Signs of Change

by Lazarus, Joan

• ISBN13: 9781841506296
• ISBN10: 184150629X
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-09-15
• Publisher: Intellect L & D E F A E

Summary

There is no one-size-fits-all way to keep pace with the changes affecting high school students and those who educate them. That's why Joan Lazarus has gathered here the insights of hundreds of secondary school theater teachers and teaching artists on how they have responded to the shifting demands of theater education in today's schools. She paints a portrait of active, dynamic professionals who build vibrant programs and confront challenges in a variety of ways-from inclusive, interactive lessons to comprehensive programs that address the impact of poverty, race, gender, and spirituality on students' lives. In the process, she shows how real teachers bring about real change. An accessible and up-to-date guide to best practices in theater education, this expanded and revised edition encompasses new hands-on activities-drawn from the author's in-depth interviews and research.

Author Biography

Joan Lazarus is a professor and heads the theatre education program at The University of Texas at Austin. Honored nationally for her work, Joan has served the field as President of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, Director of the Drama Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Director of the National Conference of Youth Theatre Directors. In 2012 she was awarded the Campton Bell Lifetime Achievement Award.

Table of Contents

Foreword to the Revised and Amplified Edition	p. 13
Foreword to the First Edition	p. 15
Acknowledgements	p. 17
Introduction: A Yearning for Change	p. 21
Signs of Change and the Need for Change	p. 23
Change	p. 26
Change and Education	p. 27
A Different Future for Theatre Education?	p. 29
Why Change Now?	p. 31
Best Practice	p. 33
Best Practice in Theatre Education	p. 35
So What's New?	p. 37
New Directions	p. 38
Clarifying Terms	p. 39
The Pioneer's Journey	p. 40
Voices from the Field - What Does Best Practice Look Like? - Various	p. 41
A Closer Look - Best Practice in Action - Mandy Whitlock:	p. 42
Ideas for Further Reflection	p. 46
Selected Resources	p. 50
Notes	p. 51
Learner-Centered Practice	p. 53
Learner-Centered Practice in a Theatre Program	p. 56
Teacher-Student Relationships	p. 59
Participation in a Learner-Centered Program	p. 59
Dialogue, Decision Making, and Reflection	p. 61
Organization and Classroom Management in a Learner-Centered Environment	p. 63
Drama and Learner-Centered Practice	p. 67
Differentiating Instruction in a Learner-Centered Theatre Program	p. 68
Learner-Centered Practice in Productions	p. 70
Balancing Art and Education	p. 73
Directing Young Performers Versus Adult Performers	p. 74
Process-Centered and Product-Centered Intersections	p. 75
Artistic Standards in a Learner-Centered Program	p. 80
Critical Response to Student Work	p. 81
Intersections Between Classroom Work and Productions	p. 82
Devising and Producing Student Works	p. 84
Time Investment	p. 87
Voices from the Field - Learner-Centered Practices	p. 89
Embracing Digital Media in a Learner-Centered Program	p. 89
Shared Decision Making	p. 92
Asking Questions Is an Awful Lot Easier	p. 94
When Surprising Things Happen	p. 96
We Do Not Produce High School Theatre	p. 97
A Closer Look - Learner-Centered Classes and Productions	p. 98
Director or Dictator?	p. 98
A Place for Everyone	p. 100
Making Connections Is Not Always Easy	p. 103
Examples of Learner-Centered Lessons and Rehearsal Ideas	p. 105
The Spot	p. 105
Moment Analysis - A Learner-Centered Approach to Directing	p. 106
Ideas for Further Reflection	p. 115
Selected Resources	p. 116
Notes	p. 116
Socially Responsible Practice	p. 119
What Is Socially Responsible Theatre Education?	p. 122
A Pattern of Awareness and Action	p. 123
