ERIC EJ976485: Bringing Language to Life: Quest's TheatreBridge Enhances Learning in Class

2012·0.45 MB·English

by  ERIC

ODYSSEY SPRING 2012 final for PDF_ODYSSEY SPRING 2004** 4/22/12 2:38 PM Page 58
BriNgiNg LANguAgE TO LiFE
quest’s
theatrebridge
Tim McCartyis the
founder and artistic
director of Quest: arts for
enhances learning in class
everyone—Quest Visual
Theatre. For 21 years,
McCarty worked in a
variety of positions at the
By Tim McCarty and Linda Delk
Laurent Clerc National
Deaf Education’s Model
Secondary School for the
Deaf, including eight years
as the artistic director for
the school’s internationally In math, students and teachers toss tennis balls. In science, students become
acclaimed Performing Arts rain, hail, sleet, and snow. In language arts, students maneuver their bodies
Program. In 1993,
into related positions and hold into a frieze they call “tableau.” The
McCarty was honored as a
students and teachers are part of TheatreBridge, a four-year model
White House Presidential
Scholar Outstanding demonstration and dissemination program
Teacher. His students have lead by Quest Visual Theatre, a nonprofit
won numerous national
company based in Lanham, Maryland.
acting and playwriting
Activities from TheatreBridge feel like play,
competitions. McCarty’s
work has carried him to but whether the students are in math,
schools, theatres, festivals, science, or language arts, the learning from
and conventions across the
TheatreBridge is deeply serious.
United States and
throughout the world. He
TheatreBridge builds upon the growing body of
is the author of nine plays
research that supports integrating arts and learning in
and has regularly written
the classroom. Catterall, Chapleau, and Iwanaga’s large
articles and columns about
scale landmark analysis of the National Educational
the arts and arts education
Longitudinal Survey (NELS ‘88) found “positive
for nationally and
academic developments for children engaged in the arts.” Further they noted “comparative
internationally distributed
gains for arts-involved youngsters generally become more pronounced over time”
publications.
(Catterall, Chapleau, & Iwanaga, 1999, p. 2).
Podlozny’s (2000) meta-analysis of research on the use of classroom drama and verbal
skills revealed a positive relationship between the use of drama to act out stories and scores
on written tests of story comprehension. Podlozny concluded: “[When students] are
actively engaging in the texts they are reading, becoming more physically involved in the
process of deciphering meaning from texts, … it appears that this engagement transfers to
some degree to general reading ability” (p. 254).
Page’s (2002) study of arts integration, considered an anchor in the research on use of
Photos courtesy of Susan Maginnis
58 ODYSSEY 2012
ODYSSEY SPRING 2012 final for PDF_ODYSSEY SPRING 2004** 4/22/12 2:38 PM Page 59
quest’s
theatrebridge
Linda Delk, PhD, is
an independent program
evaluation consultant
enhances learning in class
and the program
Left: A father and
evaluator for the Quest
daughter involved in
TheatreBridge project.
the Deaf Role Model 
She holds a bachelor’s
Program learn how to
degree in deaf education
sign I love you.
from Pennsylvania State
University, a master’s
Far left: A mother
degree in education of
learns the sign family
the physically
from a deaf role model.
handicapped from
Southern Connecticut
State College, and a
doctorate in deafness
rehabilitation from New
York University. With
over 40 years of
experience in deaf
education, program
development, teacher
training and professional
drama for academic instruction, concluded that of how we move and what we see). Performers development, and
“children are more engaged during dramatizations communicate information, relationships, and research, Delk was a
than when just listening,…and [that] several key emotions primarily through movement, such as teacher of young
ingredients of story understanding are better traditional mime, various forms of dance, multiply disabled deaf
conveyed through drama: main idea, character puppetry, mask, sign language, gesture, video, or children in both
identification, and character motivation. These are the circus arts. Visual theatre is not necessarily residential and
essential elements of comprehension” (Deasy, silent. It may contain spoken words, music, or mainstream programs.
