Drama and Theatre with Children ─ International Perspectives

Drama as a process-centred form is a popular and valued methodology used to develop thinking and learning in children, while theatre provides a greater focus on the element of performance. In recent years, offering drama and theatre as a shared experience is increasingly used to engage children and to facilitate learning in a drama classroom. Using drama and theatre as a central component with children, this book is an amalgamation of theory, research and practice from across the globe offering insights into differing educational contexts.

Chapters provide an exploration of the methodologies and techniques used to improve drama in the curriculum, and highlight the beneficial impact drama has in a variety of classrooms, enriching learning and communication. Contributions from seventeen authors, ranging from teachers in schools or univiersities, to researchers and drama practicitioners, examine a variety of perspectives related to drama and children in an attempt to bridge gaps and move ahead collectively as educators, practitioners and researchers in drama and theatre. Divided into two sections, Section 1 reflects on the use of drama in its varied forms with children, while Section 2 focuses on projects and experiments with children using theatre in order to draw links between drama, theatre and pedagogy.

Drama and Theatre with Children will be key reading for researchers, academics and postgraduate students in the fields of drama education, theatre education, curriculum studies and child development. The book will also be of interest to drama practitioners, school teachers and teacher training leaders.

Charru Sharma is a Commonwealth Academic Staff Fellow at the University of Reading, UK, a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow at the Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania, USA, and an Associate Professor in Child Development at the University of Delhi, India.