Describes changes in philosophy, departmental objectives, departmental title, curriculum, and faculty made by the chair of a speech communications and theater department in a small liberal arts college. (SR)

Demonstrates the ways in which the arts can be used to express ecological concerns and promote responsible environmental stewardship. Focuses on a play and a video produced by elementary school students with the assistance of their teachers and professional artists. (MDM)

Communication activities in participatory development programs include (1) theater for development in Africa; (2) workshops on cultural identity and politics in Colombia; and (3) Project DELSILIFE, improving the quality of life in Manila. (SK)

African-American performing and visual-arts scholars comment on the continuing struggle to bring the work of black artists into the full view of the academy's white majority. Some feel the American art culture has been too slow to accept minority expression. Dance programs appear to be increasing in diversity faster than most other arts…

Describes how a new English teacher invited students to negotiate with him their course of study. Discusses setting the stage for negotiated learning, establishing ownership and building ensemble, clarifying expectations and rehearsing together, planning ahead and assessing the performance, helping students take on additional roles, and allowing…

Investigates what explicit and implicit theories of gender and feminism drive teachers' drama practices. Juxtaposes adults' anecdotal perceptions of gender with young people from preschool through high school in three different contexts: a university drama education classroom, an after-school drama class at a children's theatre, and a youth…

Describes a number of class activities and student projects that the authors have used to teach the language and literature of peace in seventh- and eighth-grade reading and language arts classes, via theme-based units, interdisciplinary projects, and original theatrical student productions that celebrate language and literacy through the arts.…

Describes how performing (of music, drama and other things from elementary school through college) has helped each of the author's three children (three very different people) along their respective paths, helping them to reach their goals and feed their souls. Argues that such programs in the schools are priceless. (SR)

Discusses reading fluency, the role of fluency in reading, and how fluency works. Suggests students' fluency and reading comprehension can be boosted by combining the technique of repeated reading and Readers Theatre--the combination is an effective and viable means of motivating children to read a text. (RS)

Shows how teaching students the basic principles for reading Shakespeare aloud (and approaching Shakespeare from a dramatic production perspective) is a valid and valuable approach for the high school classroom. Shows that the key is to examine the dialogue within the dramatic context of the play and use dialogue and actions to tell the story. (SR)

Describes a teacher in-service class that was planned and implemented to address needs revealed in a case study. Looks specifically at the reflective journey the teachers and the research took together in the staff development course. Notes teachers increased comfort with peer coaching. Presents eight reflections on the inservice course. (SG)

Considers how people and institutions outside the classroom shape the extent to which drama becomes part of the culture of the school and of individual classes. Discusses a case study of how classroom teachers and a school drama specialist negotiate and interpret the evolving status and function of drama as a potentially generative, artistic…

Describes how the young children of the Early Learning Center in the Chelsea (Massachusetts) school district learned about Igor Stravinsky's ballet suite, "The Firebird." Explains that children in three kindergarten classes depicted the ballet's characters in a participatory performance. Highlights some qualitative observations. (CMK)

Explains that in order to achieve a balance between the goals of preparing music for performance and developing capable musicians during choral rehearsals, teachers should employ four rehearsal techniques: (1) the Whole/Part/Whole approach; (2) discovering relationships within compositions; (3) repetition with meaning; and (4) gesture-based…

Recognizes the importance of performance-based assessment in theater education because so many of the skills and concepts that are taught cannot be measured in a traditional paper and pencil test. Suggests the basic goal of performance-based assessment is to create an environment where students can show higher-order thinking skills. Gives a brief…