2002, p. 34). Dwyer (2011) affirms this, finding: other sounds. Through engagement in visual She led the program
“[Recent studies] have also demonstrated theatre, students bring their own ideas and monitoring and
particular benefits from arts integration for interpretations to a text, idea, or theme. evaluation team at the
economically disadvantaged students and English By applying visual theatre modalities and Laurent Clerc National
learners in the form of reading achievement strategies, TheatreBridge supports visually and Deaf Education Center
gains—not surprising given the similarities kinesthetically based instruction that is culturally at Gallaudet University
between effective language instruction techniques appropriate for deaf and hard of hearing students. from 1982 to 2010.
and visual arts and theatre skills” (p. 19). It creates a learning environment that is more
fully accessible to deaf students, consequently The authors welcome
Principles, Assumptions, and laying a foundation for success in school. Visual questions and comments
Effective Teaching theatre allows students with limited language about this article at
TheatreBridge applies the principles and skills to develop theatre and communication skills [email protected]. and
strategies of visual theatre to classroom without the barrier that language often presents. [email protected],
instruction. The essential meaning of visual In non-theatre classrooms, teachers can use visual respectively.
theatre transpires through what theatre lovers theatre process—and the visual vernacular:
refer to as “a visual vernacular,” (i.e., the language
2012 ODYSSEY 59
ODYSSEY SPRING 2012 final for PDF_ODYSSEY SPRING 2004** 4/22/12 2:38 PM Page 60
•To enhance learning readiness lifelong learning, and
individual well-being
•To visually interpret ideas
summarized research on
and themes that the
the benefits of arts
students are studying
education. The paper
•To allow students to states that young
bring their own ideas children who
and interpretations to a participated in arts-
text, idea, or theme integrated preschool
•To visually interpret grew more
written English that the developmentally in
students are studying multiple domains,
including social
•To develop a bridge
relations, creativity,
between visual
movement, language,
understanding and
and literacy, than did
comprehension of English text
children in programs
without an arts focus (Hanna,
Expression, Collaboration,
Patterson, Rollins, & Sherman,
Feedback—and Handling
2011, p. 8). Unlike text-based theatre
Social Relationships
where performers work from a given
A recent white paper on framing a
script, visual theatre is collaborative,
national research agenda for the arts,
Above: Students participate in TheatreBridge activities. open-ended, and exploratory. The
Quest and TheatreBridge—A Look at the Program
TheatreBridge’s goals are to strengthen teachers’ standards-based Participants meet every six weeks to review their progress and
arts instruction, increase opportunities for deaf and hard of meet twice a year for half-day trainings in visual theatre. In
hearing students to engage in arts-integrated instruction and addition to improving instruction, this process supports the
other visual theatre activities, and improve the academic skills of development of classroom-tested, high quality, standards-based
students, particularly in literacy. lesson plans that are shared with other teachers through Quest’s
Two key assumptions underlying TheatreBridge are that website.
standards-based theatre arts instruction engages students more Elementary students attend a one-week day camp at their
directly in learning theatre process and production skills and that school. Each year the camp has a different theme. Last year,
use of visual theatre strategies in instruction enhances literacy students read stories about pirates in a room chock full of pirate
learning. TheatreBridge begins with engaging teacher interest in sets and props. The students explored vocabulary and narrative,
arts-integrated instruction, providing teachers with the created scenes from a pirate storybook, and produced a pirate-
professional development and ongoing assistance to effectively themed movie. The instructors, educators from the Maryland
integrate visual strategies into their instruction. School for the Deaf (MSD), Columbia campus, guided the
TheatreBridge’s Teacher/Artist Institute is a one-week training students in creating a “pirate culture,” complete with their own
for teachers, classroom aides, and teaching artists. Participants are Constitution for governing group behavior and expectations. The
provided with training in visual theatre and arts integration. They teachers engaged students in exercises to learn use of movement
work in teams to develop mini lesson plans that they teach to and physical expression, focus, group cooperation,
their peers at their home institutions. In addition to developing characterization, and imagination. These skills were then applied
arts-integrated lesson plans based on state standards, to enacting a story from a book they had read about good and bad
TheatreBridge teachers learn to use a rubric to assess, monitor, and pirates. The emphasis was on comprehension of the narrative and
target students’ developing theatre skills. using it as the stimulus for creating visual theatre. The instructors
The staff of Quest serves as mentors throughout the school year also used a story about pirates to work with the students to create
for participants. Mentors and teachers brainstorm ideas for visual a movie using a model pirate ship and small pirate figures. The
