Drama

The OAKS Partnership School Direct Drama course attracts trainee teachers from a wide variety of backgrounds. You may be a recent graduate in drama or you may have worked in a range of occupations prior to commencing the course which will have provided you with an opportunity to develop your subject knowledge and wider experience of education and work. Whatever your background, you will have a love of drama and theatre studies and an enthusiasm for performance and a passion for conveying this to students.

Drama it is a multifaceted subject, that gives students a voice and can unlock an individual’s creativity and drive, allowing considerable scope for the autonomy and personal qualities of the individual teacher. These factors are recognised in the course which encourages you to question the nature of the subject, to explore priorities and to develop constructive means for meeting the needs and interests of your students. You will consider the results of recent and relevant research and reflect upon tried and tested teaching and learning strategies and programmes but, as importantly, you will be encouraged to develop your own ideas and strategies.

All aspects of the subject are addressed during the course, including meeting the requirements of the national curriculum and national initiatives such as Assessment for Learning (AfL). With focused study of drama at post-16 you will not only be equipped to teach pupils and students in the 11–16 age range but you will also have opportunities to gain experience of teaching at the 16–19 level.

Through practical workshops and seminars, the course considers meaningful contexts for the teaching of drama, including drama as a learning medium and theatre, ‘teacher in role’, reading a wide range of literature, watching and developing a variety of performance, media and moving image texts, performing for a variety of styles and audiences.

Key models for the teaching of drama are analysed and different styles of teaching are explored. You will be encouraged to read widely and to employ information and communication technology (ICT), theatre technology and audio-visual aids such as electronic whiteboards in the classroom.

While the course aims to help you meet the standards which qualify you to teach, it also has wider horizons which encompass the induction (newly qualified teacher) year and the early years of teaching.

To sum up, the course aims to help you become a competent, professional and, above all, creative practitioner, capable of developing the imaginations and abilities of the young people with whom you have the privilege of working.