Drama education and improvisation as a resource of teacher student's creativity

Abstract

Problem Statement: 1) How should we prepare teachers to teach creatively? 2) Can drama and improvisation develop the interaction skills of teacher students in teacher education? Purpose of Study: One of the most difficult skills for teachers to acquire is how to move away from structured routines and lead disciplined improvisation in education where the students partially guide the direction of the class. Teacher students need routines, but they also need to learn how to flexibly apply them. According to our hypothesis, drama and improvisation can stimulate creativity and enjoyment in educational processes - both for teachers and students. Both drama work and improvisational exercises can be effective in increasing creativity. Drama exercises can often be artificial and synthetic (fictional) but even as such they are pieces of our cultural reality. Research Methods: This article is based on the examination of different reviews from drama education, philosophy of education. We have examined different reviews from drama education, philosophy of education. We have used drama and improvisation as teaching methods in teacher education. Findings: The preliminary studies show, that mastering the ability to lead interactive and creative teaching is a difficult challenge for teacher students even though it is part of their teacher education. The recurring tension between scripted teaching and creative teaching is a manifestation of deeper, competing conceptions of teaching: in teacher education programmes we have noticed that teacher students find it difficult to move away from scripted teaching. Conclusions: According to our research good teaching is based on confidence, rich interaction and creative passion, which can be taught through drama and improvisational exercises such as verbal spontaneity games, role playing, and physical movement. Drama work and improvisational exercises also train our interaction skills. Training can be done through activities that develop teaching skills, new ideas and thoughts about teaching and deeper interaction skills and that are pleasureable. By training our interaction skills we have new experiences using our sense organs. These can reshape our mental pictures and representations of reality - often in a creative way.

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