theatre integration strategies. The mentors also serve as a students used a digital camera to arrange and photograph the tiny
sounding board for the teachers and master teach upon request. pirate figures and model ship, frame by frame in a storyboard,
60 ODYSSEY 2012
ODYSSEY SPRING 2012 final for PDF_ODYSSEY SPRING 2004** 4/22/12 2:38 PM Page 61
actor’s body becomes the primary means actively observe and then provide Enhancing Understanding—
of communication with the audience. In concrete and constructive feedback. A Strategy of Tableau
visual theatre, composing a piece starts Students receiving the feedback may Creating “tableaus,” that is having
with a context and the question, “What only listen and not comment on their students essentially form positions in
if…?” Students explore this question peers’ remarks. This process encourages which their bodies illustrate an idea or
using problem solving and creative the students to pay careful attention. If event drawn from a text, is one of the
processes executed through the medium the students respond during feedback, activities that the Maryland School for
of physical expression. The physical they are preparing their defense while the Deaf (MSD) teachers and students
interpretation of a story or text requires the critique is happening and, therefore, have effectively incorporated into their
students to analyze the printed English, they are not fully listening or, if the classes. Tableaus, emphasizing position,
determine its important points, and feedback is through signs or lipreading, motion, expression, and collaboration
then through the use of their bodies they are not fully observing. Remaining have been woven into a myriad of lesson
share their visual interpretation with attentive during the feedback process plans in various subjects that form
their peers. This—translation, physical helps students accept criticism. After MSD’s core curriculum. For example, in
interpretation, performance—requires receiving the feedback, the performing a second grade MSD science class,
clarity, precision, commitment, students may choose to ignore it or students learn about nature’s life cycles
appropriate timing, and focus. incorporate it into their presentations and specifically study the life cycle of a
Visual theatre composition also during their next draft. TheatreBridge frog. Using toys, puppets, and
depends on active listening and views self-evaluation and peer critique as flashcards, the teacher introduces the
observing, clear communication, and essential to developing the students’ students to vocabulary, such as frog,
appropriate responding. Students collaborative skills. This collaborative tadpole, and eggs. The students and
watching a visual interpretation approach is also a vital part of the teacher each have an opportunity to
presented by their classmates must students’ overall learning process. manipulate the objects and discuss what
portraying scenes from the story. The week concluded with a TheatreBridge provides funding for in-school and off-site
showcase in which the students presented their pirate play and performances and experiences that are culturally appropriate for
showed their completed movie to family and school staff and accessible to deaf and hard of hearing students and their
members. families. The engagements provide parents with a greater
Middle school students attend a two-week residential institute understanding of the connection between visual theatre and their
held at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. “All About children’s academic and social growth. This year and in 2014
Me” was last year’s institute theme. Students created their own Quest will present QuestFest, a two-week international visual
“self” dance based on visual interpretations of things that were theatre festival produced in partnership with Gallaudet
important to them. The students presented a showcase University, Joe’s Movement Emporium, the Baltimore Theatre
performance for their families and other Gallaudet summer Project, and Creative Alliance. QuestFest involves students,
program students. teachers, parents, and artists in performances, residencies, and
Teachers and administrators repeatedly noted that those workshops.
students who participated in TheatreBridge’s summer programs TheatreBridge is a partnership between Quest, MSD, and
showed a greater degree of confidence, risk taking, and skill in Gallaudet University. The United States Department of
communication than those students who did not attend the Education’s Arts in Education program provides most of its
program. They also noted that their students were able to focus funding. In the spring, Thomas Claggett Elementary School, a
more in class. mainstream program in Prince George’s County, Maryland, will
TheatreBridge extends engagement in theatre arts activities join the TheatreBridge team.
beyond the classroom. Students have increased opportunities to If you would like more information about TheatreBridge,
engage in after-school theatre arts and out-of-school family contact Quest at [email protected]. If you would like more
engagements in the arts. Increased engagement, both in and out of information about arts integration and research focusing on arts
school, in arts-related activities has positive effects on students’ education, an excellent resource is the website for the Arts
communication, social interaction, self-confidence, and motivation Education Partnership (www.aep-arts.org). The site includes a
to learn, contributing to increased academic achievement number of publications, and most are available in free,
(Burnaford, Brown, Doherty, & McLaughlin, 2007, p. 102). downloadable formats.
