Purpose

I don't consider the questions posed by this unit to be a distraction from the core disciplinary business of an English teacher in any way. As a number of others have noted, reading and writing is an integral part of the English curriculum. So, in fact, our discussions and explorations have all directly addressed issues relating to the daily business of an English teacher.

I'd like to - if i may - put on the hat of a Drama teacher for a moment (on this forum rather than the somewhat empty Drama page...) and address these questions from that perspective.

The Drama curriculum is concerned with developing performance and playbuilding skills, an appreciation of theatre and dramatic works, building empathy and values about working collaboratively. In my heart-of-hearts - the curriculum definition pretty much covers it! I'll be working with students to help them to appreciate theatre and to create it, to work together, and to put themselves in other people's shoes from time to time. I've pretty much spent my life in this field and I know what a challenging and rewarding world I'll be introducing them to. The radically transforming literary landscape we live in I think will only enhance students' experience of Drama. They'll have access to more resources, be able to see more, consider more, create in different mediums, explore possibilities from all over the world, think outside the box... I think they'll also be able to teach me a thing or two as many will be far more technologically "literate" than me.

So how does redefining writing come into it? Written communication is a major aspect of Drama for a number of reasons. I've been asked to consider "purpose" by a number of sources this week. Why? Why write? I've always enjoyed writing, so I can't really connect to the question unless I consider "purpose" from another perspective. I've never liked computers, so I've always sucked at using them. I was a very basic email and word processor user, and that was as far as it went. This year we were asked to create a wiki - nightmare of nightmares - and I had to figure out how to hyperlink, how to embed videos, upload, download, attatch, insert. Fortunately as each of these elements were introduced I could see a use for them beyond the assignment. I could blog. Create a website. Get connected! I had a purpose, so I learned.

So what is the "purpose" of writing for a Drama student? I would say it's twofold - creating and reflecting. Self devised works, scripts, journals, self-evaluations... there's a number of reasons for Drama students to write and to express themselves effectively, and it's definitely not a distraction from my core disciplinary business to illustrate and facilitate this aspect of their learning and to encourage their explorations.