Board Director, has worked recently with ACARA, QSA and now at AITSL to shape, establish and implement national curriculum and national professional standards for teachers. Currently Jo has launched and is managing an online professional learning program for 2000 Australian educators. She is an experienced presenter, sometimes funny and always well prepared; she cares a lot about mentoring, quality teaching and excellent schools. Jo has at least one of her two children doing NAPLAN every year for the next six years.
Research
Session: 3.2
Title: Integrating drama pedagogy in English as a foreign language (EFL) curriculum: an Asian teachers perspective
Presenter: Naoko Araki-Metcalf, Deakin University
Suitability: Primary & Middle Years
Form: Paper
Description:
This is a discussion-based paper presentation on Japanese teachers’ perspectives of drama pedagogy in the area of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Japan. For the last ten years, I have been working with primary school teachers in Japan in preparation towards the introduction of EFL curriculum in primary schools becoming officially compulsory in all public primary schools as of April, 2011. As a teacher-researcher, these Japanese teachers’ responses and perceptions towards drama pedagogy were invaluable. The presentation will focus on a brief introduction of EFL curriculum in Japanese primary schools, the implementation of drama pedagogy in the area, Japanese teachers’ responses towards drama pedagogy, and discussions of challenges regarding drama pedagogy as an inquiry-base/democratic nature of learning in a discipline-based learning environment.
Biography:
Naoko Araki-Metcalfe is a senior lecture in LOTE at Deakin University, Australia. Her research interest has been integrating drama pedagogy in a second/foreign language classroom. She has taught at schools and has lectured at universities both in Japan and Australia. She has also worked with many teachers to design and implement integrated curriculum with drama pedagogy in the area of second/foreign language teaching and learning.
Research
Session: 3.3A
Title: TheatreSpace: Accessing the cultural conversation
Presenter: The TheatreSpace Team
Suitability: All
Form: Paper
Description:
TheatreSpace was a four-year research project investigating the responses of young people (14 – 30 years of age) to professionally-funded theatre in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. The research aimed to discover what attracts, engages and sustains young people’s current and future theatre attendance and what factors might exclude them. The research concluded in 2011 and key findings were presented in November, at the TheatreSpace symposium in Sydney. In this paper the TheatreSpace team will share significant findings with implications for industry and education.
Biography:
The Theatrespace team comprises senior drama educators and researchers from the University of Melbourne, the University of Sydney, and Griffith University. A Chief Investigator from each of those universities will represent the team.
Session: 3.3B
Title: The TreeMappa project: Sharing research findings through Reader’s Theatre
Presenter: Dr Sue Davis, Central Queensland University
Suitability: Primary Years & All
Form: Paper
Description:
This study focused on student engagement and learning through a school/community arts and environment project. It involved four primary school teachers, their students, university practitioners, community environmentalists and artists in a community linked project. Over the course of several months the three classes of students focussed on creating stories and digital content about specific trees from their region. Utilising drama, art and new media children engaged with local history, the natural environment and stories (Indigenous, historical and contemporary) to explore environmental issues of relevance to their context and potential for action.
The research methodology used has been mixed method, qualitative research including student and teacher focus groups, art based recall and classroom observations. Inspired by different formats for sharing research findings shared at an International Narrative Arts-Based Research conference she attended in the US, Sue has shaped the research findings into a Reader’s Theatre presentation.
Biography:
Sue Davis is a lecturer and writer, and formerly a Drama teacher and HOD for over 20 years. Her work includes exploring the ways that technologies can be used for creating drama. She sits on state education advisory panels for Senior Drama and The Arts and manages arts-based community projects, writing and directing performance work. She is one of the writers of the Senior Drama textbook ‘Dramatexts: Creative Practice for Senior Drama Students’.
eLearning
Session: 3.4
Title: Delving into creative commons: Harness a world of creativity
Presenter: Benjamin van Trier, Brisbane Catholic Education
Suitability: All
Form: Workshop & presentation
Description:
The Shape of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts calls for students to learn about, experiment with and engage in practice within contemporary and historical theatrical movements. In the 21st century we (as teachers/students/artists) can harness free, dynamic and useful tools to deepen not only learning and teaching in Drama but to design, develop and perform works with increasing levels of quality. By delving into the world of the Creative Commons this workshop will provide participants with practical understandings and skills about how to locate, manipulate and share works within our creative world.
