- What needs to change? Why?
- How have you used Drama and Dance to inspire change?
- How have your students been changed by Drama and Dance?
- How is your practice evolving and changing?
Provocations Journal, vol 5. explores these questions, involving submissions from many former CODE Board members!
soliloquy (editor's notes):
Christine Jackson provides an overview of the theme in her final soliloquy as managing editor.
folio (articles and stories):
Dr. Asa Ragnarsdottir and Dr. Peeter Mehisto shine a light on drama and dance on the international stage. We are reminded of the ongoing need for advocacy for our subject areas. Dr. Mehisto provides strong rationale and pivotal messaging to make our case, while Dr. Ragnarsdottir’s story reminds us of the difference one educator can make when fuelled by passion and commitment to the arts. Both Asa and Peeter invite us to think about how policy can support a humanizing arts curriculum.
OISE teacher candidates speak with their instructor, Chrisitne Jackson, about their experiences at the academy, at their practicum placements and in our Intermediate/Senior drama class. The conversation highlights their key moments of learning, their belief in the power of drama, and their desire to inspire their students to be agents of change.
Dr. Abigail Shabtay’s article showcases how drama can be used as a tool to examine children’s rights issues. With an explicit focus on specific articles encoded in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Shabtay models how drama can bring human rights to life. She outlines the role of research and co-creation in the development of the drama piece, connecting to Kushnir’s idea of using drama as a call to both thought and action. In this example, the creators are teacher candidates, but Shabtay makes clear connections to how the process for creation can be adapted for high school students.
Dr. Kari-Lynn Winters provides an overview of an immersive, community-driven project in which young people lead StoryWalks. The children take stories to the street or local park where they become performers, dancers, directors, and changemakers.
Mazen Abbas’ teaching story illustrates how elementary drama and dance can serve as powerful tools for self-expression, identity exploration, and community-building. It is a rare and beautiful window into a Gr. 5 classroom, where drama, dance and music experiences cultivate a culture of care and where students thrive.
Jessie Kennedy convenes a panel of educators for a discussion around the changing landscape of drama in education. Four experienced drama teachers consider how to examine challenging issues and texts in ways that amplify diverse voices, while avoiding appropriation. They take the weight of the responsibility seriously, because they care radically.
Dr. Harrison Campbell and teacher Heather Albers discuss a project they facilitated in a secondary English classroom, using Drama to animate their study of Shakespeare's Othello. They outline the ways in which students made personal connections to the text through embodied, affective learning. Practical strategies and resources are included.
cue2cue (reviews & resources):
Claire Holland reviews the beautiful picture book Berry Song and offers a series of rich drama and literacy activities for exploration in the elementary classroom. Claire models how to use drama to animate an Indigenous story, without transgressing into the territory of appropriation.
Christine Jackson shares three dance picture books which invite young children to communicate ideas and feelings through dance. These resources invite young children to co construct meaning, community and culture. For secondary classrooms, she provides a list of videos featuring dance artists whose work focuses on social change. These resources can be used to build student knowledge and understanding of diverse practices and creative processes. They may also inspire creative projects.
touchstone (teacher, student, artist stories)
Katelyn Campbell, Grade 12 student, shares a reflective journal entry explaining how Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Nights’ Dream resonates with her and how the characters and themes encountered in this play remain relevant to young people today.
Rosamund Small engages in a conversation with Chrisitne Jackson about her dual life as a theatre artist and drama teacher. Her narrative profiles the intricate relationship between the two roles – the ways that writing and performing help her to be a better teacher and how teaching supports her artistic processes. Rosamund speaks to the ways in which deeply personal story often carries resonances for others, creating connection across difference,
Laurel Brown and teacher Joanna Perlus invite us to hear about the impact of dance directly from students themselves. We learn about an annual dance festival showcasing original choreography by students. With Dance Fest, the power of student voice is activated through both their dance creations and their well-articulated messages about their experience. Joanna Perlus, a dance teacher with the Toronto District School Board, describes the dance classroom as a space where students claim their voices, grow in confidence, and develop a sense of belonging. We are invited to hear the students’ first-hand accounts about why dance matters to them.
Michael de Rose shares an honest, heart-searching account of his personal journey from actor to drama teacher. It is an inspirational story of his “eternal loop of process, exploration and self-actualization”. It also documents his evolving pedagogy and how he and his students have come to understand drama as a means of inspiring social change.
Heidi Strauss speaks with Claire Holland about her life as an independent dance artist. She shares contemplative reflections based on a career of creating work that is grounded in a pedagogy of process, relationality,and unexpected outcomes. Claire and Heidi think together about dancing and learning and being.