2012 ODYSSEY 61
ODYSSEY SPRING 2012 final for PDF_ODYSSEY SPRING 2004** 4/22/12 2:38 PM Page 62
References
Burnaford, G., Brown, S., Doherty, J., & McLaughlin, H. J. (2007, April). Arts
they know about each vocabulary word.
integration frameworks, research & practice: A literature review. Washington, DC: Arts
Then the class moves to a different
Education Partnership.
section of the room where the teacher
shows a brief animated film of the frog’s Catterall, J. S., Chapleau, R., & Iwanaga, J. (1999). Involvement in the arts and
life cycle. The students discuss the film, human development: General involvement and intensive involvement in music and
and the teacher assists the students in theater arts. In E. B. Fiske (Ed.), Champions of change: The impact of the arts on learning.
using the vocabulary they have just Washington, DC: The Arts Education Partnership and The President’s Committee
learned. Finally, the teacher projects a on the Arts and the Humanities.
series of pictures depicting the frog’s life
Deasy, R. J. (Ed.). (2002). Critical links: Learning in the arts and student academic and
cycle, and the students create a tableau
social development. Washington, DC: Arts Education Partnership.
for each picture.
The teacher takes a photo of each Dwyer, M. C. (2011). Reinvesting in arts education: Winning America’s future through
tableau, reflecting the students’ creative schools. Washington, DC: President’s Committee on the Arts and the
interpretation of each picture. The Humanities.
teachers and students will use these
Hanna, G., Patterson, M., Rollins, J., & Sherman, A. (2011, November). The arts
photos in a number of ways throughout
and human development: Framing a national research agenda for the arts, lifelong learning,
the unit. Sometimes the teacher projects
and individual well-being. A white paper based on “The Arts and Human
the picture and the students explain what
Development: Learning across the Lifespan,” a convening of the National
is happening. Sometimes the teacher and
Endowment of the Arts and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
students create sentences to caption their
Washington, DC: National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Department of
photos. This important process enables
Health and Human Services, March 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2012, from
the students to develop a deeper
www.nea.gov/research/TaskForce/Arts-and-Human-Development.pdf
understanding of the information about a
frog’s life cycle because of the active way
Page, A. (2002). Children’s story comprehension as a result of storytelling and story
learning takes place.
dramatization: A study of the child as spectator and as participant (doctoral
Teachers have been pleased with the
dissertation, 1983, University of Massachusetts, University Microfilms
result. “My students love doing the
International). In R. J. Deasy (Ed.), Critical links: Learning in the arts and student
theatre activities,” said MSD elementary
academic and social development. Washington, DC: Arts Education Partnership.
school teacher Shannon Negussie.
“Linking theatre games to the curriculum Podlozny, A. (2000, Autumn-Winter). Strengthening verbal skills through the use
helps the students learn and retain of classroom drama: A clear link. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 34(3/4), 239-275.
information.”
“TheatreBridge has given me a
renewed enthusiasm for teaching,” agreed topic’s central idea and then translate it requires these higher level skills.
middle school language arts teacher into a tableau or a series of tableaus. As Other teachers have used tableaus to
Susan Maginnis. “I come to school every students continue to work on the tableau depict such things as George Washington
day full of ideas for using the theatre technique, they develop a greater sense of crossing the Delaware River, types of
games to support my lesson plans. I’m their entire body, and they are able to weather, addition, and subtraction. One
also using the games to develop my create clearly defined images with their class created a storybook of Thanksgiving
students’ communication and bodies. An actor, while moving on stage, that included tableaus that the students
interpersonal skills.” By the end of the has a sense of what he or she looks like created showing traditional
program, TheatreBridge will provide from an audience’s point of view. A good Thanksgiving scenes. Teachers can share
training to nearly all of MSD’s multi-person tableau has either a central such storybooks with parents by posting
instructional staff. focal point or a central theme. When the story online, making a CD, or
Tableaus can be used to create images audiences look at tableaus, they should be printing out the story and binding it.
found in literature, science, social studies, able to decipher—or read—the image. Tableaus are just one of the effective
and other subjects. They freeze the action The precision of the images requires a strategies embraced by teachers who use
and allow the student and the viewer to commitment to the goal. For both visual theatre in their classrooms. All of
look at the detail of what is being theatre and other content areas, student the strategies enable students to develop
communicated. A good tableau requires creators of tableaus require an ability to self-confidence while they improve their
the student to clearly understand what he synthesize that information and to create knowledge of literacy, math, science, or
or she is trying to communicate. The images that connote the topic or goal. any of the core subjects within their
student must synthesize the essence of a Assessment by audience members also curriculum.
62 ODYSSEY 2012