Biography:
As the Education Officer – ResourceLink, Benjamin van Trier supports teachers in resourcing quality 21st learning and teaching practice. He has extensive experience in Drama teaching as both a classroom teacher and Head of Department within schools and has vast industry experience working with local community arts organisations and Brisbane’s heartBeast Vicious Theatre Ensemble.
Beginning Teachers
Session: 3.5A
Title: Impro’ 101: Practical theory and engaging games for cultivating quality improvised performances
Presenter: Alastair Tomkins, Sheldon College
Suitability: All
Form: Workshop
Description:
Workshop participants will be taken through clear and concise theory techniques for classroom improvising, and will actively participate in a variety of games for Middle School and Senior School application. Strategies for boys and girls will be discussed. The aim of the workshop is to provide teachers with simple techniques to generate high quality and productive dramatic and comedic improvising with students of different skill and experience levels. Loose comfortable clothes should be worn as there will be a high degree of participation. Watch your students go to the next level in classroom improvising once they apply the easy to use tools outlined in this workshop.
Biography:
Alastair Tomkins is a Brisbane-based performer with two decades of experience in feature film, TV commercials, and a variety of live theatre credits. Alastair has a passion for improvised theatre and has represented Queensland twice at the Australian Theatresports Championships. Alastair has presented impro’ workshop for students and teachers in NSW and QLD, and been involved in the QLD Youth Theatresports Challenges for a decade. Alastair, who works at Sheldon College, trained in London at Ecole Philippe Gaulier and is a graduate in drama performance from Trinity College London.
Session: 3.5B
Title: Before you delve: Pastoral care considerations for the Drama classroom
Presenter: Leica Burley, St Hilda’s School
Suitability: Middle & Senior Years
Form: Paper & Discussion
Descripiton:
Pastoral Care is an important element of every teacher’s daily business yet it is often considered something that is done by ‘the pastoral care people’. This session will examine some of the ways that the emotional development of young people needs to be considered in the planning, sequencing and delivery of our subject. This session will take the form of a paper presentation and then open discussion amongst participants. It will be relevant for both beginning and experienced teachers. Whilst the examples from the leader’s own practice will be within an independent girls’ school, it is hoped that the content will provoke participants to consider some of the issues and ideas in their own school context.
Biography:
Leica Burley has been teaching Drama for 10 years. She currently teaches Years 7 to 12 at St Hilda’s School on the Gold Coast. She holds the pastoral care position of Head of Year 10 and is passionate about the holistic development of young people. Leica is currently studying a Masters of Educational Leadership through Macquarie University
Teaching and Learning: Primary Years
Session: 3.6
Title: Learning in and through the arts
Presenter: Adrianne Jones (KITE Arts Education Program @ QPAC - Teacher Artist) and Dr Sandra Gattenhof (Discipline Leader, Drama Senior Lecturer, QUT Creative Industries Faculty), with Sue Campbell (Key Teacher - Walkervale State School, Bundaberg), Raelene Pettigrew (Key Teacher – Burrowes State School) , Di Nell (Key Teacher – Waterford State School)
Suitability: Primary Years
Form: Workshop
Descripiton:
The aim of the workshop is to present the research findings and classroom evidence of the three-year Yonder arts participatory project which has been introduced in primary schools identified as disadvantaged.
• Doctor Sandra Gattenhof will report on her research findings to on the project.
• Sue Campbell will report on arts education from a regional perspective and the advantages of an arts program in her classroom.
• Raelene Pettigrew will report on the emotional literacy gained from drama experiences and the benefits of an arts program for raising the standards of oracy and writing skills.
• Di Nell will discuss the confidence gained by students in their oracy and writing skills due to their experiences with drama.
• Adrianne Jones and former teacher artists, Natasha Budd and Claire Austin will provide a brief overview of the Yonder project and findings over the past three years focusing on improved social competency.
