Standards: The Illusion of Comfort

Abstract

This paper raises three concerns: 1. Pedagogy. Effective drama demands a constructivist pedagogy (Wagner,1998), one built upon questions, discourse, reflection, and, if it is to be transformative, action (Brooks & Brooks, 1993). Unfortunately, most teacher education takes place within pre-service programmes and schools that practice the traditional educational model (Windschitl, 2002). When many drama/theatre teachers have little experience with a still anomalous pedagogy and can receive little knowledgeable support for their teaching, what in their drama teaching are they valuing and assessing? 2. The art form. We know of the lack of theatre experience that pre-service teachers bring with them (Miller & Saxton, 2000), and this is exacerbated by the limited courses offered in theatre/drama within generalist teacher education programmes. There are theatre requirements for entry into secondary school theatre/dramatic arts pre-service teacher education, but the quality and content varies significantly in depth, extent and practice, depending upon locale and the focus of the degree. Where then is the depth of knowledge and experience to support the application of standards to student work? 3. Standards application. Given the above, how can standards in the art form become internalized and actualized in our classrooms?