Lesson 9

TEACHING WITH DRAMATIZED EXPERIENCE

Introduction

-       Dramatic experiences come next to contrived experiences in the Cone. Do these dramatic experiences require us to be dramatic in our entrance into the classroom and in our lesson presentation?

Abstraction

-       Something dramatic is something that is stirring or affecting or moving. A dramatic entrance is something that catches and holds our attention and has an emotional impact. If our teaching is dramatic, our students get attracted, interested and affected. If they are affected and moved by what we taught, we will most likely leave an impact on them. So, why can’t we be dramatic all the time?

Dramatized experiences can range from the formal plays, pageants to less formal tableau, pantomime, puppets and role playing.

·        Plays – depict life, character, or culture or a combination of all three. They offer excellent opportunities to portray vividly important ideas about life.

·        Pageants – usually community dramas that are based on local history, presented by local actors. An example is a historical pageant that traces the growth of a school. Play and pantomime require much time for preparation and so cannot be part of everyday classroom program.

·        Pantomime – is the art of conveying a story through bodily movements only. Its effect on the audience depends on the movements of the actors.

·        Tableau – (a French word means “picture”) is a picture-like scene composed of people against a background. A tableau is often used to celebrate Independence Day, Christmas and United Nations Day.

·        Puppets – unlike regular stage play, it can present ideas with extreme simplicity, without elaborate scenery or costume yet effective. An inanimate object, constructed of wood, cloth, plastic, cardboard, etc.

Types of Puppet

1.    The marionette – are generally fashioned from wood and resemble a human body.

2.    Shadow puppet – similar to the marionette, but less sophisticated. The shadow puppet are generally flat character created from heavy paper or cardboard.

3.    Stick puppet – as simple as a Styrofoam ball head attached to a tick, or a two-dimensional picture attached to a stick.

4.    Hand puppet – most common type of puppet they are relatively simple to create.

5.    Mouth puppet – are distinguished from other puppets in that they have movable mouths, thus allowing the puppets to talk more realistically.

6.    Rod puppet – flat cut out figures tacked to a stick, with one or more movable parts, and operated from below the stage level wire rods or slender stick.

7.    Glove-and-finger puppet – make used of old gloves to which small costumed figure are attached.