Biography:
Dr Sandra Gattenhof is Head of Drama and a senior lecturer in drama and contemporary performance in the Creative Industries Faculty, QUT and the lead researcher into the Yonder project. Sandra is a Drama Australia Board member as Director of Arts Education and Industry Partnerships and their representative on National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE). Her research monograph Drivers of Change: Contemporary Australian Theatre for Young People was published by Drama Australia in 2006.
Adrianne Jones has been a teacher for over twenty years and has been in a variety of associated roles such as Education Liaison Officer at Queensland Arts Council, Lecturer in Drama Curriculum at the University of Queensland and Griffith University’s Drama Departments and was the Chair of the Drama Committee that rewrote the new Queensland Drama Senior Syllabus in 2006.
Teaching and Learning: Middle Years
Session: 3.7
Title: Delve into Drama: A photo story
Presenter: Bronwyn Morrow, Kenmore State High School
Suitability: Primary & Middle Years
Form: Workshop
Description:
This workshop is a chance to really delve into character – an exciting and fun approach to character profiling. It will be discussion, sharing with some practical work that would be enjoyed by beginning and experienced teachers. The aim of the workshop is to share in a new and exciting way of discovering human context using photo story with practical and written applications across a variety of units in the Middle School. Participants will leave with a new unit of work and ideas that could easily be applied to other drama units. No specific attire required.
Biography:
Hailing from a background in acting and performance, Bronwyn Morrow has been a drama teacher for 13 years and has directed, produced and written various school musicals and plays, as well as facilitating students in Theatresports. In 2010 she performed with success in the Short and Sweet Festival.
Teaching and Learning: Middle & Senior Years
Session: 3.8
Title: Performing Shakespeare
Presenter: James Evans, Bell Shakespeare
Suitability: Middle & Senior Years
Form: Workshop
Descripiton:
Performing Shakespeare is a rite of passage for every drama student, and a Shakespeare production in-school has the potential to bring the whole school community together, celebrating the power of William Shakespeare’s remarkable stories. In this interactive and energetic workshop, teachers will get an insight into the techniques and tools used by top professional actors to break down a script, understand a character and unlock the power in Shakespeare’s verse. Using physical and text-based exercises alongside Shakespeare’s great scenes and monologues, we will banish the dreaded ‘emotional wash’, uncover Shakespeare’s hidden stage directions and discover the joy of acting with some of the most amazing language ever written.
Biography:
James Evans is Bell Shakespeare’s Resident Artist in Education. Since graduating from NIDA in 2001, he has worked extensively as an actor, educator, workshop facilitator and voice artist. For Bell Shakespeare, he has appeared in a variety of programs and productions. As a facilitator, James has conducted classes for students and teachers in hundreds of schools around Australia. Particularly passionate about Shakespeare in education, James is currently completing his MA at the University of Sydney. His theatre, television and film credits are impressive and include work for Company B Belvoir, the Queensland Theatre Company, Underbelly III: The Golden Mile, East West 101 and Mao’s Last Dancer.
Teaching and Learning: Senior Years
Session: 3.9
Title:Somatic Wonder – Contemporary circus in the classroom
Presenter: Kirsten Burgess & Tyrone O’Reilly, Monto State High School
Suitability: Middle & Senior Years
Form: Workshop
Description:
This will be a practical hands-on workshop that will showcase the work being done in both mainstream and alternative educational programs at Monto SHS, using contemporary circus as a vehicle for creative pedagogy, youth engagement and self-development. The aim of the workshop is to share both knowledge and skills in contemporary circus that we have successfully used to empower students both academically and emotionally. Senior Drama work will be shared to demonstrate the ways in which narrative and circus can delve into social contexts. Participants will engage with physical circus skills that are being successfully employed in an alternative behaviour management program at Monto SHS, to build self-esteem and self-respect for targeted students experiencing disengagement from mainstream education and/or risk of self-harm. Workshop participants should wear suitable clothing for physical activity.
Biography:
Kirsten Burgess and Tyrone O’Reilly work together at Monto SHS teaching contemporary circus through curriculum in the junior and senior Drama work programs as well as running a circus skills self-development and youth engagement program for students at risk.