Abstract
Greater emphasis on integrative learning in higher education has led to widespread adoption of the First-Year Experience (FYE), an interdisciplinary course usually centered on a contemporary theme, designed to introduce students to difficult texts, challenging assignments, campus events, and community service. This essay offers ways to incorporate theatre as an integral part of a team-taught FYE: how to use plays, performance, theatre games, and improvisation to engage students, encourage creativity, and develop critical thinking. The wide range of subjects in dramatic literature not only complements content from other fields, but serves the transdisciplinary function of connecting relevant learning across disciplines and to the real world. Learning thus transcends the confines of the subject areas to involve students in contemporary social, scientific, or political issues.
Keywords
- First-year Experience (FYE)
- Integrated Learning
- Dramatic Literature
- People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals (PETA)
- Bertolt
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Most of the activities discussed are of my own invention; a few, as noted, are borrowed from other sources, or are variations on traditional games and improvisation techniques. These exercises also work well in introductory courses in theatre or dramatic literature.
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In his introduction to Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Howard Gardner suggests that students learn and retain more when teachers use a range of instructional modalities that appeal to the diverse forms of perception and mental processing that exist in every classroom. His desire for fairer ways to measure intelligence, as well as his goal to integrate the arts into traditional core subjects, led to his theory of multiple intelligences.
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Check early with nearby theatres about their seasons, and work to develop a relationship with them that can translate into ticket discounts, educational materials, talkbacks, and special performances.
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Unless otherwise noted, this anonymous comment and others appeared in my formal Class Climate evaluations; additional comments come from in-class remarks or informal hand-written responses about theatre-related content.
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We used tracks one and two from Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill, released by A & M Records in 1985.
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Before we launched a unit on imperialism and a discussion of Marguerite Duras’ India Song, we analyzed “Mad Dogs and Englishmen,” from Noël Coward’s Words and Music (1932). To use a popular song like this—set in the same period as the play, yet connected thematically—helps students think synthetically, to put contrasting cultural artifacts in relationship by considering the big picture of Western imperialism.
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A fun and useful opener is “Columbian Hypnosis,” Boal’s embodiment of power relationships in an unjust society (63). Students take turns being the “hypnotist,” facing their partner and controlling them just through the movement of their hand. Boal’s games reflect social relationships, and can be adapted to almost any contemporary issue.
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A six-part video of Anna Deavere Smith’s Fires in the Mirror is available on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=anna+deavere+smith+fires+in+the+mirror.
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Require students to present a description of the assignment to their subjects and ask permission to record, explaining how the material will be used. In preparation for the interview, have students work in pairs, crafting a series of questions and sharing them with the class.
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Connelly, S. (2018). Theatre and the First-Year Experience: Activities for Transdisciplinary Teaching. In: Fliotsos, A., Medford, G. (eds) New Directions in Teaching Theatre Arts. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89767-7_8
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