This article considers how new materialist, Indigenous and posthuman feminist theories might be applied to drama pedagogy and research to empower young people to play "within" the trouble of colonial legacies and heightened climate crises. It references an Australian school project that used Heathcote's Rolling Role system of teaching…

Socio-dramatic play is an everyday occurrence in early childhood education as children create narratives together in shared imagined worlds. The teacher's role in this type of play is less clear and this paper draws on a study using Lindqvist's "playworlds" approach to gain insight into how teachers participate in children's play. In…

There is a persistent view that reading Shakespeare's writings is automatically 'good' for student learning, and its persistence can be traced back to the beginnings of the modern education system as a tool of British imperialism. This article argues that his plays challenge audiences and readers in ways that can represent barriers to learning. In…

This paper provides a descriptive historical analysis of the planning and writing of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts which occurred from 2009 to 2013. This process involved extensive consultation across a range of stakeholders, including curriculum research, background reading and analysis that preceded the Australian Curriculum, Assessment…

Educators around the world are increasingly considering and seeking ways to challenge their role in the colonial project. Some have turned to embodied pedagogies as a way to encourage holistic, relationships-based learning in academies which traditionally prioritise cognitive, objective knowing. This review analyses 27 studies, published between…

A problem in teacher education is how to make learning about inclusive education meaningful so that it is more than just another idea for pre-service teachers to study and has deep and lasting effects on their practice as educators. One innovative approach developed at Deakin University is the provision of the Teaching for Diversity Workshop,…

What is the impact on student learning when Education is taught through the Arts in a diploma level bridging course? This paper describes and analyses the experiences of 350 students when the expectation of a first-semester, first-year unit in an Education course is to devise and perform an ethnodrama -- a drama based on the lives of the students…

Drama has the potential to enrich and enliven established approaches to literacy learning, engaging students and expanding their possibilities for meaning-making. Drama-rich pedagogy is well-established as an effective tool in supporting language and literacy development. However, research to date has not explored the possibilities of using drama…

Expectations for increased conceptual outcomes in the early childhood education sector have foregrounded a need for more evidenced-based practice in support of children's play. One such avenue for researching models of play practices that support cognitive outcomes is to study the implementation of Playworlds. Grounded in cultural-historical…

Inclusive practice in education is supported by a compelling body of research (Cologon, 2019; Graham, 2020; Raphael et al., 2019) policy recommendations (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations [DEEWR], 2009; Te Tahuhu o Te Matauranga--Ministry of Education, 2017(Commonwealth of Australia. (2003)) and mandated by legislation…

This paper reports on a major study which examined how middle-primary teachers (of students aged 8-10) in Australia used drama-rich pedagogy in their literacy programs to support the development of academic language proficiency, a critical element of ongoing student progress in literacy beyond the early years. Despite its proven status as a…

How do the affective attributes that are specific to intermedial, interactive and located mediums of digitally-enabled performance materialise embodied, sensual and emotional involvements and reconfigure reality through new forms of intimacy, empathy and immediacy? This question is considered through a posthumanist account of performativity to…

The use of drama pedagogies in language education has fast become internationally recognised for its unique, synthesised approach to language learning. For this reason, the field has experienced large-scale growth, as evidenced by drama and non-drama specialists bringing applied and educational linguistics and drama together. This paper aims to…

Actors create theatre with and for with children in diverse theatrical, educational and therapeutic contexts but little is known about the 'artistry' of their practice. This paper analyses a theatrical encounter between a child and an actor and identifies four key qualities of 'pedagogically tactful' (van Manen 2016) actor practice: listening,…

The challenge of learning to be a teacher in a pandemic stymied world calls for focus and access to pedagogies of critical empathy to ensure the wellbeing of students is paramount in classrooms K to 12. Additional to facilitating the development of skills and competencies in curriculum disciplines, teachers are required to meet the emotional and…