Self-Reflection and Socially Responsible Practice	p. 123
Whose Program Is This? Theatre and Individual Differences	p. 126
Theatre, Poverty, and Social Class	p. 127
Theatre, Ability, and Disability	p. 130
Theatre, Race, and Privilege	p. 132
Theatre, Language, and Culture	p. 136
Theatre and English Language Learners	p. 140
Theatre and Gender	p. 141
Theatre and Sexual Orientation	p. 145
Theatre, Religion, and Spirituality	p. 148
Theatre and Age Appropriate Practice	p. 153
Making Connections to Students' Lived Experiences	p. 155
Building a Safe Learning Community	p. 157
A Culture of Caring	p. 161
Building Relationships within the Program	p. 164
Socially Responsible Interactions with Students	p. 166
Theatre as a Catalyst for Dialogue: Connections to the Community Outside of the School	p. 168
Choosing Socially Responsible Material to Teach and Produce	p. 170
Finding Time to Look for Scripts	p. 173
Challenges to Socially Responsible Theatre Practice	p. 174
At What Cost? Taking Care of Yourself as Best Practice	p. 175
Voices from the Field - Socially Responsible Practices	p. 178
Strangers in a Strange Land	p. 178
Recognizing Spirituality in a High School Theatre Program	p. 181
Theatre in the Middle: Big Enough for Everyone	p. 184
Theatre Teachers as Teacher Leaders	p. 187
A Parent's Perspective	p. 189
A Closer Look - Socially Responsible Classes and Productions	p. 190
No Limits	p. 190
Reaching the "Unreachable"	p. 192
Breaking the Cycle for "Unreachable" Students	p. 194
Establishing a Socially Responsible Classroom	p. 196
Socially Engaged Practice	p. 199
Examples of Socially Responsible Lessons and Productions	p. 202
Conflict with Authority	p. 202
Drama with English Language Learners	p. 204
Devising Socially Engaged Performances	p. 207
Ideas for Further Reflection	p. 215
Selected Resources	p. 217
Notes	p. 218
Comprehensive Theatre Education	p. 219
Discipline-Based Theatre Education: A Framework for Learning	p. 224
Interdisciplinary Arts Education	p. 231
Arts Integration	p. 234
Successfully Collaborating with Colleagues	p. 238
An Example of Comprehensive Theatre Education	p. 240
Drama-Based Interdisciplinary Unit	p. 240
Ideas for Further Reflection	p. 260
Selected Resources	p. 262
Notes	p. 262
Theatre Education Outside the Box	p. 265
Community Based Theatre Education	p. 268
Albany Park Theatre Project	p. 269
People's Light and Theatre	p. 270
Fulton Youtheatre	p. 271
Flint Youth Theatre	p. 274
Creative Arts Team	p. 278
Imagination Stage	p. 280
Teaching Artists and Artists in Residence	p. 281
Voices from the Field - Community Based Theatre Education	p. 282
Creative Spaces: Arts Integration with a Social Justice Focus	p. 282
A Teaching Artist's Reflections	p. 286
An Example of Theatre Education Outside the Box	p. 288
Empowering Ophelia	p. 288
Ideas for Further Reflection	p. 292
Selected Resources	p. 292
Note	p. 293
Breaking the Mold: Best Practice in Theatre Teacher Education	p. 295
Rethinking Theatre Teacher Education: What Could Be	p. 298
New Directions in Theatre Teacher Education	p. 300
The Relationship Between Lifelong Learning and Best Practice	p. 303
Challenges to Change in Theatre Teacher Education	p. 304
Voices from the Field - New Directions in Theatre Teacher Education	p. 306
The Heart of a Teacher	p. 306
Methods for Teaching Theatre: Preparation through Collaborative Partnerships	p. 308
Breaking the Cycle in Teacher Education	p. 311
Ideas for Further Reflection	p. 312
Selected Resources	p. 312
Note	p. 313
On the Frontier of Change: Visions for the Field	p. 315
A Wider View of Change	p. 318
Parker Palmer	p. 318
Ben Cameron	p. 319
Maxine Greene	p. 321
David O'Fallon	p. 322
Voices from the Field	p. 323
Teachers, Change Makers, and Pioneers on the Verge of Change	p. 323
Works Cited	p. 329
Index	p. 341
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