Drama is an exceedingly diverse art form that requires skills such as delivery, posture, evaluation and literacy. Similarly, the drama lessons can be adjusted in infinite ways to suit the group from the absolute beginner to the advanced. Some students may have “spiky profiles” meaning that they have advanced abilities in evaluating a play, but require development in projecting lines. For this reason, an initial assessment is vital in ascertaining the level of the drama group so that the teacher may formulate realistic objectives for the drama lessons.
Aims, Outcomes and Objectives
Aims/outcomes and objectives mean different things. Before writing lesson plans, the following definitions must be kept in mind:
- Lesson aims and outcomes are similar in that they are general statements of what the teacher hopes the students will learn by the end of the module. A projection.
- Lesson Objectives are concrete and measurable in that the student will be able to evidence what they have learned by the end of the lesson. For example, “to recite the first lines of Shakespeare’s Macbeth,” or “to write an evaluation on the set-up of Romeo and Juliet.” The lesson objective, as opposed to the aim/outcome is the focus of this article.
Bloom’s Taxonomy and Classifications of Thinking
Benjamin Bloom (1961) developed classification of cognitive thinking. This is expressed as a pyramid consisting of six stages of development. This pyramid of learning is known as “Taxonomy.” The lower level of cognitive thinking must be met before the next. The six stages are:
- Recall
- Comprehension
- Application
- Analysis
- Synthesis
- Evaluation
The verbs employed when wording aims and objectives must reflect the level of the drama group.
Formulating Lesson Plan Objectives for Acting
Using phrases such as “to write an evaluation of Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons,” [Heinneman New Edition, 1996] for a class of beginners is likely to create learning barriers for the students. Examples of how to write objectives to suit the beginner through to an advanced drama group on the aspect of acting, might be as follows:
- To recite a given line for a play
- To write in a paragraph what the line means
- To perform the line in context and in the fashion it is intended
- To analyse via discussion the wording of the line and its intention
- To rewrite the line using snippets from magazines and newspapers as inspiration
- To evaluate via a ten minute presentation the line for its strengths, weaknesses and how it might be improved
Formulating Objectives for Lessons When Teaching Drama Classes
Writing objectives at a level to suit the drama class will enhance the skills required. An initial assessment is vital before formulating lesson plans and schemes of work. Using Bloom’s Taxonomy as a guide will lead to realistic objectives when formulating lesson plans and increase the likelihood of progression for the students in drama.
Rachel Shirley - I have written and illustrated several art instruction books entitled Oil Paintings from your Garden and Oil Paintings from the Landscape ...
